Reservation Blues (1995)

by Sherman Alexie

Other authors: Sherman Alexie (Lyrics, Coyote Springs songs), Jim Boyd (Lyrics, Coyote Springs songs), Robert Johnson (Words and music)

Other authors: See the other authors section.

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Fiction. Literature. HTML: Winner of the American Book Award and the Murray Morgan Prize, Sherman Alexie's brilliant first novel tells a powerful tale of Indians, rock 'n' roll, and redemption Coyote Springs is the only all-Indian rock band in Washington State�??and the entire rest of the world. Thomas Builds-the-Fire takes vocals and bass guitar, Victor Joseph hits lead guitar, and Junior Polatkin rounds off the sound on drums. Backup vocals come from sisters Chess and Checkers Warm Water. The band sings its own brand of the blues, full of poverty, pain, and loss�??but also joy and laughter. It all started one day when legendary bluesman Robert Johnson showed up on the Spokane Indian Reservation with a magical guitar, leaving it on the floor of Thomas Builds-the-Fire's van after setting off to climb Wellpinit Mountain in search of Big Mom. In Reservation Blues, National Book Award winner Alexie vaults with ease from comedy to tragedy and back in a tour-de-force outing powered by a collision of cultures: Delta blues and Indian rock. This ebook features an illustrated biography including rare photos from the author's personal collection… (more)

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Just couldn't get into it

ritaer | Sep 27, 2023 |

An engaging book with interesting, fully characters. Alexie explores lots of important questions, one of which is the various ways white people appropriate Native American culture, a problem I've been thinking about recently, so his perspective was timely and instructive. (

)

lschiff | Sep 24, 2023 |

Legendary (isn’t he dead?) blues player Robert Johnson brings his accursed guitar to the Spokane Indian reservation. Although he has tried to abandon it several times before, it has always returned to him. This time however, it latches onto young Thomas Builds-the-Fire who finds himself the lead guitar player of a native band called Coyote Springs, under the tutelage of a mysterious woman called Big Mama. Big Mama says she taught Elvis how to sing and also watched the massacre of her people at Wounded Knee.

The band skyrockets from local to regional success and eventually has the opportunity of a record contract in New York City.

But all is not well on the reservation. People there resent Coyote Springs’ triumphs and failures alike. They are not fond of the band’s two white women groupies or that two of the band members are Salish.

This is an original, searing and sarcastic look at Reservation life, including the white people on the reservation (especially the Catholic church). It’s brutal, honest and original.

It’s also funny as all get out. Because, as the author postulates, if you can’t make fun of your problems, you are not Indian. (

)

streamsong | Dec 9, 2022 |

Folksy and musical, I enjoyed the way this book wove together classic rock, modern Native American life, and darkly funny references to what we see as traditional Native American culture. (

)

nancyjean19 | Jun 3, 2020 |

Very interesting. I thought I wasn't into it in the beginning, but kept coming back. Couldn't stop reading. It immersed me completely in a dream-like world. Very effective. I think this one will linger for a long time. I'll seek out more of his work. He walks a very fine line between detailing poverty and getting you to empathise (rather than just sympathise), and does it well. I really appreciated that. (

)

RFellows | Apr 29, 2020 |

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Sherman Alexie	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
Alexie, Sherman	Lyrics, Coyote Springs songs	secondary author	all editions	confirmed
Boyd, Jim	Lyrics, Coyote Springs songs	secondary author	all editions	confirmed
Johnson, Robert	Words and music	secondary author	all editions	confirmed
McClain, Rachel	Cover designer	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Minor, Wendell	Cover artist	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Has as a student's study guide

A Study Guide for Sherman Alexie's "Reservation Blues" by Sara Constantakis

▾Awards and Honors

Awards

American Book Award (1996)

Dublin Literary Award (Shortlist – 1997)

Murray Morgan Prize (1995)

Notable Lists

Tiffany Murray's top 10 rock'n'roll novels (1)

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▾Common Knowledge

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Canonical title

Reservation Blues

Original title

Reservation Blues

Alternative titles

Original publication date

1995

People/Characters

Thomas Builds-the-Fire

Chess

Checkers

Robert Johnson (bluesman)

Important places

Important events

Related movies

Epigraph

God's old lady, she sure is a big chick.
-- Charles Mingus

I went to the crossroad
fell down on my knees
I went to the crossroad
fell down on my knees
-- Robert Johnson

Dedication

for Diane

for Etta Adams

First words

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.

Quotations

Last words

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Original language

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

▾References

References to this work on external resources.

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▾Book descriptions

Fiction. Literature. HTML:

Winner of the American Book Award and the Murray Morgan Prize, Sherman Alexie's brilliant first novel tells a powerful tale of Indians, rock 'n' roll, and redemption
Coyote Springs is the only all-Indian rock band in Washington State�??and the entire rest of the world. Thomas Builds-the-Fire takes vocals and bass guitar, Victor Joseph hits lead guitar, and Junior Polatkin rounds off the sound on drums. Backup vocals come from sisters Chess and Checkers Warm Water. The band sings its own brand of the blues, full of poverty, pain, and loss�??but also joy and laughter.

It all started one day when legendary bluesman Robert Johnson showed up on the Spokane Indian Reservation with a magical guitar, leaving it on the floor of Thomas Builds-the-Fire's van after setting off to climb Wellpinit Mountain in search of Big Mom.

In Reservation Blues, National Book Award winner Alexie vaults with ease from comedy to tragedy and back in a tour-de-force outing powered by a collision of cultures: Delta blues and Indian rock.

This ebook features an illustrated biography including rare photos from the author's personal collection

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