Sherman Alexie in the Classroom: "This is not a silent movie. Our voices will save our lives."

Author(s): Heather E. Bruce, Anna E. Baldwin, Christabel Umphrey

Sherman Alexie is the premiere Native American writer of the twenty-first century. His work—often charismatic, insistent, and opinionated—has earned accolades and awards, including the 2007 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature.

This volume in NCTE’s High School Literature Series examines ways to teach the works of Alexie, including his film Smoke Signals; the short story collection The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven; several of Alexie’s poems; the novels Reservation Blues and Flight; and the National Book Award winner The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

Coauthors Heather E. Bruce, Anna E. Baldwin, and Christabel Umphrey contextualize Alexie’s work in the larger body of works written in English by Native American authors, but they also let Alexie’s own voice shine through.

As with all volumes in the series, student samples are included, along with a chapter that excerpts selections from pertinent literary criticism to guide teachers in their study of Alexie’s work. A companion website, http://alexie.website.googlepages.com, provides additional instructional materials, including an introduction to Native American literatures.

146 pp. 2008. Grades 9–12. ISBN 978-0-8141-4457-2.
NCTE High School Literature Series.

No. 44572

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ISBN: 978-0-8141-4457-2

Grade Level(s): Secondary