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desordxn's review against another edition
5.0
“Isn’t all fiction (and nonfiction) magical realism? Aren’t we all making shit up, and if we do it well enough, it can feel surreal?”
Easily one of my favorite reads this year and a book I will always recommend.
Easily one of my favorite reads this year and a book I will always recommend.
andrewacashner's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-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
3.0
tylerteacher's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
4.25
blueskygreentreesyellowsun's review against another edition
Turns out my ability to read really depressing Native American stories is 112 pages.
bbshams's review against another edition
5.0
wow, i am so sad this is over. i seriously savored every word of this book and loved every space in between. the prose grabs you by the shirt collar and demands your attention while at the same time telling beautiful, passionate and heartbreakingly honest stories about life, specifically american indian life on a reservation.
incredibly relatable stories and sentiments, regardless of race or upbringing. an eye opening read, an extremely human book, a truly magical book.
incredibly relatable stories and sentiments, regardless of race or upbringing. an eye opening read, an extremely human book, a truly magical book.
r_rachel29's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-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
melanieapril's review against another edition
4.0
Having grown up on the east coast, I knew basically nothing about American Indian reservation life going into this book, so I learned a lot!
booksaremysuperpower's review against another edition
4.0
(3.5 stars) This is a good short story collection, albeit one where you can definitely tell the writer was at the very beginning of his career (as Alexie also notes in his 10th anniversary edition prologue). There's a clear voice to these stories. I loved all the magical realism elements included here and the unique ways of storytelling from multiple recurring characters that show the heartbreaking and often hysterical snapshots of life on/off the Spokane Wellpinit Reservation.
His humor stands out in these pieces, even though several of them carry heavy themes. Some stories just didn't land as deftly as others, which I find is always the case with short story books, and I did skip through a few. But the pieces that struck me the most probably tended to be the most personal - stories about fathers/sons, mothers, women leaders in the community.
I don't know many American Indian authors. Only Louise Erdrich comes to mind, so getting to know more about life on the Rez, hardships and racial strife, and tribal culture was a highlight for me and why I would recommend this story collection to start with.
A fellow book clubber told me that his later novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a much richer and powerful book where Alexie really comes into his own as a writer and I can't wait to read it.
His humor stands out in these pieces, even though several of them carry heavy themes. Some stories just didn't land as deftly as others, which I find is always the case with short story books, and I did skip through a few. But the pieces that struck me the most probably tended to be the most personal - stories about fathers/sons, mothers, women leaders in the community.
I don't know many American Indian authors. Only Louise Erdrich comes to mind, so getting to know more about life on the Rez, hardships and racial strife, and tribal culture was a highlight for me and why I would recommend this story collection to start with.
A fellow book clubber told me that his later novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a much richer and powerful book where Alexie really comes into his own as a writer and I can't wait to read it.
kpullins's review against another edition
5.0
I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to read Sherman Alexie. The short stories are hauntingly beautiful, wrapped in elegant prose, and contain gentle nuances to Alexie’s desire to be more than just a “textbook” Indian. The message is a finely woven thread from story to story and harkens back to W.E.B. Du Bois’s idea of “double consciousness.” I look forward to many more journeys through Alexie’s mind.
judyward's review against another edition
4.0
I first read Sherman Alexie with his memoir, You Don't Have to Say You Love Me, which I loved. I also highly recommend this book of 22 interconnected short stories that examine life among Native Americans living on a reservation in Washington State in contemporary America.