Pajiba

This book sounds wonderful for my classroom. I've always loved Sherman Alexie and a kid-friendly book about rez life would be greatly appreciated by many of my students.

Thanks for a new book!

I loved this book! I had hoped to read it with my 9th-grade students, but some of the language is a little too graphic for middle america. At one point in the book, Arnold writes about how he could win a gold medal in Olympic Masturbation. So, instead of reading the book, I showed the kids some of the artwork and used it as a springboard for them to draw and write about themselves. A few kids went on their own to read the book (I hyped it pretty well), and they all liked it too. I know Alexie gets mixed reviews from Native audiences, but I think he's at his strongest when he writes from personal experience, as he does here. It's a book that's humorous and heart-breaking and perfectly captures being 14.

"Readers of all ages can benefit from the novel's message: our past need not define us. It is never too late to change your destiny."

Having spent time amongst Native Americans who view their reservation as an independent nation, who have passports of their own that they fight to get recognized, who cite treaties with the Federal Government that are completely ignored, I can tell you that the summarization of the novel's message of "escaping" the reservation as "our past need not define us" could be highly controversial. I have no doubt that this book will be seen by many as representation of a defeatist, assimilationist attitude which will lead to the further dissolution of Native rights and the eventual loss of all semblance of sovereignty and culture. And the eventual extinction of their race.

They will say that the attitude should be to improve the reservations, fix the education system, and promote cultural pride, rather than abandoning it all and joining the outside. I suspect that the main demographic for this book would be Native American Young Adults, and I know that the people I know will have a huge problem with that sort of defeatist material being aimed at precisely the people they need to inspire.

These people are struggling to maintain their past, to keep their Native languages alive, to retain their cultural awareness - to survive - and need very much to be defined by their past to do so. To be defined otherwise is cultural suicide.

...So, anybody have any thoughts?

Bucko, you're probably right in that the views espoused in terms of escaping the rez and changing your your destiny will be controversial... which is somewhat sad. Escaping the rez doesn't have to mean abandoning your cultural roots or slouching towards self-induced genocide. Not having your past define you doesn't mean giving up your roots.

It should mean escaping the cycle of alcoholism, self-destruction, and self-loathing that many inhabitants of reservations have. It should mean that you can have all of the good things associated with your culture, while ejecting the negative ones that have been either forced upon you, or come about as a consequence of history.

Sherman Alexie has always been a brilliant writer. It's nice to see him reaching out to a generation that will hopefully have a better future than their parents' past.

The Native American truly has a majestic and proud history, they are indeed the true founders of America. They are a mighty people with a mighty voice with a deep understanding of there complex and unique position within the American framework. Sometimes when I would get my check from the day labor boss I would go cash it, and head straight over to the reservation and get me a couple of them squaws and take them to a cheap motel for some fun. After a while I would send one of them young bitches to get us some food and some fire water to drink, all in all everybody had a good time. I think America has a great debt that is owed to these proud people, racism and prejudice have no place in America and I think we all should strive to end what divides all Americans. We can all stand together or we can all fall apart.

/WANT.

It's like the anti-Nick Twisp, but with the same message of going for what you want, and weathering the storms. Of course, I'd be less hesitant to give this book to my little sister...

bees; you may be interested, if you haven't read it, in 'An Abundance of Katherines.' I haven't read it but a bunch of people I know say it's pretty good.

I still need to read 'Flight.' Damn.

I'm not so sure Alexie was aiming at a specifically Native audience. Any kid could identify with feeling out of place or lonely or struggling to define yourself outside of your family. It might have a special appeal to kids living in poverty, but most of my students are white and priveleged, and they liked it. As I read, I thought a lot about my grandparents who moved from tobacco-growing backwoods Kentucky to take factory jobs in Indiana so they could put their kids through college. I think Alexie's message goes beyond the rez. I might feel differently had I grown up there myself, though.

"An Abundance of Katherines" was pretty good. Not amazing, but I enjoyed it, and it went nicely with the romantic comedy run I had along with "King Dork", "I Love You, Beth Cooper", "Which Brings Me To You" and "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" (recommended by Dewey at www.unshelved.com ).

Sweet. I read Alexie in college (and watched Smoke Signals for the same course) and I loved his straight take on what it's like to live on the rez.

I have my own serious issues with the reservation system but I don't want to get all blowhard.

I've worked on a reserve too, at an elementary school. The reservation I worked at was stricken with poverty, booze and violence. Maybe because of this background knowledge I didn't find it a light read at all, pretty heart fuckin breaking actually, knowing how hard it is for most kids to survive let alone thrive. The people who do make to adulthood seemingly intact are pretty amazing. There is a push in Canada by some off-reserve Aboriginals to end the reserve system. Most federal funding goes to reserves, the residents who are only a very small portion of the total Aboriginal popualtion. There is way too much history to go into here but most Aboriginals in Canada have already left reserves (or never lived there at all) for big cities.

I originally read this from the comfortability of white middle america. Than I moved to an area with a much higher Native population. And I started to see some of what was purely theoretical (at least for me).

Without being a Native American, there are always still things to relate to: being an outsider, poverty, alcoholism, family disfunction. And there are positive themes throughout the book. While I can understand how it could be seen that Arnold was trying to leave behind his culture, I don't believe it is that simple. It is not just a matter of "rising above" your culture, but rising up and taking with you what is best (the focus on family and community, history, tradition) and leaving behind that which could hold you down (alcoholism, self-loathing, defeatism*). It is a relatable struggle. My parents chose a similar journey when they left behind rural, poor, Oklahoman farms, for a suburban, professional life. They took with them those parts of their culture and heritage that were important to them (strong work ethic, faith, sense of family, respect for the environment and land) while leaving behind in the small town that which they felt was worst (xenophobia, racism, fear of minorities, small mindedness). It's a less extremem journey than that which Alexie portrays (since my parents proved that without enough training you can lose your Okie accent, but you can never lose your skin color), but it is an American journey. A journey not toward uniformity in the melting pot, but one that allows us to take the best of our heritage and leave behind that which could hamper us. At least ideally.

*This is not to say by any means that all Native Americans or even many or any are alcoholic, self-loathing, or defeatist, but rather that those are attitudes portrayed in Alexie's book.

I loved this book, and I'm always glad to see an "adult" site like pajiba reviewing "young adult" or juvenile material. If you have a book you enjoy, don't worry about the label on the side, just read. Also, I am a youth librarian, I almost never read adult literature anymore, but I gobble up juvenile and young adult literature, so I am always glad to be able to chime in on a discussion here.

I am going to read this to see if is a little too mature yet for my ten year old. I miss the young adult books! I loved reading them when I was in school. If I check it out of the library will I have to have a cover story?

By leaving behind their land for the cities, they are leaving behind their claim to sovereignty. Some do not consider themselves Americans citizens, and demand that the treaties that the US government made with them on a nation-to-nation basis be honored.

When all the Indians leave the reservation, their land claims and claim to sovereignty will be dead, and they will just so-many-more American citizens, not citizens of the Mohawk Nation or the Sioux Nation.

greer, at my library we welcome any adults into the area so long as they are with youth or are using youth materials. Since librarians tend to appreciate youth books for pure literary quality, than they welcome others who share their love. So you would be welcome at my library anytime, but some libraries are more strict due to fears of predators. Just explain that you want to read a book and you should be fine.

Stick with NASCAR Bucko.

I've spent the last 4 years working on a documentary about this stuff.

And I'd never watch a race where you don't turn both ways. Mostly I'm into baseball, though. Thanks for the suggestion though!