CONTENT

1. FOREWORD – AT A GLANCE

2. SHERMAN ALEXIE: LIFE & WORKS

2.1 Biography

2.2 Contemporary Background

Indian versus Native American

Life on the reservations

Spokane

Alcohol

2.3 Notes on Other Important Works

3. ANALYSES AND INTERPRETATIONS

3.1 Origins and Sources

3.2 Summaries

The Black-Eye-of-the-Month Club

Why Chicken Means So Much to Me

Revenge Is My Middle Name

Because Geometry Is Not a Country Somewhere Near France

Hope Against Hope

Go Means Go

Rowdy Sings the Blues

How to Fight Monsters

Grandmother Gives Me Some Advice

Tears of a Clown

Halloween

Slouching Toward Thanksgiving

My Sister Sends Me an E-mail

Thanksgiving

Hunger Pains

Rowdy Gives Me Advice About Love

Dance, Dance, Dance

Don’t Trust Your Computer

My Sister Sends Me a Letter

Reindeer Games

And a Partridge In a Pear Tree

Red Versus White

Wake

Valentine Heart

In Like a Lion

Rowdy and I Have a Long and Serious Discussion About Basketball

Because Russian Guys Are Not Always Geniuses

My Final Freshman Year Report Card

Remembering

Talking About Turtles

3.3 Structure

Introductory

Transition

Basketball

Death, grief and hope

Reconciliation

3.4 Characters

Arnold “Junior” Spirit

Junior’s family

Rowdy

Mr. P

Other characters on the reservation

Penelope

Gordy

Roger

Coach

The teachers at Reardan high school

3.5 Themes

Identity

Positivity

Life on the reservation

3.6 Style and Language

The illustrations

3.7 Approaches to Interpretation

Autobiography and “reservation realism”

Young Adult fiction

“Issues”

Multiculturalism/Colonial literature

4. CRITICAL RECEPTION

5. MATERIALS

6. SAMPLE EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

SOURCES & REFERENCES

INDEX