SUMMARY
Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie is the tale of a group of young Indians, as in Native American (though they refer to themselves as Indian throughout the story), who form a band after taking possession of an enchanted guitar. Their newly formed band gains local fame for good or for bad and offers the members of the band a hope that hadn't experienced before and opportunities to travel and make money. When they're discovered by a recording company, everything feels like it's on the line for them.
WHY I ENJOYED READING
I love magical realism, tall tales, and fantastical elements woven into stories rooted in reality and specific cultural settings. Even though some of the band members weren't your typical benevolent protagonists, I found myself rooting for them nonetheless, and the writing deep dives into each of the characters and why they are the way they are.
Most of all, I love the imagery of the metaphors and the fantastical elements. For example, in one passage Sherman writes, " The music rose past the hitchhiker up into the sky, banged into the Big Dipper, and bounced off the bright mon. That's exactly what happened. The music howled back into the blue van, kept howling until Coyote Springs became echoes. That's exactly what happened."
WHY STUDENTS MIGHT ENJOY READING
The members of the band Coyote Springs are incredibly human and not all of them would be the kind of people we would want to be friends with, but they likely represent people many of us know in real life. While Thomas is mild-mannered, the enchanted guitar picks his life-long bully Victor and Victor's loyal friend and side-kick Junior, and the boys form the band together. Two young women join the band as well, albeit with some reluctancy and hesitation. The complexity of these young people forming a band and joining their destinies together is intriguing and offers a lot of food for thought. It opens up a discussion of how "hurt people hurt people" and concepts like generational trauma. The idea of the past, present and future coexisting leaves much to unpack.
WHY TEACH & TEACHING TIPS
The story of the band Coyote Springs offers a plethora of literary material for analysis. A look at the Hero Journey of the band and how it fits into or defies traditional Hero Journeys is definitely worth discussing. Do the band members undergo a permanent transition?
Additionally, a look at the character tropes in the story. The hero, the anti-hero, the villains, the femme fatale, the mentor - this book has many of them.
My personal favorite literary devices in this book are those surrounding the imagery. The way the author uses metaphor, symbolism, hyperbole and fantastical elements to illustrate the setting, as well as weave in the past to explore the generational trauma of those living on the reservation.
In addition to generational trauma, subject themes include hope, love, family, friendship, music as expression/storytelling, ambition, sacrifice, history.
SENSITIVE SUBJECTS & WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
This book includes incidences of violence, domestic violence, sexual violence, and abortion.
The book's author Sherman Alexie was called out and admitted to sexual misconduct during the #metoo movement. My thoughts on our obligations as readers, consumers, and educators.
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