Sherman Alexie author of “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me”

   Comic books aren’t the only things that I have in common with Sherman Alexie. Our childhoods are not the only differences Sherman and I have either. It may be that I can relate to his spirit of rebelliousness and his will to do good things in life that makes me want to compare my life to his, as I’m sure we all tend to do with those we are fond of. I’m not comparing Sherman and I in a way that is competitive but in a way that I can explore how our differences and similarities help us grow into the humans we have become today.                
Sherman was born and raised on an Indian reservation in Spokane Washington and came from what he considered a “Middle Class” family where his folks were able to raise him and his family on minimum wage jobs and government surplus foods. I was born in Santa Rosa to what I guess I considered middle class wage earning parents (A Secretary and a Fisherman), and brought up fairly privileged I guess. I never really wanted for anything that was unreasonable like a Ferrari when I was 16. Sherman mentions that “A smart Indian is a dangerous person widely feared and ridiculed by Indians and Non Indians” so one can imagine the things that went on in school and how hard it must have been for him to succeed through it all. I was also nerdy but not as smart, often ridiculed, but I never felt dangerous in making anyone else look bad. I felt kinda like an outcast in school sometimes because my pops often had me working with him on his fishing boat so all the clothes I got were from ACE hardware. I can relate with some of the feelings that Sherman goes through in school, but for totally different reasons.                                                                                                                       
     I ended up graduating high school, and finishing some college. I’ve been through a few manufacturing jobs and have been through an apprenticeship program when all this time I haven’t really pursued anything as my lifetime career. Sherman on the other hand was voraciously reading and writing since he was three years old. He says in his story that if he weren’t an Indian he would have been considered a prodigy, but since he was an Indian, he is just considered an oddity among his folks. He seemed destined to be involved in the literary world even though he also points out that he can’t believe he became a writer, he says he should have been a pediatrician.  I do good through the charities I support and activities that give back to our community like helping in the Bodega Beach cleaning days. Sherman does good for all his people by teaching kids as a guest teacher and writing interesting stories like “Superman and Me’ that help us think about the cultures and people the main stream may not always shine a light on. Sherman is out there trying to save his people’s lives by helping them to become smarter, and not letting them slip into the forgetful, uneducated stereotypes that are associated with his people.                                                                                                                   Our futures may be as different as our pasts. When I read Sherman’s story I feel like I want to hang out and talk with the guy for awhile about what its going to be like by the end of this century, I’m sure he could enlighten me 10 fold. I don't feel destined to become anything special, and I don't relate specifically to one race or type of people. I like to read about someone who rebelled and didn'tstand with the status quo. I like to hear about the person who went against the odds and won. Sherman's tales are the rare ones that are worth storytelling. In one way his story makes me feel very average, but in another sense I ask myself "Is average O.K. for me or should I be bringing myself to the next level?" I believe that is Sherman Alexie's goal all along.



Note: I lost the formatting on this when it publishes. I'll try to re post when I get it fixed. The preview looks different than what I'm writing now.