Flight: A Novel by Sherman Alexie
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Book Reviews of Flight: A Novel
Book Review: In order to fight evil, sometimes we have to do evil things
Summary: 4 Stars
Flight was a page turner. As a future English teacher, I tried looking at this novel from a students perspective. The problem was, it engrossed me fully so I can only look back in that sense now that I have completed it. The chapters are broken down perfectly. Similar to the Dan Brown books, they keep you wanting to read and find out what is going to happen to the main character-Zits.
Zits is a troubled youth of mixed background (Native American and Irish). His father left him at birth and his mother died of breast cancer when he was six. After her death, we hear of the struggles he has been a part of and begin to enter his mind. He is no doubt a troubled person but the good is always evident in him.
After witnessing different historical events and taking part in random people's lives in a sort of time warp similar to that of Slaughter House Five, Zits becomes a "man". He realizes the errors of his ways and we are left with hope and a truly happy ending.
As a reader who has a lot of trouble getting involved in and paying attention to a book, I was shocked when I completed this book in just a few hours. This of course was due to the talented work of Alexie. Zits has a simple way with words and his thoughts are very clear making this a simple read. As for students, yes there is profanity, but todays students speak more profanity in one hour than there is in this book. Is it violent? Yes. So is the 10 o'clock news. Rather than reading the dreaded classics like "White Fang", students will love the modern day references-bluetooth, paintball guns etc-and have less of a challenge seeing the point to this novel. There are countless opportunities for side lesson plans as historical events are a rather prevalent aspect of this novel.
The only reason I didn't give this book a 5 was due to it not being a "timeless classic"...but neither is White Fang.
Book Review: Journey through the Rabbit Hole with Zits
Summary: 4 Stars
This book was not what I expected; Flight is not your typical coming-of-age story. The half-native-American protagonist calls himself Zits (because everyone else does). Zits is a delinquent--and who could blame him. His alcoholic father abandoned him at birth; his mother died when he was a toddler. Bounced between orphanages, uncaring foster parents, and jail, Zits is an angry young man struggling to find an identity. The only semblance of role model material in his life is homeless native-Americans who live on the streets and imbibe illicit drugs.
Then Zits meets Justice, a manipulative and charismatic adolescent. Justice inspires Zits, and Zits believes that he will follow Justice anywhere. However, Justice has less than benevolent aspirations.
For the first 50 or so pages, the story arc of this book follows a foreseeable path. Then the events turn radical, and the reader is taken--quite by surprise--on a spiritual journey. The journey is a montage of historical events illustrating the struggles of Native Americans in this country. The events are visceral; Sherman's style delivers savage imagery with no remorse.
It is not enough to say that Zits is merely a witness to these historical events; during his spiritual quest, Zits experiences the events through the eyes of different characters. He has access to their memories and is acutely attuned to their feelings and thoughts. Numerous perspectives are examined in detail during this ever-changing scape of nightmarish surroundings. And the most beautiful aspect of the novel is that the reader witnesses changes manifest in the protagonist as the events progress. Highly original and delivered brutally.
Book Review: Relatable Connections
Summary: 4 Stars
A Beginning that shakes and nerves the reader and an end that satisfies what we have just endured. Sherman Alexie's Flight, is an exceptional piece of literature. It breaks apart any sense of restrictive barriers to create this connection of reader and "Zits", the main character. The character development seen throughout the work is brillant; there are connections that gradually develop between the reader and Zits. He is simply more than just the narrator, his voice narrates the thoughts that run through an adolescent mind, an angered heart, and through an individual who is lost within him/herself.
This book becomes one set on profanity, to become one that uses profanity to achieve innonence. Though Zits is planning a horrific act of violence; his innonence at first doesn't allow him to realize the true extent of what crosses his mind. That is why Alexie takes Zits and the reader back in time to witness the realities of pain, hatred, and violence. Zits journey back in time isn't the only journey taken. Alexie is addressing the current state of society and how its plague by forgetfulness and that there is this strong need for us to be reminded of what the right ideals are, what hope is, and how the answer resides within ourselves. An exceptional book by an exceptional author.
As a future educator there is a dire need to teach this book. Being allowed to do so, may be another story. But I believe all language is strong language. Each word's meaning changes in relation to the next or in different contexts; but, as Sherman Alexie breaks down certain barriers or literary conventions with this novel, maybe as a future educator, I can do so as well.
Book Review: Life as a phenomenon
Summary: 4 Stars
I knew this novel was definitely going to be different just by reading the very first page. "Zits" is the main protagonist of this story and tells his screwed up accounts of being a foster child that is battling with life and finding his identity. His father left when he was born, his mother died when he was a small child, and he is angry and suffering at the hands of the foster system. I'm not sure what's worse, the things he has gone through as a foster child or the events he experiences as he soars through some unreal phenomenon of an other-worldly life. Who is he really? Does he even know? I really had a hard time trying to figure it out. He's an F.B.I agent, and Indian warrior, a silenced-Indian boy, a cheating husband, and even becomes his own father. What better way to find out why your father ditched you, than to become him. He makes this journey and takes a monumental flight that brings him back to the biggest decision of his life. This book is a bit abrasive in some of its language and graphic descriptions, but I think it has to be. This novel is written in a style that is different from the norm, which proved a key factor in my not wanting to put the book down. I read it in a few hours, eager to find out what was really going on; in a way trying to make sense of everything. I was kind of warned about some of the uncomfortable situations that I would be reading, but was glad to be prepared. I would recommend this book to adolescents and adults of all ages, with the warning that if a teenager is going to be reading this, you may want to get the OK from their parents. The life's lessons that are addressed are too valuable to be passed up.Book Review: Board this plane
Summary: 4 Stars
Flight tackles gripping timely issues such as death, mass murder, abandonment,revenge, and a failing American foster care system while at the same time bringing to life pieces of history that cause any reader to shudder at the awful truths that are resurrected.
As the main character, Michael (a young boy who is half American and half Native American and whose nickname is "Zits" because it is the only thing he has truly come to identify himself with) is juggled through time, he is put in positions that cause him to question the decisions he has made in his life that have led him in to a bank lobby contemplating committing mass murder. He confronts the past in a way that sheds light on his tumultuous and unsteady life in the here and now.
So often critics are harsh on happy endings, but every now and then they do happen, life does go the way we hope for, so why should we treat them as an anathema in good storytelling? In the end it is an uplifting story even though it brings to life some of the darkest pieces of humanity.
If you feel comfortable teaching a text that is at times violent and sprinkled with profanity, then this book can be a valuable tool that can open students' eyes to an enjoyable and enlightening reading experience.
I definitely suggest reading this book even if you don't plan on teaching it. It will take you on a journey unlike many other reading experiences, and if you're willing to let your imagination do some work and suspend your disbelief long enough to let Zits soar through time, then you will really enjoy what is between the pages of this novel.