The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven (Book Review)

I was introduced to this book by one of my favorite professors only a few months ago. Since then, Sherman Alexie has become one of my favorite authors of all time. After reading The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven a few times I just had to go out and buy it.

This book interweaves the stories of several Native Americans living on the Spokane Reservation in Washington. Victor, his mother and father, his cousin Thomas Builds-the-fire, and several other characters make noticeable appearances throughout each story. Victor attempts to create a relationship with his alcoholic father and Thomas tries to tell as many stories as he can to anyone who will listen. Thomas is perhaps one of the most interesting characters I’ve read in a long time with his storytelling abilities and the power to bring people together.

“We are all given one thing by which our lives are measured. Mine are the stories which can change or not change the world…I learned a thousand stories before I took my first thousand steps. They are all I have. It’s all I can do.”

 Alexie, an American Indian himself, details issues that are common on the reservation, or rez, such as poverty and alcoholism, but does so with great humor. From page one, I thoroughly appreciated Alexie’s ability to create something funny out of a situation that could be almost depressing. Each character is so real that I feel as if I know them personally which is for me, at least, the marking of a great book and a great author.

 I relished every page from start to finish and I highly recommend you pick up this or another of Alexie’s books at the library. If you have some spare time you might want to watch some of Sherman Alexie’s interviews online; his honesty and humor make him an incredibly interesting person to hear.The movie version based on this book, 'Smoke Signals' is great as well and you can even find it on Netflix.