You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Scan barcode
yanulya's review against another edition
4.0
This was my first book by Sherman Alexie -- I'd been wanting to read his work for years. In the beginning I enjoyed his writing but found it a little inconsistent, but I really loved several of the stories at the end, along with the final poem. This book is a mix of short stories, poems, and what feel like random scribblings & snippets of fictional interviews. "Emotional honesty" is probably a very overused phrase, but nonetheless I'd say he captures it better than most writers. Will definitely read more of his works.
ikuo1000's review against another edition
4.0
If half-stars were allowed, I'd have given this book 3 1/2 stars. Compared to the other Sherman Alexie books I've read, I figured I'd round up.
Ken saw this book at the library and checked it out for me. It's the first book of Sherman Alexie's that I've read that does not focus entirely on Native American Indians. His other books that I've read tell fanciful tales of colorful characters who are young and unique and conflicted in some way about their American Indian-ness. This book's collection of short stories, however, featured mainly older, more mature characters who might even be considered average. They were regular people dealing with ordinary, or sometimes extraordinary, circumstances. While other Sherman Alexie books put the American Indian heritage and plight front and center, this book either keeps them in the background, or else excludes it entirely; there were a couple stories that didn't feature any American Indian characters at all. Mostly these books were about people, in general, and human nature. And I have to admit, one reason I like Sherman Alexie so much is because of the way he weaves the stories American Indians into other stories.
Still, as usual, Sherman Alexie wrote these pieces with wit, humor, and carefully crafted poetry disguised as prose. It did also include a number of actual poems, some light-hearted, all accessible. There were some pieces formatted like question-and-answer sessions, and I'm not sure what I was supposed to take away from them, but if nothing else, they illustrated the way sometimes, the questions people ask are not the ones worth answering.
Ken saw this book at the library and checked it out for me. It's the first book of Sherman Alexie's that I've read that does not focus entirely on Native American Indians. His other books that I've read tell fanciful tales of colorful characters who are young and unique and conflicted in some way about their American Indian-ness. This book's collection of short stories, however, featured mainly older, more mature characters who might even be considered average. They were regular people dealing with ordinary, or sometimes extraordinary, circumstances. While other Sherman Alexie books put the American Indian heritage and plight front and center, this book either keeps them in the background, or else excludes it entirely; there were a couple stories that didn't feature any American Indian characters at all. Mostly these books were about people, in general, and human nature. And I have to admit, one reason I like Sherman Alexie so much is because of the way he weaves the stories American Indians into other stories.
Still, as usual, Sherman Alexie wrote these pieces with wit, humor, and carefully crafted poetry disguised as prose. It did also include a number of actual poems, some light-hearted, all accessible. There were some pieces formatted like question-and-answer sessions, and I'm not sure what I was supposed to take away from them, but if nothing else, they illustrated the way sometimes, the questions people ask are not the ones worth answering.
jenna_cross's review against another edition
4.0
Often times, when you put something on hold with the library, it can take a while to become available to you. I was feeling in the mood for a Sherman Alexie story but the one I wanted was unavailable. I put it on hold and by the time I got it in my inbox, I had forgotten exactly what it was about. I was expecting a novel but got short stories and poems. What a pleasant surprise! I probably would not have read this if I had known it was not a novel but I’m so glad I did. Engaging clips of different lives. I especially liked the story that took place in different airports across the country.
bgg616's review against another edition
4.0
Short stories read by the author. Often amusing, interesting variety of subjects.
annanowo's review against another edition
4.0
Sherman Alexie ❤️.
I don't even normally like short stories!
I don't even normally like short stories!
ronielle's review against another edition
4.0
Overall I really enjoyed this collection. I liked that it had short stories and poetry. I connected with some stories more than others. Some really knocked my socks off and others were just okay. Looking forward to reading more of his stuff.
lonecayt's review against another edition
4.0
I think I missed the full effect of the poetry, in some ways, by listening to it. Or maybe not. Without having access to the written text, I can't actually tell. It was nice to hear it all in the author's actual voice, though.
kjones31's review against another edition
4.0
Love Sherman Alexie's writing style and his brutally honest take on life. This book felt disjointed at times but was certainly worth a read.
drgus_7's review against another edition
3.0
This is not one of Alexie's stronger collections. Bigger pieces like "The Senator's Son" and "The Ballad of Paul Nonetheless" felt like they were trying to hard to be clever and were flat at the end. I remember thinking, "so what?" However, some of the poems and "Fearful Symmetry," "Roman Catholic Haiku," and "Salt" redeem the collection.
bethnellvaccaro's review against another edition
4.0
Really 3.5 stars for me, only because I'm not a fan of short stories or poetry. I have really enjoyed other books by Alexie and this didn't disappoint. I particularly enjoyed the story "War Dances" since my mom recently had brain surgery to remove a meningioma, the type of tumor the character is diagnosed with. This book is currently the One Book, One Philadelphia selection and I am going to hear him speak at the library in a couple of weeks. Looking forward to it.