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midnightreads08's review against another edition
3.0
Read for my YA lit class !! Overall this was pretty good and I enjoyed the class discussions we had (: it just wasn’t my absolute fav
valeriemadsen's review against another edition
5.0
This was my 8th grader's first book of the school season. We are homeschooling this year due to covid19 issues, and I'm in charge of his language arts sessions. I really looked forward to reading this book every week. I challenged my 8th grader to learn more about native american boarding schools. We also discussed what it means to have different worlds intersect, then separate and how each of the main characters had their own sets of hardships.
I made a play list on Spotify (although the songs are not in the same order that Eric Gansworth lists in the back of the book):
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0yOk0YSmsBKxXzMDB1MnvY?si=DSW4azClSLaHiK2KMX-MqA
I made a play list on Spotify (although the songs are not in the same order that Eric Gansworth lists in the back of the book):
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0yOk0YSmsBKxXzMDB1MnvY?si=DSW4azClSLaHiK2KMX-MqA
easbyjr's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
sooshicats's review against another edition
5.0
*11/5 stars
{seriously it deserves a million stars}
^ my reaction after finishing this book
conclusion: I freaking loved everything about this book I need to reread it about twenty times over.
This book broke my heart. Its story rang so true to me, and after closing the book, I almost felt like crying in memory of all the amazing characters I had been taken on a journey with. It's not easy to create characters that readers will love, but it's a true talent to be able to write a story where every character feels real and important. [a:Eric Gansworth|249298|Eric Gansworth|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s YA debut is brilliant, inspiring, and telling of the experience American Indians had on reservations.
Lewis Blake is the only Tuscarora Indian in the advanced class in his year, and as a result of this, he has no friends in his class. His identity makes him an outcast, and as much as tries to make friends, everyone ignores him.
"The force field kept me inside and everyone else out. I'd given up trying to make friends by Christmas break."
Yet as he starts his new school year, he befriends new kid George Haddonfield and they forge a bond that transcends cultures and society's rules. George and Lewis's friendship is portrayed wonderfully well, [a:Eric Gansworth|249298|Eric Gansworth|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] somehow manages to describe the barrier between the two and the simultaneous connection they have with each other. You see the stark contrast between their experiences and how they fit together like two puzzle pieces. Where Lewis can be a little bit of a cynic, George sees the other side of things and vice versa. I was never bored of their interaction and it killed me when
"I tried to picture my life beyond next week, and I found that I couldn't. I discovered that I had imagined him into my future..."
Beyond that friendship, I loved how [a:Eric Gansworth|249298|Eric Gansworth|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] portrays the relationships that Lewis has with everyone. Lewis experiences It's amazing how they each have a unique viewpoint and their own experiences, and how it feels like we know each of these characters personally, no matter how likeable/hateable they were or how small of a role they played. This novel almost read like a memoir with how fresh the experiences were.
Honestly, this book is so, so much more than what the summary has to offer, or even what I can tell you about it. It covers a myriad of things like family relationships, racism, pop culture, friendship, prejudice, single moms, life in poverty, bullying, standing up for yourself, and so many other issues. You'd think that if a book tried to describe all those things in depth in a span of about 360 pages, it would drag and become boring. But [b:If I Ever Get Out of Here|17071489|If I Ever Get Out of Here|Eric Gansworth|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1417653483s/17071489.jpg|23421230] was entertaining while being educational, and it linked all of these together flawlessly. Now excuse me while I crumple in a ball of feelings and recommend this book to everyone I know.
{seriously it deserves a million stars}
^ my reaction after finishing this book
conclusion: I freaking loved everything about this book I need to reread it about twenty times over.
This book broke my heart. Its story rang so true to me, and after closing the book, I almost felt like crying in memory of all the amazing characters I had been taken on a journey with. It's not easy to create characters that readers will love, but it's a true talent to be able to write a story where every character feels real and important. [a:Eric Gansworth|249298|Eric Gansworth|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s YA debut is brilliant, inspiring, and telling of the experience American Indians had on reservations.
Lewis Blake is the only Tuscarora Indian in the advanced class in his year, and as a result of this, he has no friends in his class. His identity makes him an outcast, and as much as tries to make friends, everyone ignores him.
"The force field kept me inside and everyone else out. I'd given up trying to make friends by Christmas break."
Yet as he starts his new school year, he befriends new kid George Haddonfield and they forge a bond that transcends cultures and society's rules. George and Lewis's friendship is portrayed wonderfully well, [a:Eric Gansworth|249298|Eric Gansworth|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] somehow manages to describe the barrier between the two and the simultaneous connection they have with each other. You see the stark contrast between their experiences and how they fit together like two puzzle pieces. Where Lewis can be a little bit of a cynic, George sees the other side of things and vice versa. I was never bored of their interaction and it killed me when
Spoiler
George had to move away. But if anything, [b:If I Ever Get Out of Here|17071489|If I Ever Get Out of Here|Eric Gansworth|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1417653483s/17071489.jpg|23421230] showed me that the distance between them would never erase the days they had together, and how they grew as people."I tried to picture my life beyond next week, and I found that I couldn't. I discovered that I had imagined him into my future..."
Beyond that friendship, I loved how [a:Eric Gansworth|249298|Eric Gansworth|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] portrays the relationships that Lewis has with everyone. Lewis experiences
Spoiler
toxic friendships, friendships with kids who are wary of who he is, fights with bullies, familial relationships, a connection with people who don't live on his reservation, with racist adults and supportive ones.Honestly, this book is so, so much more than what the summary has to offer, or even what I can tell you about it. It covers a myriad of things like family relationships, racism, pop culture, friendship, prejudice, single moms, life in poverty, bullying, standing up for yourself, and so many other issues. You'd think that if a book tried to describe all those things in depth in a span of about 360 pages, it would drag and become boring. But [b:If I Ever Get Out of Here|17071489|If I Ever Get Out of Here|Eric Gansworth|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1417653483s/17071489.jpg|23421230] was entertaining while being educational, and it linked all of these together flawlessly. Now excuse me while I crumple in a ball of feelings and recommend this book to everyone I know.
astumpf's review against another edition
4.0
For a book that is so much about music, there was potential to do a 60s/70s music infused audiobook (which would have been awesome!), but alas this is a pretty straight up reading of the book. The beginning of this book moves slowly, yet the growth of the characters & messages about friendship are rewarding in the end. I love the paradox between transient military families & rooted (too often forsaken) reservation families. I could see this as a good book for kids who loved the themes & setting of Sherman Alexie's True Diary.
dustilane's review against another edition
I only read 1/4 of this book and I didn't like it soooo.
falconerreader's review against another edition
5.0
I stayed up until 2 am finishing this. When I started, I was all, "Oh, Part-Time Indian in upstate New York." But no. I still love Alexie's book, but this is no imitation or little brother. If I Ever Get Out of Here stands firmly on its own feet. It is a story of friendship, first and foremost. It's a story of family, school, poverty, standing up for yourself in the face of intense prejudice--but mostly it's about the power of friendship. And music.
Grittier than many MG novels, but solidly PG, with an ending that is realistic yet optimistic. I could read this to a middle school class--porn movies and magazines are alluded to, and a few people who really, really deserve it are called assholes, but that's as far as it goes.
Grittier than many MG novels, but solidly PG, with an ending that is realistic yet optimistic. I could read this to a middle school class--porn movies and magazines are alluded to, and a few people who really, really deserve it are called assholes, but that's as far as it goes.
jennybeastie's review against another edition
4.0
I found this book a little hard to get into, and then impossible to put down. Lewis is growing up on the rez in the 1970s. Really, the crux of the story is that Lewis is living on the rez, and going to school in the gifted class off reservation. He lives an isolated life, finding comfort only in music, until a boy transfers in and won’t let the idea of friendship go.
Lewis’ struggle to remain true to himself and find a way to interact with the off-reservation world makes for a hard read, but an inspiring one. He is a fierce and intelligent, difficult, lonely boy, who takes a stand when he needs to, regardless of the cost.
Lewis’ struggle to remain true to himself and find a way to interact with the off-reservation world makes for a hard read, but an inspiring one. He is a fierce and intelligent, difficult, lonely boy, who takes a stand when he needs to, regardless of the cost.
sunbear98's review against another edition
3.0
I would give this book 3.5 stars. This book started very slowly for me. I'm afraid it might lose teen readers before they get very far into it. Having said this, by the middle of the book, it had me. Wonderful story of a true teen boy's friendship. I don't think we read enough of this in YA lit. The author gave me a strong vision of place and I could feel the pain Lewis went through. It is a good read.