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A review by heymanda
Flight by Sherman Alexie
5.0
I read this book over six months ago, and I still think about it daily. I enjoyed it so much that I've even begun entertaining this fantasy where I'm sitting in a restaurant reading Flight, and I look up and see Sherman Alexie sitting right in front of me. He waves.
It's safe to say this book has invaded my psyche. Here are some thoughts I had while reading:
1. Sherman Alexie is hilarious. And deliciously un-PC. Example:
The narrator, Zits, meets a teenager while in jail, and the teen asks about Zits' acne. Zits says,
"'Why do you care so much about my face...You some kind of fag?' I don't care if he's a fag. I just know that fag is a powerful insult.
'Just talking,' he says. 'I'm not looking for a fight.'
He stares at me with kindness. Real kindness. I just met this guy, and I feel like he cares about my skin and me. His complexion is so clear that it's translucent. I can see the blue veins running through his skin like rivers. I have to admit, he's a good-looking guy. In fact, he's pretty like a girl. Damn, maybe I'm a fag."
2. It reminds me of Octavia Butler's Kindred, which is also about using time travel to explore cultural/racial identity. And in both, the narrators are transported to a new time just as they are about to be hurt or killed. In terms of plot, it makes sense because these books can't really continue if the main character is dead. But I wonder if these instances have a deeper thematic meaning.
3. It made me really think about trust. Zits says, "I am surrounded by people who trust me to be a respectful stranger. Am I trustworthy? Are any of us trustworthy? I hope so." I'd never thought about this before, about how many people we trust every day not to hurt us. We all trust someone, even if we think we don't. Without some sense of trust in our societies, we'd all be too paranoid to function.
4. There's a part in Chapter 10 when Zits sees young soldiers at the airport playing keep-away with their nerdy comrade's luggage. Zits talks about how we're sending children to fight men's wars, kids who are "immature and goofy and mean and acne-scarred and funny and stupid and silly and unsure about everything," kids just like Zits. I love his use of a clear image to illustrate his point. The scene he depicts is so poignant it's scary.
I should stop before my review is longer than the book. (It's less than 200 pages!) But this book really surprised me. I thought I'd like it, but I never imagined it would be one of my new favorites. Definitely worth a read...and a re-read...and a book club discussion...
It's safe to say this book has invaded my psyche. Here are some thoughts I had while reading:
1. Sherman Alexie is hilarious. And deliciously un-PC. Example:
The narrator, Zits, meets a teenager while in jail, and the teen asks about Zits' acne. Zits says,
"'Why do you care so much about my face...You some kind of fag?' I don't care if he's a fag. I just know that fag is a powerful insult.
'Just talking,' he says. 'I'm not looking for a fight.'
He stares at me with kindness. Real kindness. I just met this guy, and I feel like he cares about my skin and me. His complexion is so clear that it's translucent. I can see the blue veins running through his skin like rivers. I have to admit, he's a good-looking guy. In fact, he's pretty like a girl. Damn, maybe I'm a fag."
2. It reminds me of Octavia Butler's Kindred, which is also about using time travel to explore cultural/racial identity. And in both, the narrators are transported to a new time just as they are about to be hurt or killed. In terms of plot, it makes sense because these books can't really continue if the main character is dead. But I wonder if these instances have a deeper thematic meaning.
3. It made me really think about trust. Zits says, "I am surrounded by people who trust me to be a respectful stranger. Am I trustworthy? Are any of us trustworthy? I hope so." I'd never thought about this before, about how many people we trust every day not to hurt us. We all trust someone, even if we think we don't. Without some sense of trust in our societies, we'd all be too paranoid to function.
4. There's a part in Chapter 10 when Zits sees young soldiers at the airport playing keep-away with their nerdy comrade's luggage. Zits talks about how we're sending children to fight men's wars, kids who are "immature and goofy and mean and acne-scarred and funny and stupid and silly and unsure about everything," kids just like Zits. I love his use of a clear image to illustrate his point. The scene he depicts is so poignant it's scary.
I should stop before my review is longer than the book. (It's less than 200 pages!) But this book really surprised me. I thought I'd like it, but I never imagined it would be one of my new favorites. Definitely worth a read...and a re-read...and a book club discussion...