Sherman Alexie

Author of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

63+ Works 28,360 Members 1,337 Reviews 150 Favorited

About the Author

Sherman J. Alexie Jr. was born on October 7, 1966. His mother was Spokane Indian and his father was Coeur d'Alene Indian. Alexie grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Wellpinit, Washington. He decided to attend high school off the reservation where he knew he would get a better education. He show more was the only Indian at the school, and excelled academically as well as in sports. After high school, he attended Gonzaga University for two years before transferring to Washington State University, where he graduated with a degree in American studies. He received the Washington State Arts Commission Poetry Fellowship in 1991 and the National Endowment for the Arts Poetry Fellowship in 1992. His collections of poetry included The Business of Fancydancing, First Indian on the Moon, The Summer of Black Widows, One Stick Song, and Face. His first collection of short stories, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, received a PEN/Hemingway Award for Best First Book of Fiction and a Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Writers' Award. His other short story collections included The Toughest Indian in the World, Ten Little Indians, and War Dances. His first novel, Reservation Blues, received the Before Columbus Foundation's American Book Award and the Murray Morgan Prize. His other novels included Indian Killer, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, and Flight. He won the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction in 2018 for You Don't Have to Say You Love Me: A Memoir. Alexie and Jim Boyd, a Colville Indian, collaborated on the album Reservation Blues, which contains the songs from the book of the same name. In 1997, Alexie collaborated with Chris Eyre, a Cheyenne/Arapaho Indian, on a film project inspired by Alexie's work, This is What it Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona, from the short story collection The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. Smoke Signals debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January 1998, winning two awards: the Audience Award and the Filmmakers Trophy. In 1999 the film received a Christopher Award. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Includes the names: Sherman Alexi, Alexie Sherman, Sherman Alexie, Sherman Alexie, editor

Image credit: Photo © Susan Sheridan

Works by Sherman Alexie

Popular Recent

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (2007) 11,618 copies

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven [20th anniversary edition] (1993) 2,527 copies

Reservation Blues (1995) — Lyrics, Coyote Springs songs — 2,088 copies

Flight (2007) 1,674 copies

Indian Killer (1996) 1,415 copies

Ten Little Indians (2003) 1,325 copies

The Toughest Indian in the World (2000) 1,321 copies

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven (1993) 1,295 copies

War Dances (2009) 882 copies

You Don't Have to Say You Love Me: A Memoir (2017) 842 copies

Thunder Boy Jr. (2016) 777 copies

Blasphemy: New and Selected Stories (2012) 554 copies

The Business of Fancydancing: Stories and Poems (1992) 374 copies

Native American Literature Course Pack (1994) 362 copies

First Indian on the Moon (1993) 183 copies

One Stick Song (2000) 167 copies

The Summer of Black Widows (1996) 165 copies

Smoke Signals: A Screenplay (1998) 158 copies

Face (2009) 116 copies

Old Shirts & New Skins (1993) 113 copies

The Best American Poetry 2015 (2015) — Editor — 96 copies

Smoke Signals [1998 film] (1993) — Author — 85 copies

What I've Stolen, What I've Earned (2014) 43 copies

Will Work For Peace: New Political Poems (1605) 27 copies

Business of Fancydancing: The Screenplay (2003) 17 copies

The man who loves salmon (1998) 15 copies

Dangerous Astronomy (2005) 15 copies

The Toughest Indian in the World (Short Story), What You Pawn I Will Redeem (Short Story) 13 copies

Water flowing home : poems (1995) 9 copies

The Business of Fancydancing {video} (2002) 9 copies

What You Pawn I Will Redeem [short story] 8 copies

Phoenix, Arizona : Et autres nouvelles (1999) 8 copies

Selected Shorts: For Better and for Worse (2008) 6 copies

This is What it Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona 5 copies

McSweeney's Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales {abridged} (2011) 4 copies

Ghost Dance [Short Story] 4 copies

Salmon Boy 3 copies

Distances [short story] 3 copies

Home Field: Writers Remember Baseball (2010) 3 copies

Ploughshares Winter 2000-01 : Stories and Poems (2000) 3 copies

Prairie Schooner (Winter 2012) (2013) 2 copies

The Ballad of Paul Nonetheless (2010) 2 copies

La Pelea Celestial Del Llanero Solitario Y Toro (1994) 2 copies

Indian Education 2 copies

The Magic and Tragic Year of My Broken Thumb 2 copies

Superman and Me 1 copy

Salt (short story) 1 copy

20+1 short stories: Une anthologie des meilleures nouvelles de Terres d'Amériques (A.M. TER.AMER.) (French Edition) (2016) 1 copy

By Sherman Alexie - The Business of Fancydancing: Stories and Poems 1 copy

“Captivity” 1 copy

Three Poems 1 copy

Sherman Alexie class 1 copy

Red Blues (Collections Litterature) (French Edition) (2008) 1 copy

Matador Indio (1998) 1 copy

Clean, Cleaner, Cleanest 1 copy

The Toughest Indian in the World (in The New Granta Book of the American Short Story - FORD) 1 copy

Fire with Fire 1 copy

Because My Father Always Said He Was the Only Indian Who Saw Jimi Hendrix Play 'The Star−Spangled Banner' at… 1 copy

Breaking and Entering (short story) 1 copy

Over ruggen van zalmen (2015) 1 copy

What Sacagawea Means to Me (in Best American Nonrequired Reading 2003 - EGGERS) 1 copy

Junior Polatkin's Wild West Show 1 copy

Happy trails 1 copy

Work Explorer

Associated Works

McSweeney's Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales (2002) — Contributor — 1,471 copies

The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction (1983) — Contributor — 1,133 copies

The Living Dead (2008) — Contributor — 920 copies

Heart Berries: A Memoir (2018) — Introduction, some editions — 878 copies

The Chronicles of Harris Burdick: Fourteen Amazing Authors Tell the Tales (2011) — Contributor — 860 copies

Poetry 180: A Turning Back to Poetry (2003) — Contributor — 770 copies

The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2003 (2003) — Contributor — 747 copies

The Best American Short Stories 2004 (2004) — Contributor — 556 copies

The Scribner Anthology of Contemporary Short Fiction: Fifty North American American Stories Since 1970 (1999) — Contributor — 511 copies

The Portable Sixties Reader (2002) — Contributor — 327 copies

The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2010 (2010) — Contributor — 303 copies

100 Years of the Best American Short Stories (2015) — Contributor — 288 copies

When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry (2020) — Contributor — 257 copies

The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Seventh Annual Collection (1994) — Contributor — 255 copies

The Best American Short Stories 1994 (1994) — Contributor — 242 copies

Granta 54: Best of Young American Novelists (1996) — Contributor — 237 copies

The New Granta Book of the American Short Story (2007) — Contributor — 214 copies

The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2012 (2012) — Contributor — 199 copies

Walking the Clouds: An Anthology of Indigenous Science Fiction (2012) — Contributor — 170 copies

The Best American Poetry 1996 (1996) — Contributor — 170 copies

The Best American Poetry 1997 (1997) — Contributor — 167 copies

The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2013 (2013) — Contributor — 152 copies

Light the Dark: Writers on Creativity, Inspiration, and the Artistic Process (2017) — Contributor — 138 copies

The Ecco Anthology of Contemporary American Short Fiction (2008) — Contributor — 126 copies

Adaptations: From Short Story to Big Screen: 35 Great Stories That Have Inspired Great Films (2005) — Contributor — 122 copies

Growing Up Ethnic in America: Contemporary Fiction About Learning to Be American (1999) — Contributor — 102 copies

The Creativity Project: An Awesometastic Story Collection (2018) — Contributor — 97 copies

These United States: Original Essays by Leading American Writers on Their State within the Union by John Leonard (1995) — Contributor — 91 copies

The Best American Poetry 2011 (2011) — Contributor — 86 copies

Moccasin Thunder: American Indian Stories for Today (2005) — Contributor — 85 copies

The Best American Poetry 2012 (2012) — Contributor — 83 copies

The Best American Poetry 2013 (2013) — Contributor — 82 copies

The Best American Poetry 2014 (2014) — Contributor — 80 copies

Earth Song, Sky Spirit (1993) — Contributor — 68 copies

The Heath Anthology of American Literature, Concise Edition (2003) — Contributor — 68 copies

Song of the Turtle: American Indian Literature 1974-1994 (1996) — Contributor — 62 copies

Eddie and the Cruisers (1980) — Introduction, some editions — 61 copies

Song for the Horse Nation: Horses in Native American Cultures (2006) — Contributor, some editions — 59 copies

McSweeney's Issue 50 (McSweeney's Quarterly Concern) (2017) — Contributor — 53 copies

Nothing But the Truth: An Anthology of Native American Literature (2000) — Contributor — 52 copies

Summer: A Spiritual Biography of the Season (2005) — Contributor — 37 copies

Here First: Autobiographical Essays by Native American Writers (Modern Library Paperbacks) (1838) — Contributor — 34 copies

Birds in the Hand: Fiction and Poetry about Birds (2004) — Contributor — 33 copies

Without Reservation: Indigenous Erotica (2003) — Contributor — 25 copies

Returning the Gift: Poetry and Prose from the First North American Native Writers' Festival (Sun Tracks, Vol 29) (1994) — Contributor — 22 copies

A Good Man: Fathers and Sons in Poetry and Prose (1993) — Contributor — 20 copies

Skins: Contemporary Indigenous Writing (2000) — Contributor — 19 copies

Indian Country (2001) — Introduction, some editions — 19 copies

Selected Shorts: New American Stories (2011) — Contributor — 17 copies

Coming of Age in the 21st Century: Growing Up in America Today (2008) — Contributor — 17 copies

Visit teepee town : native writings after the detours (1999) — Contributor — 11 copies

Durable Breath: Contemporary Native American Poetry (1994) — Contributor — 6 copies

Humor Me: An Anthology of Humor by Writers of Color (2002) — Contributor — 4 copies

Winter in the Blood [2013 film] (2015) — Producer — 2 copies

Hebbes 4 — Contributor — 2 copies

Mitä ukkonen todella sanoi (2001) 1 copy

Tagged

alcoholism (430) American (191) American Indian (239) American literature (275) anthology (1,125) basketball (341) coming of age (407) death (165) essays (183) family (269) fantasy (207) fiction (3,698) friendship (274) high school (284) horror (205) humor (473) identity (200) Indian (177) indigenous (164) literature (365) memoir (296) Native American (1,664) Native American Literature (250) Native Americans (924) non-fiction (329) novel (315) poetry (1,020) poverty (302) racism (265) read (355) realistic fiction (283) reservation (204) short stories (2,017) signed (232) Spokane (210) to-read (1,993) unread (202) YA (628) young adult (723) young adult fiction (166)

Common Knowledge

Legal name: Alexie, Sherman Joseph, Jr.
Birthdate: 1966-10-07
Gender: male
Nationality: USA
Birthplace: Spokane, Washington, USA
Places of residence: Spokane Indian Reservation, Wellpinit, Washington, USA
Seattle, Washington, USA
Education: Gonzaga University
Washington State University
Occupations: writer
lecturer
songwriter
stage performer
Relationships: Tomhave, Diane (wife)
Organizations: American Academy of Arts and Letters (2015)
Awards and honors: Washington State Arts Commission Poetry Fellowship (1991)
National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship (1992)
World Heavyweight Poetry Bout Champion (1998-2001)
Washington State University Distinguished Alumni Award (1994)
Granta's Best Of Young American Novelists (1996)
The Stranger Genius Award (2008) (show all 13)
Western Literature Association's Distinguished Achievement Award (2007)
Lifetime Achievement Award, Native Writers Circle of The Americas (2010)
American Book Award (1996)
National Book Award for Young People's Literature (2007)
Odyssey Award (2008)
PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction (2010)
John Dos Passos Prize (2013)

Members

Discussions

November 2017: Sherman Alexie in Monthly Author Reads (October 2021)

(M101'12) The Business of Fancydancing, Sherman Alexie in World Reading Circle (January 2013)

Reviews

Thunder Boy Jr. by Sherman Alexie

This book is appropriate for primary readers.
This book is about a young boy who is unhappy with having the same name as his father and wants to have a name of his own.
This book is useful in teaching about how to read a book with text arranged in interesting ways.

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Kpasley | 110 other reviews | Mar 11, 2024 |

Thunder Boy Jr. (Bccb Blue Ribbon Picture Book… by Sherman Alexie

This books tells a story of a young boy with the name Thunder Boy. Thinking it would be a very cool and unique name, but he is really just named after his father. He is very self-conscious of his name and hate its. As the book goes on the father finally gives him a new name, lightening. He got given this due to all of his accomplishments.

I think this book is great for a primary classroom. This book has themes of accepting oneself for who they are and the significance of names. Your name helps show the representations of what we have done in our life.… (more)

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aubreysmithh222 | 110 other reviews | Mar 11, 2024 |

Flight: A Novel by Sherman Alexie

Sherman Alexi sure can write. This is the fourth book of his that I've read and, like the other three, it made me feel all the emotions. It's an easy read, but will stay with you long after you've finished. The only thing that prevents me from giving this book five stars is the amount of cop love.

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bookonion | 97 other reviews | Mar 10, 2024 |

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

*Edit* 4 stars, down from 5. I originally gave this book a 5 but as I was thinking about it this morning, I realized that I wasn't that impressed with it. My inner dialoged was "well, I read it", not "what a great book! I'm so glad I finally read it! Why did I wait so long??". More like I had just checked it off my list.

*Another edit* 3 stars down from 4. Thinking back, I felt compelled to rate this high because Sherman Alexie is a Native American author and there was almost an expectation that I give this a high rating. Now I'm thinking that...I don't know...I feel that the book was not all that great. I read it and I've decided that I don't need/want to read anymore of his books.

I grew up on a reservation and so I was able to relate to many of the things he described, that's why initially I gave it a 5. I am more white than Native but my Reservation is home to two tribes that were traditional enemies. I went to a Catholic school on the other side of the rez so got discrimination as an Indian kid, a white kid and a kid from the enemy tribe! I didn't know any better, but it sucked. One thing that stands out to me now is that I was a rich kid by rez standards, but when I went to the white high school, I was a poor kid by white standards.

It was a fast read (for me anyway, it takes me forever to read books). It wasn't laugh-out-loud but there were enough moments and lots of things I think were "inside joke" funny.… (more)

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tokenn | 796 other reviews | Feb 6, 2024 |

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