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silviamadrisa 's review for:
Reservation Blues
by Sherman Alexie
I'm a white woman in social work, new to Manitoba, learning to be an Indigenous ally. I'm interested in books like Reservation Blues that are written from an insider perspective. Too often, Indian experience, culture and spirituality have been appropriated by white people and filtered through white perspectives (e.g., Avatar). So that was the first reason I chose to read this book.
It's impossible not to get drawn into a relationship with the main character, storyteller Thomas Builds-the-Fire. He is humble, aware of his own failings, yet shows unexpected leadership qualities which emerge when he starts to realize his rather modest vision -- to form an Indian rock band with two other misfits who have all too often tormented and bullied Thomas. Actually, most of the characters are misfits, yet together they form a community. Alexie writes very poignantly, but with gentle insider humour, about the realities destroying Native people. He really shows the strengths of these people, who despite the horrendous impacts of colonization have a spiritual core that calls them to heal, a communal strength, and who use humour to deal with adversity.
I loved the Indian version of "magical realism" in this book, which brought alive the spirituality of the Spokane people of the novel. Big Mom, the music, the stories -- these are some of the means by which Spokane spirituality are woven into the fabric of this story.
As a white social worker, I run the risk of seeing alcoholism and similar problems as something needing to be addressed in order for people to be able to live good lives. At one level, this is true. But Alexie shows an acceptance of these realities and a love that shines through in how he depicts the richness of his characters' experiences, despite the harmful forces that are part of their context.
This is a book that stayed with me and continues to enrich me. I want to read more by this author.
It's impossible not to get drawn into a relationship with the main character, storyteller Thomas Builds-the-Fire. He is humble, aware of his own failings, yet shows unexpected leadership qualities which emerge when he starts to realize his rather modest vision -- to form an Indian rock band with two other misfits who have all too often tormented and bullied Thomas. Actually, most of the characters are misfits, yet together they form a community. Alexie writes very poignantly, but with gentle insider humour, about the realities destroying Native people. He really shows the strengths of these people, who despite the horrendous impacts of colonization have a spiritual core that calls them to heal, a communal strength, and who use humour to deal with adversity.
I loved the Indian version of "magical realism" in this book, which brought alive the spirituality of the Spokane people of the novel. Big Mom, the music, the stories -- these are some of the means by which Spokane spirituality are woven into the fabric of this story.
As a white social worker, I run the risk of seeing alcoholism and similar problems as something needing to be addressed in order for people to be able to live good lives. At one level, this is true. But Alexie shows an acceptance of these realities and a love that shines through in how he depicts the richness of his characters' experiences, despite the harmful forces that are part of their context.
This is a book that stayed with me and continues to enrich me. I want to read more by this author.