by Sherman Alexie
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Product Description
“Part thriller, part magical realism, and part social commentary, Indian Killer . . . lingers long past the final page.”—Seattle Weekly
A national best seller, Indian Killer is arguably Sherman Alexie’s most controversial book to date—a gritty, racially charged literary thriller that, over a decade after its first publication, remains an electrifying tale of alienation and justice. A serial murderer called the Indian Killer is terrorizing Seattle, hunting, scalping, and slaughtering white men. Motivated by rage and seeking retribution for his people’s violent history, his grizzly MO and skillful elusiveness both paralyze the city with fear and prompt an uprising of racial brutality. Out of the chaos emerges John Smith. Born to Indians but raised by white parents, Smith yearns for his lost heritage. As his embitterment with his dual life increases, Smith falls deeper into vengeful madness and quickly surfaces as the prime suspect. Tensions mount, and while Smith battles to allay the anger that engulfs him, the Indian Killer claims another life. With acerbic wit and chilling page-turning intensity, Alexie takes an unflinching look at what nurtures rage within a race both colonized and marginalized by a society that neither values nor understands it.
Amazon.com Review
Native American Sherman Alexie's new novel is a departure in tone from his lyrical and funny earlier work, which include The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven and Reservation Blues. The main character is an Indian serial killer who incites racial tension by murdering whites in retribution for his people's history. The killer leaves clear signs of his motives by scalping his victims, and leaving feathers as gestures of Indian defiance. The killer is a conflicted creation--raised by loving white parents, but twisted by loss of his identity as an Indian. Alexie layers the story with complications and ancillary characters, from a rabid talk show host, to vengeance seeking whites, to liberals who find their patronizing espousal of Indian causes no longer so easy.
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Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Shocking Perspective, 2009-01-06
Alexie continues to confront the mistakes of the past with tales so shocking it boggles the imagination. However, we need to see the effects of our need, in a melting pot nation, to respect the diversity of various cultures trying to blend into one nation. The scars of the past, especially with our Native American population need to be addressed. Money is not the answer as much as mutual respect and acceptance of differences.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Beautifully written, but the strength of the story is not the mystery, 2008-06-01
"The sheets are dirty. An Indian health service hospital in the late sixties, on this reservation or that reservation, any reservation, a particular reservation. Antiseptic, cinnamon, and danker odors, anonymous cries up and down the hallways..."
Aside from "David Copperfield," and a few others, this opening is one of the strongest I have ever read. The story itself revolves around two mysteries: the primary is the mystery of John Smith's heritage. Though he's a full blood Native American, he was taken from his birth family and raised by whites with no racial identity. The other is of a Seattle-based serial killer who's scalping his victims.
While the murder mystery is interesting, the true death is of the Native American culture by various means from adoption of Native children by whites, to subversion of teaching Native culture by handing it to white professors, and numerous other myriad means.
I haven't read anything by Sherman Alexie I haven't enjoyed, but in my opinion the true masterpiece of his is the young adult autobiography, "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian".
Rebecca Kyle, May 2008
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Loved it, 2007-12-19
I found this book very satisfying on a couple of levels. First, I was impressed how Alexie developed a diminsional person using all the aspects of a humanity. I appreciated that his characters were neither good or bad, just people trying to survive.
Secondly, I like the mystical aspect he put into. After all, aren't we all tied to our ancestors as strongly as Alexie paints.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Indian Killer, 2007-06-13
Indian Killer
Sherman Alexie
New York, NY. Warner Books 1996
420 pages
"The sheets are dirty. An Indian health service hospital in the late sixties, on this reservation or that reservation, any reservation, a particular reservation. Antiseptic, cinnamon, and danker odors, anonymous cries up and down the hallways..."
This is the introduction that Sherman Alexie uses to explain the world, but through the eyes of Native Americans.
Indian killer is the story of john smith, Marie Polatkin, And of course, the Indian killer. John smith was born a full Native American but he was raised by white people. He later meets a Native American activist named Marie And at this time there is a mysterious murder where the victim was scalped, which starts an argument between the white people and the native people of Seattle.
Being Native American but raised by white people, john smith is slipping into madness because he doesn't know what tribe he is from. He has an overwhelming need to be a Native American.
My favorite part of this whole book is when Marie Polatkin argues with the Native American studies teacher who is white. She argued because the teacher was using a book written by a guy who wasn't Native American. This was funny because I could see myself doing something like that.
The theme Sherman Alexie was trying to show is how hard it can be for a race when some kind of media is attacking them. In this case it was the radio.
This book was really great. I liked how it changes from person to person. I would change all the stereotypes that Sherman Alexie uses in the book.
I would recommend this for people who can follow more than one storyline. And I would also recommend this for people who are interested in Native Americans or who are Native American
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
Well worth a second look, 2007-04-10
After reading other reviewers, I am amused and not a bit surprised. Sherman Alexie can't get a break - sure he is successful by many standards, but the critiques I read were watery. Useless, in fact. This book was a departure from Alexie's shorter stories - any why not? His short stories were a departure from his poems. His films have been departures in a sense, both from his texts, and also one from the other. His poetry bouts and comedy are also departures. What that says to me is you can't categorize Alexie, and thank goodness. Prolific and talented may be the two that could be applied most, and we are fortunate as his audience.
Why should Alexie make white people interesting? Though I would argue he does, this criticism is useless. White people reading his book will most likely be too busy emulating one or more of the characters.
I just finished reading the novel a second time. I read it when it first came out, and promptly gave my copy to my best friend. That was in 1996/7. I lived in Seattle at the time. Since that time I've had time to learn a lot of things from some really understanding and brilliant people. My recent reading of Indian Killer was mind-blowing. Alexie has a keen mind for detail - I am giving a lecture tonight with this text in hand, and the historical context makes my 2.5 hour class an easy one to teach. Adoption of Native children , sterilization of Native women, poverty, alcoholism, racism - all these are trends that were ultimately going to wipe out Native populations - something we know as ethnic cleansing or genocide. And these are just in recent history.
The wannabe Indian movement is where I was nailed, but thankfully schooled about in the early 90s. None of those folks I knew were wannabe drunks, wannabe in poverty, wannabe sterilized, etc. A huge trend in Seattle in the 1990s, with books like Women Who Run With the Wolves and Iron John. These movements were just another way for whites to "deal" with their complicity in how messed up the world is for over half its occupants.
Now everyone has found religion or Prozac. But its clear Alexie won't let us white folks burrow into our complacency without a fight. Thank goodness.
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