Sherman Alexie 4 Maya Angelou 6 Rachel Carson 8 Charles Dickens 10 Frederick Douglass 12 Betty Friedan 14 Harper Lee 16 George Orwell 18 Thomas Paine 20 William Shakespeare 22 John Steinbeck 24 Henry David Thoreau 26 How You Can Make Change 28 Glossary 30 For More Information 31 Index 32 About the Author 32 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Sherman Alexie is an American Indian writer He writes poetry short stories and novels Alexie shares his experience as an American Indian His work has helped people of all ages including children understand American Indian life Alexie was born in 1966 He is a member of the Spokane Coeur d’Alene tribe He grew up on a reservation in Washington He learned about American Indian poetry at college He decided to give writing poems a try He published his first book in 1992 The Business of Fancydancing Stories and Poems earned praise from readers His next work arrived in 1993 The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven is a collection of short stories The stories have modern American Indian characters They describe what it is like to live as an American Indian in the United States The collection won the Pen Hemingway Award The award is an important writing prize Alexie accepts the National Book Award in 2007 SHERMAN ALEXIE WRITES ABOUT BEING AN AMERICAN INDIAN 1 4
THINK ABOUT IT Why would authors write about their experiences How might people benefit from reading about others How can reading about various groups change the world Then Alexie borrowed from his life to write a novel in 2007 The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a young-adult novel It describes a teen’s life on a reservation The novel won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature in 2007 Alexie’s work has attracted a variety of readers He gives readers all over the world a look into modern American Indian life 12 Number of poetry collections Alexie has authored Alexie grew up on a reservation in Washington and wrote about his experiences He has given readers a valuable look into modern American Indian life His work has earned several prizes for excellent writing Students at the Wellpint Elementary and High School on the Spokane Indian Reservation where Alexie grew up 5
