About Louise Erdrich
According to the biography found on this site, Louise Erdrich’s "interest in writing can be traced to her childhood and her heritage." After reading the information about Louise Erdrich on this site, write a paragraph about how Erdrich’s family life might have inspired her depiction of the mother-daughter relationship in "The Leap."

Circus Lingo
To learn a bit more about circus life, peruse this glossary of circus terms. Is the narrator in "The Leap" a gilly? What terms would describe her mother? Answer these questions in your Web Links Activity Log.