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serialreader's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
missprint_'s review against another edition
4.0
"The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven" is one of Sherman Alexie's first collections of short stories. The collection deals with the lives and troubles of Indian in and around the Spokane Indian Reservation. The stories also deal with characters that Alexie would later revisit in his novel "[b:Reservation Blues|6159|Reservation Blues|Sherman Alexie|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1398195783s/6159.jpg|1781]" (specifically, Thomas Builds-the-Fire, Victor, and Junior).
In a 1996 interview with Tomson Highway, Alexie explains a bit about the title of this collection: "Kemosabe in Apache means "idiot," as Tonto in Spanish means "idiot." They were calling each other "idiot" all those years; and they both were, so it worked out. It's always going to be antagonistic relationship between indigenous people and the colonial people. I think the theme of The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven is universal."
This universal theme permeates many of Alexie's stories here and in his other writings. The stories take a fresh, sometimes painful, look at life for modern Indians on the Spokane Reservation. Alcoholism, violence, and death all permeate this collection. At the same time, Alexie brings an extreme level of humor and compassion to these characters, making their hardships bearable to the reader.
The stories here mostly interconnect, referring to the same events or at least the same characters, creating a narrative that almost flows between stories. Exceptions to this flow include "Distances." "Witnesses, Secret and Not" and "Jesus Christ's Half-Brother Is Alive and Well on the Spokane Indian Reservation" also seem disconnected but remain similar in style to the rest of the collection. A follow up to "[b:The Business of Fancydancing|52876|The Business of Fancydancing|Sherman Alexie|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388464356s/52876.jpg|3020]," a collection of short stories and poems, the stories in this collection alternate between a poetic style and a more conventional prose style.
The characters in these stories have not reached "happily ever after," it is not clear if they will ever get there. Sometimes, the characters are at fault for these failures. At other times they are victims of circumstances far beyond their control. Regardless of the reason, Alexie portrays his characters with compassion and the hope that they will one day succeed. Even Victor, a drunk continuously falling off the wagon, and Lester FallsApart (whose name might say everything) are presented with a certain dignity and afforded a degree of respect throughout the stories.
When writing about such modern problems as car wrecks and alcoholism, there is always the risk of being too serious, too tragic. In "A Good Story" Alexie acknowledges this fact when his self-proclaimed storyteller, Thomas Builds-the-Fire, goes out of his way to tell a happy story.
Other stories remain less concerned with themes discussed and instead are focused on presenting rich narratives. One favorite is "The Only Traffic Signal on the Reservation Doesn't Flash Red Anymore" in which Victor and his friend watch reservation life from their porch while drinking Diet Pepsis. However, bar none, the best stories in this collection are the title story and "Somebody Kept Saying Powwow." Both stories are as evocative and compelling as any novel. Furthermore, in each story Alexie creates characters that are unique, well-developed and completely absorbing--no easy feat for stories of around ten pages.
"The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven" does two important things. First, it illustrates Sherman Alexie's wide range of talents as a writer. Second, it tells a lot of good stories.
You can find this review and more on my blog Miss Print
In a 1996 interview with Tomson Highway, Alexie explains a bit about the title of this collection: "Kemosabe in Apache means "idiot," as Tonto in Spanish means "idiot." They were calling each other "idiot" all those years; and they both were, so it worked out. It's always going to be antagonistic relationship between indigenous people and the colonial people. I think the theme of The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven is universal."
This universal theme permeates many of Alexie's stories here and in his other writings. The stories take a fresh, sometimes painful, look at life for modern Indians on the Spokane Reservation. Alcoholism, violence, and death all permeate this collection. At the same time, Alexie brings an extreme level of humor and compassion to these characters, making their hardships bearable to the reader.
The stories here mostly interconnect, referring to the same events or at least the same characters, creating a narrative that almost flows between stories. Exceptions to this flow include "Distances." "Witnesses, Secret and Not" and "Jesus Christ's Half-Brother Is Alive and Well on the Spokane Indian Reservation" also seem disconnected but remain similar in style to the rest of the collection. A follow up to "[b:The Business of Fancydancing|52876|The Business of Fancydancing|Sherman Alexie|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388464356s/52876.jpg|3020]," a collection of short stories and poems, the stories in this collection alternate between a poetic style and a more conventional prose style.
The characters in these stories have not reached "happily ever after," it is not clear if they will ever get there. Sometimes, the characters are at fault for these failures. At other times they are victims of circumstances far beyond their control. Regardless of the reason, Alexie portrays his characters with compassion and the hope that they will one day succeed. Even Victor, a drunk continuously falling off the wagon, and Lester FallsApart (whose name might say everything) are presented with a certain dignity and afforded a degree of respect throughout the stories.
When writing about such modern problems as car wrecks and alcoholism, there is always the risk of being too serious, too tragic. In "A Good Story" Alexie acknowledges this fact when his self-proclaimed storyteller, Thomas Builds-the-Fire, goes out of his way to tell a happy story.
Other stories remain less concerned with themes discussed and instead are focused on presenting rich narratives. One favorite is "The Only Traffic Signal on the Reservation Doesn't Flash Red Anymore" in which Victor and his friend watch reservation life from their porch while drinking Diet Pepsis. However, bar none, the best stories in this collection are the title story and "Somebody Kept Saying Powwow." Both stories are as evocative and compelling as any novel. Furthermore, in each story Alexie creates characters that are unique, well-developed and completely absorbing--no easy feat for stories of around ten pages.
"The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven" does two important things. First, it illustrates Sherman Alexie's wide range of talents as a writer. Second, it tells a lot of good stories.
You can find this review and more on my blog Miss Print
scifimagpie's review against another edition
4.0
I have to admit, this one was a rough read - not as emotionally draining and scarring as Kindred by Octavia Butler, but full of some very harsh realities.
Now, the prose is very beautiful, and I really love an interlaced and interwoven story structure. Even just for the qualities alone and the way inequality is portrayed, it's awesome.
My only caveats would be that I wondered if, like "Angela's Ashes," there was an element of performative poverty - like, kind of suffering put on display not just to make a point, but because it's expected and required (especially by the white literary establishment, which prefers its stories of people of colour to have an exotic, alien, or painful component).
There's also some ways that both white and Native women are described which felt - kind of fetishizing, I guess? Mostly all framed with a certain kind of longing and metaphor that I've gotten very used to from Establishment writers. I don't actually mind it, personally, but some people hate it.
Nevertheless, apart from those two things - it's an incredible collection. Very subtle, witty, nuanced, and full of evocative details. I think I'll definitely read more by this author, but I want to read more by other Native authors to get a fuller picture.
Now, the prose is very beautiful, and I really love an interlaced and interwoven story structure. Even just for the qualities alone and the way inequality is portrayed, it's awesome.
My only caveats would be that I wondered if, like "Angela's Ashes," there was an element of performative poverty - like, kind of suffering put on display not just to make a point, but because it's expected and required (especially by the white literary establishment, which prefers its stories of people of colour to have an exotic, alien, or painful component).
There's also some ways that both white and Native women are described which felt - kind of fetishizing, I guess? Mostly all framed with a certain kind of longing and metaphor that I've gotten very used to from Establishment writers. I don't actually mind it, personally, but some people hate it.
Nevertheless, apart from those two things - it's an incredible collection. Very subtle, witty, nuanced, and full of evocative details. I think I'll definitely read more by this author, but I want to read more by other Native authors to get a fuller picture.
mimirtells's review against another edition
5.0
5/5 Stars (%90/100)
This was my first book by Sherman Alexie and I absolutely loved it. It was very different than what I used to read. I was, and still am, more interested in reading fantasy/sci-fi novels so this was quite a journey. The culture and history of the Native-American people are depicted perfectly. I was not very familiar with them as I only knew some myths and legends. I am really glad my professor made us read this book. (Actually we read only one short story from this book but since I really liked that, I decided to check the whole book.)
The short story that we read was called "A Drug Called Tradition." This is definitely my favourite story from the book. Thomas-Builds-the-Fire is a brilliant character in my opinion and he made me love the story even more. The story mostly deals with the idea of storytelling. Storytelling and oral culture is still extremely important in Indian culture. Thomas also reminds me of Junior in The Absolutely True.
Overall, it is a great book. After this one, I've read two more books by Alexie and loved those as well. He is definitely one of my favourite writers now. Simply genius.
This was my first book by Sherman Alexie and I absolutely loved it. It was very different than what I used to read. I was, and still am, more interested in reading fantasy/sci-fi novels so this was quite a journey. The culture and history of the Native-American people are depicted perfectly. I was not very familiar with them as I only knew some myths and legends. I am really glad my professor made us read this book. (Actually we read only one short story from this book but since I really liked that, I decided to check the whole book.)
The short story that we read was called "A Drug Called Tradition." This is definitely my favourite story from the book. Thomas-Builds-the-Fire is a brilliant character in my opinion and he made me love the story even more. The story mostly deals with the idea of storytelling. Storytelling and oral culture is still extremely important in Indian culture. Thomas also reminds me of Junior in The Absolutely True.
Overall, it is a great book. After this one, I've read two more books by Alexie and loved those as well. He is definitely one of my favourite writers now. Simply genius.
imillan09's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
scorpi07's review against another edition
4.0
Wow. A fascinating read. These short stories are poignant and powerful.
bandb100's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75