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5/5 Sherman Alexie talks about being on/off the wagon a lot, so I only find it appropriate to say I'm ON the Sherman Alexie wagon.
I really liked the Thomas Builds-a-Fire character and my favorite story was the one about his trial. Short stories are magical.
One of Alexie's best known works, still shines. I loved the poetic prose and the raw honesty.
Uneven but funny, moving at times. Glad I finally got around to reading it.
I don't usually pick up short stories - I need my stories to be longer, to have more time with characters that I get invested in, but since it was by Sherman Alexie, I decided to give it a shot.
The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven was unlike any short story collection I've ever read. You follow the same characters throughout, jumping from time to time, jumping from one's perspective to another, in a seemingly haphazard way that makes total sense thematically.
It's also deeply moving. The helplessness juxtaposed with the warrior like fight present in all of the characters throughout has you at once rooting for things to be different and heartbroken that they won't be.
I loved most of the stories in this collection, but particularly: "The Fun House," "Jesus Christ's Half-Brother is Alive and Well on the Spokane Indian Reservation," "The Approximate Size of My Favorite Tumor," "Indian Education," and "Somebody Kept Saying Powwow." If you aren't into reading a full book of short stories, I suggest at least giving these a read.
The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven was unlike any short story collection I've ever read. You follow the same characters throughout, jumping from time to time, jumping from one's perspective to another, in a seemingly haphazard way that makes total sense thematically.
It's also deeply moving. The helplessness juxtaposed with the warrior like fight present in all of the characters throughout has you at once rooting for things to be different and heartbroken that they won't be.
I loved most of the stories in this collection, but particularly: "The Fun House," "Jesus Christ's Half-Brother is Alive and Well on the Spokane Indian Reservation," "The Approximate Size of My Favorite Tumor," "Indian Education," and "Somebody Kept Saying Powwow." If you aren't into reading a full book of short stories, I suggest at least giving these a read.
Alexie is one of my all time favorites. Some of these stories I'd read before - but his stories are always worth re-reading.
Some of the stories in this collection I had read before, but it was still enjoyable. I love the interconnectivity between Alexie's short stories. The more you read of them, the more details and insight you get into other characters. Definitely recommend.
Sherman Alexie paints a powerful picture of Spokane reservation life. This book plays with your emotions with the naratives of some members of the Spokane Indian Reservation. While this work is fiction it brings to light issues that come from reservation life and offers an inside perspective on them.
ENGH 354
Everything I could say about this book is overshadowed by the #MeToo Movement and the recent allegations against Sherman Alexie. I have never read any of his books, but the fact that such a renowned minority voice is being swept into this is heartbreaking. Especially after reading this short story collection, which magically and lyrically gives insights into life on Native American reservations.
Genuine minority voices are so hard to come across, and I appreciate that the class in which I read this in is reading almost exclusively minority voices.
The shorty story collection itself has dips, where I understood what was being said to where it was so specific and the language so odd that I was confused. When this book was assigned, none of us were aware of the allegations against Alexie, and as a class we agreed that they definitely affected out reading of this book. There's so much to learn, to educate yourself, that it's hard to pay attention to that when even the author doesn't stand by what he writes. You want to appreciate every word, empathize with every character, and I did, but some things don't always age well.
Originally, I'm sure this book did educate people, opened some eyes, changed an opinion. But now, it's hard to be appreciative of something that has been affected by the tides of privilege and sexual violence. While it's disappointing Alexie has been swept into the tide, I will not excuse his actions simply because of who he is and the words he has shared.
It's becoming harder and harder to separate art from artist, but that's not how art should be approached anyways. You need to be aware of what you're reading, where it comes from, and the implications behind all of it, not just the published selections. You can enjoy problematic things, but you can't write off its problems. This collection is a breakthrough in literature, but you must acknowledge the accusations against Alexie. It's not a two dimensional problem. I did learn from this collection, I did come to some new understandings, despite the difficult at times approach to story telling, but I am also aware times are changing and we as educated readers need to be wary and active in that change.
Everything I could say about this book is overshadowed by the #MeToo Movement and the recent allegations against Sherman Alexie. I have never read any of his books, but the fact that such a renowned minority voice is being swept into this is heartbreaking. Especially after reading this short story collection, which magically and lyrically gives insights into life on Native American reservations.
Genuine minority voices are so hard to come across, and I appreciate that the class in which I read this in is reading almost exclusively minority voices.
The shorty story collection itself has dips, where I understood what was being said to where it was so specific and the language so odd that I was confused. When this book was assigned, none of us were aware of the allegations against Alexie, and as a class we agreed that they definitely affected out reading of this book. There's so much to learn, to educate yourself, that it's hard to pay attention to that when even the author doesn't stand by what he writes. You want to appreciate every word, empathize with every character, and I did, but some things don't always age well.
Originally, I'm sure this book did educate people, opened some eyes, changed an opinion. But now, it's hard to be appreciative of something that has been affected by the tides of privilege and sexual violence. While it's disappointing Alexie has been swept into the tide, I will not excuse his actions simply because of who he is and the words he has shared.
It's becoming harder and harder to separate art from artist, but that's not how art should be approached anyways. You need to be aware of what you're reading, where it comes from, and the implications behind all of it, not just the published selections. You can enjoy problematic things, but you can't write off its problems. This collection is a breakthrough in literature, but you must acknowledge the accusations against Alexie. It's not a two dimensional problem. I did learn from this collection, I did come to some new understandings, despite the difficult at times approach to story telling, but I am also aware times are changing and we as educated readers need to be wary and active in that change.