Praise for Sherman Alexie

This quarter, my students and I read, studied, and discussed Sherman Alexie's first YA novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Alexie is a Spokane Indian who writes about the experience of being a modern Native American. This novel covers a year in the life of Junior, a 14-year-old Spokane, who decides to leave the rez in pursuit of a better education and life.

While reading this novel, I never once heard, "Are we reading today? Dry! This book sucks!" Or, "This book is cheap!" Instead, I heard, "Are we reading today?! This is the best book ever written!" Or, "Ok, ok, let's just start reading!" For one of the first times, I felt on almost a daily basis like I (or Alexie, rather) was engaging each and every student. One girl told me that the novel inspires her, and that now she is extremely impatient to leave the rez. And that is the message of the novel: get the hell off the rez!

But I'd like to see some of my students come back after four or six years of traveling and education and serve as leaders in this community. I told them that their schools would never be great until they had well educated and passionate Apache leaders, administrators, and teachers. I pointed out that white people are only going to stay one or two or five years and then leave as soon as they knew what they were doing. But Apaches would stay, because this is their home. And if well qualified, they would put their vision into action and see through their plans.

That's one of the greatest failings here. Buildings are built and left empty. Materials are ordered and never used. Programs are started and left unfinished. Projects begin but never end. We don't stay long enough to finish. The idea, the vision, is only the first spark. It's bringing something to fruition, creating new realities, that is greatness.