BOOK TITLE: War Dances
AUTHOR: Sherman Alexie
YEAR: 2009
GENRE: Short Stories and Poetry
SUBGENRE: Dramatic Comedy
GRADE: Pass
On multiple occasions, Sherman Alexie has been described as an author who can make his audience members laugh and cry at the same time. To do such a thing takes the kind of talent only seen in a Pulitzer winner such as him. In this short story and poetry collection, the reader bears witness to stories about a homophobic senator’s son, an adulterous used clothes salesman, a young obituary writer, a creatively stifled screenwriter, and many more that end either tragically or only with a small shred of hope remaining. I as a reader haven’t cried since 2007 and came very close to breaking my record upon reading “War Dances”.
One of the ways in which Sherman Alexie infuses comedy into his depressing stories is through his narrative style. When he writes, he sounds like he’s physically talking to his audience with the energy and pop culture references of a motivational speaker. Trust me, you’re going to need all the energy you can muster up if you’re going to make it through this book without bursting into a waterfall of tears.
And since the pop culture references (along with the elitist culture references) bring about an energetic writing style, these references could only work within topics that were equally interesting to write about. These topics could be deep and meaningful such as race relations or grieving after death. Then again, they could also be as out of the blue as a short-lived romance or the mix tapes used to woo that special someone. Because this book is a collection of stories and poems instead of a whole novel, there’s going to be a massive variety of topics swirling into the pool of words that is War Dances.
Choosing one story from this book to call a favorite would be like choosing one limb to keep after being tortured and butchered. This choice might not be a “favorite” in the traditional sense of the word, but it is the one that strikes the biggest chord with me. It’s called “Fearful Symmetry” and it is about an author who tries to create artistic literature in Hollywood with his screenplays, but keeps having his work altered in sacrilegious ways by the director.
The writer wanted to create a William Blake-esque story from a real life account of firefighters escaping from a wall of flame in the forest. The director wanted to make it sexy and violent and that didn’t sit well with the writer. The writer was eventually fired and lost his creative urge in that crushing blow. This story pulls at my heartstrings because being a screenwriter was something I originally wanted to do as I was getting my English degree at Western Washington University. After reading “Fearful Symmetry”, I was grateful that the screenwriting ambitions never materialized. I wouldn’t want my own work scrutinized by someone with cheap creativity and enough power to force his vision on everyone.
I’ve been a fan of Sherman Alexie ever since reading “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian”. At first it was all about fast pacing to me since I was a slow reader with low eye endurance. Now my enjoyment of his writings is about so much more than that. It’s about emotional connections. It’s about having a favorite author I can always count on to come through for me. I know of many authors who are like that, but none of them will ever take the place of Sherman Alexie. A passing grade is what this book shall get.
Showing posts with label The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Categories
Garrison’s Library has been up and running since the summer of 2012 and it’s not slowing down anytime soon. Over the years, blogging has become more fun for me creatively than writing short stories or novels. That’s not to say I won’t write short stories or novels anymore, because I will. It’s just that blogging allows me more freedom to do certain things. I’m allowed to publish material about other media without fear of copyright lawsuits. I can show or tell as much as I want to (because I’m technically not telling a story). I only have to write one page worth of material for each post, as opposed to short stories which are generally three.
I originally started this blog with the idea of touting fast-paced books that I’ve read throughout my life. It was supposed to be an internet mecca for Brett Battles’ “The Cleaner” and Sherman Alexie’s “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian”. When I ran out of books to talk about, I began writing posts dealing with creative writing tropes. Only occasionally did I talk about a piece of media other than a book I already blogged about.
As of today, I’ve divided my posts into multiple categories. They are…
1. Fast-Paced Book Touting. I could always do this on Good Reads, but if I did that, I this blog wouldn’t have been born.
2. Creative Writing Tropes. This was my way of sharing my knowledge of the writing game with my readers. I think of the relationship between myself and the audience as a teacher and my students. You know, without the forced extroversion, detention notices, and heartbreaking grades.
3. Unemployed Characters. These are characters I’ve used in past works or haven’t used at all who no longer have a story to call home. Deus Shadowheart was constantly “losing work” and needed a new “job”, if we can use economic lingo for a moment. First he was a videogame character, then he was a movie star, then he was a pro-wrestler, and now I’m planning on using him as a forest-dwelling barbarian. If he loses this job, he just might have to file for unemployment benefits or food stamps. No, I don’t know what that means either.
4. Songs for Creative Fuel. It’s no secret that I’m a music lover. I love a good heavy metal riff as well as the complete opposite of that, which would be a gentle piano lullaby. But sometimes I don’t want a shallow relationship with my music. The songs I choose to blog about have affected me so deeply over the years that if I don’t use them as creative fodder for my stories, it would be a wasted opportunity for me.
5. Dreams. I don’t always remember my dreams by the time I wake up. There are even some that aren’t really noteworthy. For the ones that are, I try to analyze them as best as I can so that they too can be used for creative inspiration. I’ve been trying to access my subconscious for a long, long time now. If it takes a sensory deprivation tank or a good night’s sleep to do it, then let’s dive right in.
6. Couples. I’m writing this blog entry to introduce this one as a new category. I didn’t grow up with much of a romantic life. I’ve had an online girlfriend and I have a current girlfriend who I’m very shy around. Living vicariously through other couples, real or fictional, is another source of creative fuel for me. Whenever I’m not writing about orcs and elves kicking the shit out of each other, I’m usually writing about the love between people and how much they care about each other.
Garrison’s Library is coming up on its second anniversary pretty soon. So now I’m pouring a glass of fruity beer and toasting to that. Goodnight, everybody! Sweet dreams! And if you do have sweet dreams, don’t forget to use them as creative fodder!
***FACE BOOK POST OF THE DAY***
“The Lego Movie proves once again that Master Building is a natural function.”
-Me-
I originally started this blog with the idea of touting fast-paced books that I’ve read throughout my life. It was supposed to be an internet mecca for Brett Battles’ “The Cleaner” and Sherman Alexie’s “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian”. When I ran out of books to talk about, I began writing posts dealing with creative writing tropes. Only occasionally did I talk about a piece of media other than a book I already blogged about.
As of today, I’ve divided my posts into multiple categories. They are…
1. Fast-Paced Book Touting. I could always do this on Good Reads, but if I did that, I this blog wouldn’t have been born.
2. Creative Writing Tropes. This was my way of sharing my knowledge of the writing game with my readers. I think of the relationship between myself and the audience as a teacher and my students. You know, without the forced extroversion, detention notices, and heartbreaking grades.
3. Unemployed Characters. These are characters I’ve used in past works or haven’t used at all who no longer have a story to call home. Deus Shadowheart was constantly “losing work” and needed a new “job”, if we can use economic lingo for a moment. First he was a videogame character, then he was a movie star, then he was a pro-wrestler, and now I’m planning on using him as a forest-dwelling barbarian. If he loses this job, he just might have to file for unemployment benefits or food stamps. No, I don’t know what that means either.
4. Songs for Creative Fuel. It’s no secret that I’m a music lover. I love a good heavy metal riff as well as the complete opposite of that, which would be a gentle piano lullaby. But sometimes I don’t want a shallow relationship with my music. The songs I choose to blog about have affected me so deeply over the years that if I don’t use them as creative fodder for my stories, it would be a wasted opportunity for me.
5. Dreams. I don’t always remember my dreams by the time I wake up. There are even some that aren’t really noteworthy. For the ones that are, I try to analyze them as best as I can so that they too can be used for creative inspiration. I’ve been trying to access my subconscious for a long, long time now. If it takes a sensory deprivation tank or a good night’s sleep to do it, then let’s dive right in.
6. Couples. I’m writing this blog entry to introduce this one as a new category. I didn’t grow up with much of a romantic life. I’ve had an online girlfriend and I have a current girlfriend who I’m very shy around. Living vicariously through other couples, real or fictional, is another source of creative fuel for me. Whenever I’m not writing about orcs and elves kicking the shit out of each other, I’m usually writing about the love between people and how much they care about each other.
Garrison’s Library is coming up on its second anniversary pretty soon. So now I’m pouring a glass of fruity beer and toasting to that. Goodnight, everybody! Sweet dreams! And if you do have sweet dreams, don’t forget to use them as creative fodder!
***FACE BOOK POST OF THE DAY***
“The Lego Movie proves once again that Master Building is a natural function.”
-Me-
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)