Tough to get into but I am still glad I read it. Some powerful lines and imageries.

I've read several other books by Sherman Alexie and enjoyed them, but this one blew me away. Stunningly beautiful prose that combines raw authenticity with poetic imagery, combined with unforgettable characters, makes this novel worth reading multiple times. Moving seamlessly between the characters' bleak lives and their haunting dreams, Reservation Blues offers a gut-wrenching look at life and love on the rez.

The Indian Wars Today (2012)

Alexie, Sherman (1995). Reservation Blues. New York: Warner Books. 306 pages.

I confess immediately that I am a huge fan of Sherman Alexie and I think this book is an artistic masterpiece. I acknowledge that most of my friends do not share my opinion. Okay, that's out of the way.

Each chapter opens with lyrics from a song. The first is from Alexie’s imaginary (as far as I know) song, Reservation Blues: “Dancing all alone, feeling nothing good, It’s been so long since someone understood.” That summaries the theme, tone, and mood of the novel.

After the epigram lyrics, Chapter 1 starts with the line, “In the one hundred and eleven years since the creation of the Spokane Indian Reservation in 1881, not one person, Indian or otherwise, had ever arrived there by accident.”

And those two lines neatly sum up the theme of Reservation Blues. It’s a heartfelt confession of a reservation Indian boy and his comrades. Alexie is now very much an “urban Indian,” of course, a world-renown and much-honored writer. But this book tries to show what life on the reservation was like, and still is like, for many people. Despite some shortcomings, it succeeds admirably.

The opening imagery is fantastic, and sets the tone. Robert Johnson, legendary blues guitarist, is standing at a crossroads on the reservation, waiting. The young protagonist and narrator, Thomas Builds-the-Fire finds him there. Johnson seems sick and hurt, and Thomas offers to help. He considers taking him to the Indian Health Service, but then remembers they just give out dental floss and condoms, which wouldn’t be of any use. Instead he offers to take him to Big Mom, an enormous Indian woman who lives in a cabin atop a mountain. Johnson believes that would be a good idea because he has had dreams of such a woman, someone who could reverse the bargain he made with the devil, selling his soul in exchange for his otherwordly ability to play the guitar.

The episode refers to the Faustian “Crossroads Legend” around Johnson (who died in 1938 at age 27): He met the devil at a crossroads (in Mississippi), and made the deal. The devil tuned his guitar for him and Johnson became a great player.

Keying off this opening scene, Alexie develops a story in which Johnson gives Thomas his magical guitar, who gives it to his friend Victor, a drunken lout who suddenly, though intermittently, becomes able to play fantastic blues. They recruit another friend, Junior, and form a band, Coyote Springs. Thomas is the bass player and the “story-teller” (songwriter). They’re a terrible band, but the Indians on the rez appreciate them when they play in an abandoned grocery store.

After a few local gigs, they get an audition with a record label in New York. Big Mom warns them not to go, but they have ambition and crave success. The talent scouts, Wright and Sheridan, buy the airline tickets for the band, which now includes two young Indian women (named Chess and Checkers), who were groupies but joined as backup singers.

It’s worth noting that “Wright” is the name of the U.S. Cavalry officer who led the 1858 Indian Wars campaign that defeated the Spokane Indians, and “Sheridan” is the U.S. Army officer who famously declared that ‘The only good Indian is a dead Indian.’ Alexie is fond of inserting subtle cultural and historical references into his tale.

So Coyote Springs goes to the Big Apple, but the audition becomes a disaster when the magical guitar “turns” on Victor, attacking him. For trying to sell out to the whites, perhaps? The group returns to the rez, failures, but the tribe resents them for having left at all. Why did they try to sell their souls to the whites? Who did they think they were, attempting to have a successful life off the reservation? The mood turns dark.

Meanwhile, Robert Johnson is rehabilitated by Big Mom, although details are sparse. After that dramatic opening scene, the Robert Johnson story disappears into the background and the magic guitar is all that’s left.

The story line explores and demonstrates these larger themes: What is the Indian soul? Why do Indians, even today, still see the white man as the devil? What are the roles of music and storytelling, and dreaming in the Indian cultural life? The novel tries to present a world view from the point of view of a young reservation Indian, Thomas, who seems educated, sensitive, and thoughtful, and who doesn’t drink. Thomas is Alexie’s alter-ego.

I enjoyed a couple of conversations with Alexie at the 2008 Port Townsend, WA film festival, which focused on films by and about Indians. I asked him about the sense of time (or lack of it) portrayed in the 1961 film, The Exiles, about urban Indians in Los Angeles, a film he had introduced to the audience (“as the festival’s official Indian,” he joked).

“Poverty is boring,” he said. “I was poor, and when you’re poor, it’s the same shit every day. The same fears and worries and problems. It’s like being in prison. There is no time.” I was stunned by the honesty, force, and depth of his answer. It’s what made the last line of the song, Reservation Blues, echo for me: “And if you ain’t got choices, Ain’t got much to lose.”

I also asked him about the lack of ambition that seems to inhabit reservation culture and Indian life, as portrayed. He replied, “To have ambition means to accept the world of the people who destroyed you. Lack of ambition, even alcohol and drug addiction and suicide, are acts of rebellion against that.” I was skeptical. “Are the people really thinking that way,” I asked? “Subconsciously,” he answered, “always.”

I was still skeptical, but I believed him, because I believe him. I’m white; I’m the devil. I offer the magic guitar of opportunity that promises hope but will turn on you eventually. From my culture-centric point of view, it’s hard to understand the racism and cultural and economic forces that keep the Indian wars going even today. This book successfully represents that and does it with engaging, likeable characters, stimulating imagery, original and sincere writing, and amazingly, with a light, humorous tone.

خیلی قشنگ بود.
صد صفحه اول رو به زور و سختی خوندم، اما بعدش افتاد روی غلتک.
چیزی که برام جالب بود توی کتاب، این بود که همه چیز جون داشت. همه چیز آواز داشت، قصه داشت. و توی این دنیا چی از آواز و قصه قشنگتره؟
کولی ها و سرخپوستا همیشه برای من جالب بودن، هرچند چیز زیادی درموردشون نمی دونم. حتی همین ندونستن تا حد زیادی برام جذابشون کرده بود. تو ذهنم آدمای مرموز و قصه پردازی بودن. انگاری اون قدرا هم اشتباه نمی کردم.
کاراکترای موردعلاقه م، جونیور و پیرمرد لاکوتایی بودن. خیلی دوستشون داشتم.
پایان کتاب کاملا غیرقابل پیشبینی بود، حداقل برای من. تا وسط کتاب مطمئن بودم که قراره... خب اسپویلش نمی کنم، اما تا وسط کتاب مطمئن بودم که یه اتفاقی می افته. از وسطاش فقط امیدوار بودم و بعدش همون امید رو هم از دست دادم. اتفاقا چیزی که اتفاق افتاد پایان قشنگی بود، خیلی قشنگتر از چیزی که من انتظار داشتم. نه برای یه زندگی، اما برای یه داستان چرا.

از طنز تلخ کتاب های شرمن الکسی، فقط تلخی ش را داشت. آن هم یک تلخی بی مزه و کشدار! پر از آه و ناله بود داستان فقط. که چقدر سرخ پوست ها بدبخت اند و به ما ظلم شده و از این صحیت که خوب البته درست است و در کتاب های دیگرش هم بود ولی نه به این صورت. بد بختی در این کتاب موج می زد. اصلا داستان یک سری بدبخت بود که بین مردمِ بدبختی مانند خودشان زندگی می کردند. طی اتفاقاتی این امید به وجود آمد که از این بدبختی بیرون بیایند ولی نشد و آخرش دوباره غرق در بدبختی خودشان شدند!
یعنی یک چیزی در مایه های فیلم های ایرانی بود. (حالا نه به این غلظت.)

ترجمه خیلی بد بود. خیلی! یعنی اگر زبان اصلی اش را بخوانم شاید کلا نظرم عوض شود.

بعد التحریر: الان که نگاه کردم کتاب "پرواز" را هم با همین ترجمه خواندم. ولی به این بدی نبود...

What makes Sherman Alexie so wonderful to read, is that he able to tell a story, that no one could. Where else have you read an account of a modern Native American in today's society, in today's culture. It is a unique blend of world's that at times do seem unreal. But for some of us, it is everyday life.

It nice that he is some close to the reality of today's Native American. I am Native American, and I am not talking about my great great grandmother was Cherokee, no I am 98% pure Omaha Indian. When he wrote, "Hey Victor, what about your Dad?", he might as well just wrote, "Hey modern Indian, what about your culture today?

Reading this book, is wonderfully enlightening and a cruel looking into the Native American's today world. Read it, and enjoy because no where will you get such a wonderfully written, unashamed cruel truth of being Indian.

-Jeremiah

Ever wondered what would happen if you mixed together some Native American dudes, rock music, and magic realism? The answer is this book.

Reservation Blues begins with the tortured soul of a musician, and his guitar. The blues musician, a reanimated form of the late Robert Johnson, hands his enchanted instrument to Thomas Builds the Fire. This guitar possesses skill, precision and soul, no matter who its owner is. Johnson had given his soul to the Devil in order to acquire these powers. When was given this guitar, he too felt the music radiating with its strings. This power, (note, this satanic power) compelled Thomas to create a band of his own. Two of his former bullies and two women from another tribe, joined together to form Coyote Springs. The band became successful, performing at other reservations and ultimately in New York City where they played for a record company. In a turn of events, the auditions went horribly. The guitar wouldn’t play and the magic that the band had once poured from their original songs was if it hadn’t existed. This was indicative of the plight of Native Americans in what is now the United States. When things seemed to turn up for them, everything tends to fall apart. The bitterness and well as the resent I imagine that Native Americans feel, is well represented in this book through their disdain for their government distributed foods. The theme of escape was present through out each character’s back story, but oddly enough each character returned.

What I especially liked about this book it its view of music and its acknowledgement of the effects music have on one’s soul. As I musician, I felt closely related to Robert Johnson. Music, characterized by his guitar, had captured his being to the point where it became hard to leave the instrument’s side. And because of this dependency on music, the link between music and Satan is easily identifiable and understandable. As well, Reservation Blues gave the reader insight into the lives of modern day Native Americans. Often we are all too familiar with the noble Native American riding his brave horse across green planes. This image is not only cliché, but its out dated and inaccurate of the average Native American. According to www.jointogether.org, five of the top ten causes of death are relates to alcohol and alcohol dependence. These numbers are three to four times larger than the national average. This book, while flawed in its complexity and predictability, I liked its array of situations and emotions afflicting Native Americans, a minority group often forgotten.

I really loved this. It’s dark and haunting but always with a sparkle of humor within it. Both aspects are razor sharp in the writing and really dug into me while I read.

There’s so much depth and life brought to the characters as the story weaves through their present and past through memories and dreams. I never found myself confused with any of its chronological meandering, and helped me appreciate how they became who they were as people. More so than the other book I read by Alexie, “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven,” I felt each character had such distinct voices and struggles. Victor is definitely my favorite in that regard, he’s witty as hell, but also a major jerk. But it’s hard not to empathize with him with everything that he’s been through.

I also appreciated how deftly the book shows poverty, cultural appropriation, and colonialism touching on so many parts of life for indigenous people, without ever becoming heavy-handed. It doesn’t simplify the complexity of them, and I think the book’s discussion of religion shows that.

While many people have asked “why would a loving God allow suffering in the world?” the question takes on even more meaning from an Indian perspective. The scene where Thomas and Chess debate how she can keep her faith, despite all of the horrible things that have happened to her people and how that religion has been a tool of oppression, is so incredibly nuanced. The story approaches all its questions about society with the same degree of self-awareness and subtlety.

My only real complaint is that I felt the story didn’t tie up super cleanly.  Junior’s suicide feels especially abrupt. If anything I would have expected Victor to nosedive, considering how he botched the performance.  While I loved the journey of the novel, the destination felt somewhat rushed and uncertain.

Still, that also kind of felt like a point the story was trying to make, so I can’t judge it too harshly for that. We keep moving forward, not sure where we’ll end up, just trying to stay alive. Hoping that will be enough, and trying to find meaning despite it all.

makes me want some fry bread

Demons of Histories Past
“Reservation Blues” is a story that blends Native American mythological constructs with the basic American dream. Sherman Alexie uses this to create a well rounded fiction that could easily become an American folk story. His main characters, Native Americans that are struggling to survive in a country that they feel they no longer have a place in, are people that anyone can relate to. Between real world suffering that has plagued Native Americans since the “discovery” of North America and the mysticism of their culture, the characters in the book move throughout their lives trying to stay connected with their ancestors as well as creating a happy life for themselves and their reservation. The themes of music (particularly blues and rock and roll), oppression, and most importantly, cultural identity are all prevalent in the story. All these themes, along with the points of views of the characters, and magical realism are used to Alexie’s benefit as he weaves between stories to create a tale that is truly American.
Each chapter opens with a blues song which gives insight into the themes of the chapter. The book starts off with the legendary blues guitarist Robert Johnson walking onto the Spokane Indian Reservation to the surprise of the inhabitants. Thomas Builds-the-Fire, the first main character that the reader is introduced to, takes Robert Johnson onto the reservation. Johnson explains that a Gentleman is after him and that he’s “caught a sickness I can’t get rid of." Interestingly enough, Johnson is a real blues guitarist who was rumored to have sold his soul to the devil in return for the ability to play the guitar. Alexie takes this myth and connects it to Thomas’s own sickness of storytelling that he had since before birth. Thomas is the reservations storyteller, who mostly keeps to himself to the relief of the rest of the people in the town. Thomas’s connection to the reservation on a spiritual level is what garners him as an outcast, but he is a kind-hearted individual. This opening scene quickly takes two oppressed cultures, Native Americans and Black Americans and connects them with something as simple as music. Blues music having originated within Black American culture as a form of expressionism during times of suffering is then used as a form of expression for similar circumstances for the Native Americans in the story. After meeting with Johnson, Thomas takes him to the reservations spiritualist, Big Mom, a mystical woman who watches over the tribe and has trained great musicians. She takes Johnson under her care and Johnson gives his guitar Thomas. This sparks the idea in Thomas to create a band.
tIn the story, there is no real main character, but a group of them, and the reader is not given just one point of view but views from each person in the group. This insight also goes from point of view, to past and present, giving us backstories of each character. Each backstory coincides with the present scene, and each of these stories connects the characters. Alexie uses the various points of view and past scenes of the characters to bring to light the despair that their people have gone through and are still suffering. Thomas Builds-the-Fire points this out in simple detail. “In his dream, he sat, all hungry and lonely, in his house and wanted more. He turned on his little black-and-white television to watch white people live. White people owned everything: food, houses, clothes, children. Television constantly reminded Thomas of all he never owned.” This economic suffering is made clear with all of the characters, as Thomas’ friends and band mates Victor, Junior, Checkers and Chess all have similar thoughts or memories of growing up with little to no money. This is true of most of the people of the reservation, and their current suffering helps to bring the people together.
tAs the band goes through their journey, they come across many obstacles from the outside world and from within. They are constantly feeling the pull of the reservation, which is a living breathing thing that can be felt and heard by all from there. The memories of their people haunt them. Victor, somewhat of a bully to Thomas and the other members of the band, has it in his head that he has to be a warrior, a connection to his ancestors that he cannot live up to since he is incapable of caring for himself. Most the characters in the story are haunted in some way or another of their ancestors tragic past, and Big Mom, attempts to help them navigate their dreams. Alexie’s use of Native American myth within the lives of the characters is brought out most by Thomas Builds-the-Fire through his stories, and allows the reader to better accept the fantastical throughout the book. Since the magical is directly linked to the reservation, is stand to reason that it is what keeps the people together. The other large symbol of the mystical is the guitar of Johnson itself. The guitar fixes itself when it is broken, teaches its owner how to play it, and in the end, requires a sacrifice. As well as the reservation, the guitar is a character, one that manipulates the members of the band during their journey.
tAlexie’s book “Reservation Blues” is a humorous yet sad look at the histories suffered by the Native Americans. Using the magical realism that is so embedded into the culture to bind these characters in a journey of escape their seemingly marked paths creates a story worth reading. His characters and their struggles to stay connected to their culture but still make a future for themselves in a world that is against them are brought out in their backstories and the way they stay true to themselves, for better or for worse. Alexie creates an American folk tale that draws the reader into the lives of its characters connecting them to the histories of the people on the reservation.

indians on the reservation hook up with robert johnson's guitar and form a band that gets attention. it's cool how the past is always present for these characters, and that's an acceptable thing. the horses... the generals... pretty cool book.