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Reservation Blues

sherman alexie

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The life of Spokane Indian Thomas Builds-the-Fire irrevocably changes when blues legend Robert Johnson miraculously appears on his reservation and passes the misfit storyteller his enchanted guitar. Inspired by this gift, Thomas forms Coyote Springs, an all-Indian Catholic band who find themselves on a magical tour that leads from reservation bars to Seattle and New York--and deep within their own souls.

306 pages, Paperback

First published May 1,1995
Literary awards
american book award, dublin literary award, 
Places
wellpinit washington, washington (state), new york (state), pacific northwest, seattle washington, 

This edition

Format
306 pages, Paperback
Published
February 7, 2005 by Grove Press
ISBN
9780802141903
ASIN
0802141900
Language
English

More editions

About the author

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sherman alexie

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Sherman J. Alexie, Jr., was born in October 1966. A Spokane/Coeur d'Alene Indian, he grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Wellpinit, WA, about 50 miles northwest of Spokane, WA. Alexie has published 18 books to date.

Alexie is an award-winning and prolific author and occasional comedian. Much of his writing draws on his experiences as a modern Native American. Sherman's best known works include The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, Smoke Signals, and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. He lives in Seattle, Washington.

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Community Reviews

Rating(3.9 / 5.0, 98 votes)
5 stars
29(30%)
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98 reviews All reviews
Profile Image for Kimberly .
LADYlordYuKi
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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As a lifelong Chicago Blues musician, I’m well aware of the Robert Johnson mythology, and I found Sherman Alexie’s use of this myth in his work to be remarkably inventive and unique. I also appreciate his insight into the workings of the music industry.

I’ve never lived on a reservation but I’ve been to Pow wows in northern Wisconsin and seen the living conditions of the Indigenous population there. Mr Alexie has given us a glimpse into his people’s lives that is bleak, with a landscape that could have been created by Salvador Dali, yet there’s still humor, hope and warmth in some of the characters.

Throughout the book Alexie has peppered song lyrics, I guess they could be attributed to his heroic figure, Thomas, the lead singer of his mythic band Coyote Springs. I’d love to hear what those songs were supposed to sound like!

I found this to be compelling reading, enough that I’m planning to read more of Mr. Alexie’s work. And I’m wondering what happened to Thomas, Chess and Checkers after their move to Spokane?
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k3woru
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I heard about Sherman Alexie for years before I finally picked up one of his books. Unfortunately, that book was "Flight," a short little tale that bored me in the telling and left me unimpressed. Surely, I thought, this is not the kind of writing that gave Alexie his literary stature?

I picked up "Reservation Blues" because a few of my students were reading it for an English class, and I liked the idea of being able to discuss it in our adviser meetings. From the get-go, I was pulled into the story by Alexie's prose and his talent for dialog. The idea of Robert Johnson showing up in the modern world, still carrying his guitar, kicked my ass and got me excited for something weird and different.

Johnson ends up taking a back seat early on in the story, leaving the stage open for a handful of characters who put a band together and start playing gigs on their reservation. From here, Alexie tinkers with his fictional reality, imbuing his band with talent and popularity that accrue far faster than one might expect. In between rock-and-rolling, the band members talk about their lives on the reservation, and what they might be able to make for themselves outside of it. It was these latter conversations that were my favorite part of the book, especially when the female characters talk about how difficult it has been to find a dependable man in their community. I know little about life on reservations, and the depiction that Alexie paints in this book moved and disturbed me.

I understand, now, why Alexie attracted such a large following, and why people respect his books. "Reservation Blues" is an affecting read, one that recalls the emotions it evoked whenever I think about it. I'm glad that I gave Alexie another chance.

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Lavenwhisper
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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The whole story is kinda simple. 4 people trying to make a band and then they fail. That’s it. But the whole story is not just this. Thousands of other stories are told between the lines. Stories that are filled with magic. Stories that have happened in the 19th century and stories that have happened yesterday.
I could feel the magic everywhere. I could feel the weight behind each word. I could feel the disappointment, the despair, the joy and the laughter. I could hear the music they played. The sound of the piano, the guitar and the drums. I could hear all the notes that big mom sang. And I mourned for their loss.
In a world of cruel realities a little bit of magic has to be cherished. I cherished all those little moments of magic that I felt while reading this book. Read it not just for the stories. Read it because of the magic.
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_kawaii_chan__
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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Such a good read, enit?

Started with Robert Johnson showing up on the reservation, inspired the creation of Coyote Springs.

A easy read and the story is written with unique type of humor; early on, Thomas build the fire in the book made me think of an anime protagonist and I wanted to keep reading it.

Alexie brought out heavy themes in a goofy and sometimes irony way: racism, genocide “dreams”, real life obstacles, poverty that colonizer brought, identity issues, and most importantly the reservation and “outside world”, where is Native American culture headed, how can we blend the traditional Indian culture with the modern culture in a healthy way. I like to think Big Mama showed us the way with Father Arnold in the very end of the book.

It’s sad Coyote Springs did not make it big, the two white girls with “Indian in their bones” made it. It’s is not fair, but that is exactly what the author trying to tell us, enit?
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LordTrecaril
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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I actually found this book along with many others in a trash pile on my way to work. I remember hearing a story of his once on NPR called, "What You Pawn I Redeem," which nearly brought me to tears by the end. Seriously, I actually sat in my car waiting for the story to finish. Pathetic? Yes. But it was a very dramatic reading. Anyway, I read the book, which was about a group of Indians on a reservation in Washington (I think most of his writing revolves around similar characters) who end up starting a rock band. They start to get pretty famous and some issues of marginalization and racial exploitation begin to arise as white record executives try to influence the group. (There's a lot more to it than this, but I don't feel like explaining.) There were some good characters in the book and I liked how Alexie wove Native American folklore into the story. But I didn't think it was as strong as the story I heard on the radio.
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eccentric4u
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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Honestly my favorite Sherman Alexie I’ve read and he’s been one of my favorites for a long time. Reservation Blues is a combination of magical realism, poetry, comedy and also one of the saddest books I’ve ever read.
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