“The Reservation of My Mind”: Changes in Sherman Alexie’s Post 9/11 Literature

Abstract

Sherman Alexie is a complicated author to write about and to discuss for a multitude of reasons. He is a living poet and author who is active on social media, accomplished in several art forms, political, and at times polarizing. A member of the Spokane/Coeur d'Alene tribe, Alexie was raised on the Spokane Indian reservation in Wellpinit, Washington, and now resides in Seattle, Washington. He is a Native American author who, at times, alternately embraces and rejects the idea of what a writer’s ethnicity means in terms of opportunity and responsibility. Often, these views are in opposition to one another. His works, while not directly autobiographical, feature details from his very public life history, sometimes making obvious connections between himself and his characters, seemingly begging readers to connect the dots. While small biographical details are not the focus of this research, they do help to support ideas of how larger autobiographical themes translate into his literature, particularly how the events surrounding September 11th, 2001 affected Alexie’s writing.