Author Sherman Alexie Wants to Punch You in the Face

[sirbruce]

Originally Posted by Sydney's Mom

Books didn't save my life. Reading did.

A good point. It's a Logical Fallacy to confuse the meaning of a symbol with the symbol itself. A picture of a hamburger may make you salivate, but you still can't eat it.

[griffonwing]

a book could save your life if you fell overboard and you had a big plastic inflatable book.

*apologies to Ardal O'Hanlon*

[RickyMaveety]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

Did you ever play that 'whisper' game? One person says something, who whispers it to the next one, and on down the line. By the time it gets to the end, it has no recognizable relationship to the original statement.
I'm just sayin'..........

Originally Posted by brecklundin

hmmmm...anyone know of a very popular book that was created that way and eventually put on what, at the time, passed for paper?

I put the same stock in that book as well...it is completely funny when people don't make the very connection you mention!!

OK .... I'm going to take a wild guess and say The Bible??

Hell, you know, for hundreds of years, even after the Gutenberg press was invented, those truly living in poverty could not afford books. What cracks me up is that this guy's attitude seems to be that, if the poor cannot afford a particular technology, then that technology should be stopped dead in its tracks.

Poverty or not, if a person has a real fire to learn, they will learn. If they really love to read, they will find a way to be able to do that. In today's economy, there are affordable ebook readers. A kid could earn the money to buy an ebook reader mowing about 10 lawns during a Summer. That's not something that is beyond their reach.

Not even by half.

I didn't grow up poor, however, I had a lot of friends (from school) who were dirt poor (and many from the reservation). Parents in our school donated money to make sure that every student in class could have their own text books, and they were all turned in at the end of the year for the next group of students. (Of course, they didn't change the editions every few months, thank Bast.)

Then, my mother did the one thing that corrupted me for life. She allowed me to join the Scholastic Book Club and gave me a blank check to order books as long as I read every book I ordered. So, once a month, I would order about 20 or 30 books, and then proceed to read them all. Generally 5-8 books every weekend. Mom kept saying she had made a "deal with the Devil" .....

[JSWolf]

But to be honest, Alexie could not buy the kind of publicity. He's gone from being a nobody to having name recognition. Maybe he said what he said so people would remember him. Sure you can be a great writer, but if nobody knows you then what good is it? This guy just got at least an 8 page thread on MR with one comment. That's some recognition. I don't agree with his comment, but I do agree it's gotten him noticed.

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But to be honest, Alexie could not buy the kind of publicity. He's gone from being a nobody to having name recognition. Maybe he said what he said so people would remember him. Sure you can be a great writer, but if nobody knows you then what good is it? This guy just got at least an 8 page thread on MR with one comment. That's some recognition. I don't agree with his comment, but I do agree it's gotten him noticed.

And what good will it do him, Jon?

Will people really want to read what he has to say?

Altho, in this day and age, perhaps that is what makes you a 'celebrity'. Go figure.

[no.guru]

In the celebrity vernacular, there's no such thing as bad publicity.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by no.guru

In the celebrity vernacular, there's no such thing as bad publicity.

Did you read message 83? https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...3&postcount=83

Not that it isn't worth saying again.

BOb

[khalleron]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But to be honest, Alexie could not buy the kind of publicity. He's gone from being a nobody to having name recognition. Maybe he said what he said so people would remember him. Sure you can be a great writer, but if nobody knows you then what good is it? This guy just got at least an 8 page thread on MR with one comment. That's some recognition. I don't agree with his comment, but I do agree it's gotten him noticed.

He's hardly a nobody - he's won quite a few literary awards and had his first book made into a major motion picture.

He does have a chip on his shoulder - it's why I stopped reading him. I'm all for different cultures telling their story, and it's true that Native Americans have been treated poorly, but any writer needs to know that telling a good story will do more for your cause than going around pissing people off (even if you have a reason to be pissed yourself).

He's a good writer - maybe a great one, but axes to grind are seldom pleasurable, even for those who agree with said axes.

[RickyMaveety]

Originally Posted by khalleron

He's hardly a nobody - he's won quite a few literary awards and had his first book made into a major motion picture.

He does have a chip on his shoulder - it's why I stopped reading him. I'm all for different cultures telling their story, and it's true that Native Americans have been treated poorly, but any writer needs to know that telling a good story will do more for your cause than going around pissing people off (even if you have a reason to be pissed yourself).

He's a good writer - maybe a great one, but axes to grind are seldom pleasurable, even for those who agree with said axes.

Really?? A "major" motion picture? I looked at the IMDB profile of the film. It looks like it won some minor awards, but it doesn't sound like a major film. Did it ever have wide release? Or was it more .... you know, an art house sort of movie?

[khalleron]

I saw it in a multiplex theater, that's all I know. All my friends saw it, but I have a strange bunch of friends.

Still, he's hardly a nobody, which was the thrust of my argument.

[delphidb96]

Originally Posted by khalleron

I saw it in a multiplex theater, that's all I know. All my friends saw it, but I have a strange bunch of friends.

Still, he's hardly a nobody, which was the thrust of my argument.

Never heard of him - literally - until he was mentioned here. And I've lived in western Montana and Idaho for YEARS, as well as have numerous friends who are NA and live on those reservations. I read at a prodigous rate and cover the spectrum and have never heard of him. Oops. Guess he can't be that much of a 'somebody'.

Derek

P.S. To put a fine point on it, I make it a habit, and have done so since my teenage years over 30 years ago, to watch for the scriptwriter/author of the movies I watch in order to pick up their books to see just how 'badly' the directors have butchered the books to make the films.

[no.guru]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Did you read message 83? https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...3&postcount=83

Not that it isn't worth saying again.

BOb

Wait, you mean we're on post 117 and the same statement has been made twice? A forum first! (OT drift provided at no extra cost.)

I'd say it's nearly closing time, but that's just me.

[khalleron]

You're acquainted with NA lit, and you never heard of "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven"?

It won lots of awards, was featured in lots of book mags and, I think, NPR when it came out.

I didn't live anywhere near a reservation, and I heard of it (and read it).

He's not Stephen King famous, of course, never will be, but he's certainly not a 'nobody'.

[delphidb96]

Originally Posted by khalleron

You're acquainted with NA lit, and you never heard of "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven"?

It won lots of awards, was featured in lots of book mags and, I think, NPR when it came out.

I didn't live anywhere near a reservation, and I heard of it (and read it).

He's not Stephen King famous, of course, never will be, but he's certainly not a 'nobody'.

Nope. Never heard of it, or him... And given what his own website's blurbs say about his books, I doubt I'll ever read any. Too few hours, too many good books to read to bother with them.

Derek

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by delphidb96

Nope. Never heard of it, or him... And given what his own website's blurbs say about his books, I doubt I'll ever read any. Too few hours, too many good books to read to bother with them.

Derek

"Good books" is a relative term. You certainly should NOT read him, (as you admit), for to do so would be a waste of time for you.

On the other side of the relative coin, I think his books ARE good; therefore, I do read him.

I personally don't like his comments; however, I like his work.


Don