 Sherman
Alexie signed his new book in Milwaukee on July 9, 2003. Jennifer Jordan was
there.....
My Hero…….
Mr. Sherman Alexie, recipient of the PEN/Hemingway Award, a Spokane/Coeur
d'Alene Indian and a man hailed as one of the best young writers of his
generation, is my hero. The New Yorker named him one of the top 20 writers for
the 21st Century and he has earned this title with his prolific, insightful and
powerfully emotional prose. As a poet, he is the first four-time World
Heavyweight Championship Poetry Bout winner. This is not just writer resume blah
blah. These are secret hero ingredients. And, he’s not just my hero. He is
also the hero of a gaggle of people in the Milwaukee area that made there way to
the East Side on Wednesday, July 9, 2003. From a geeky reservation kid that
developed a sense of humor to keep the bigger kids from beating the crap out of
him, he grew into a college-educated, award-winning geeky man.
Schwartz’s Bookstore was packed with over 300 sweating bodies all gathered
round to watch this beautiful brown man. The book tour brings with it the ban of
Mr Alexie’s existence; airport security. As a black haired, dark skinned man,
security finds him very attractive. He has taken to packing everything in his
suitcase in their own individual containers to speed the search process. After
unpacking and re-packing his suitcases in almost every airport he goes through,
Mr. Alexie is often complimented on his packing by the relieved security. “I
do it all for you…” he responds coyly.
He read ‘Lawyer’s League’, from his new collection of short stories called
Ten Little Indians, and had the whole crowd eating out of his hands. The
momentum rose as he read and everyone in the audience leaned forward as one to
capture every word he spoke. The story is one of my favorites in the collection
and the darkly ironic humor of it wound us up. After the applause died down and
the crowd settled pack into watchful bliss, he began to speak extemporaneously.
He was funny as hell, politically savvy, yet ultimately snotty to both parties.
He is a non-partisan asshole.
He pointed out George W’s father issues, something that was brought home for
him as he watched our nation’s president stride the aircraft carrier USS
Abraham Lincoln in his flight suit. Alexie spoke of his envy at how good George
looked in the flight suit and then asked about what George Jr. must have been
thinking about as he walked the length of the carrier. “Daddy,” Alexie said
in a tiny voice “mine is bigger than yours!”
His acid tongue leaves no subject exempt but underneath is a hard won wisdom and
an honest desire for a better world. “As a reluctant role model, I can only
advocate for two things for any youth: stay sober because you'll die young if
you don't, and question all authority figures because they're usually seeking to
protect their power.”
Mr. Alexie is as avid in his love of American pop culture as he is conscious of
his native roots. He rails against the common stereotypes of Native Americans
but has a passion for movies, music and mystery novels. He is a huge fan of
Dennis Lehane. His simple philosophy that men that cross streams as they urinate
together will never go to war and how he had intestinal flu when he was on Oprah
had the crowd in hysterics. I may never eat cantaloupe again.
 The
crowd, made of all creeds, colors, financial backgrounds and ages, was
enthralled. Entranced by the rantings and brutal honesty of this wonderful man,
I had a feeling while I knelt in the midst of those people I have very rarely
felt. I had a feeling of total unity with those people. That, at that point in
time, we were all truly together, sharing the joys, frustrations, passions and
sorrows of the man behind the podium. At certain points, people were literally
doubled over with laughter. There were moments of complete silence as Alexie
shared the pain of his father’s death and when he recalled the death of an
Indian on his reservation. The man, drunk out of his mind, had fallen and drown
in a puddle of water. And, with all that he has seen and experienced, Alexie is
still full of hope for this world and it’s people. All of its people.
When Alexie said he had only one more story to tell and then he had to go, the
entire audience went, “Aaaawwwwww…………” like a bunch of spoiled kids.
He looked at us, smiled wryly, and said, “I don’t believe you.” But he
made that last story a long one. When he was done, he received a standing
ovation. The crowd dispersed throughout the bookstore, waiting for our letter
lots to come up for the book signing. When I approached Alexie with my book
stack he looked exhausted, but happy. Again, as was the case the last time I saw
him, when asked to sign and date my books, he had to ask the date. For each
book. Poor man… I adore him.
“Being a good performer is part of being a writer. And those writers who
aren’t good performers, and who sort of make it a point of pride to be
introverted, boring assholes, are denying themselves a huge part of the culture
and tradition.” Alexie said in a The Phoenix.com interview. I don’t think
Sherman Alexie is missing a thing. He is the only person walking this earth
right now that I would actually say is my hero in the true sense of the word.
And I’m willing to share.
Jennifer Jordan ©
|
