Sherman Alexie Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Plays

Publication Order of Picture Books

Publication Order of Collections

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Best American Poetry Books

Publication Order of Best American Short Stories Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Sherman Alexie could be fronting for Native Americans if his credentials, impressive achievements, and mind-blowing accolades are anything to go by. Meet Sherman Alexie. His birth name is Sherman Joseph Alexie, Jr.; Alexie, who is a quinquagenarian, was born in October 1966 in an Indian reservation. His birth place is Spokane upon Washington, the US. He went to the Washington-based Reardan High School before being admitted to the Catholic-affiliated Gonzaga University wherein he momentarily pursued medical education prior to switching to law studies then to literary studies. He later on transferred to Washington State University wherein he signed up for creative writing.

Sherman Alexie, whose ancestry transcends the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene American native tribes (he has European and Russian ancestry too), is a well-rounded polymath. Did you know that Alexie is a novelist, performer, boxer, short story writer, poet, playwright, editor, essayist, comedian, screenwriter, and filmmaker? Alexie had a troubled childhood and young adulthood. He was diagnosed with hydrocephalus at birth and underwent a medical procedure accordingly, albeit with severe side effects. Worse still, the said medical condition left him with an oddly-shaped head which was the cynosure of bullying from his classmates. He was susceptible to seizures and was a notorious bed-wetter; Alexie countered these problems with medication. What’s more, his absentee father was an alcoholic while his mother eked a living.

Sherman Alexie’s poor health prevented him from engaging in transitional events synonymous with male American Indians; nevertheless, he made up for it by reading voraciously and excelling at school. In 1992, he published an anthology while still schooling at Washington State University and the unexpected literary fame prompted him to quit alcohol.

Section on Books
In the context of writing novel-length literary works, Sherman Alexie debuted in 1995. There are about twenty editions of Alexie’s debut book. The first edition was initially published in January 1995, titled Reservation Blues, and this standalone book is shelved under the magical realism, general and literary fiction, cultural, and contemporary genres.

Another early book authored by Sherman Alexie is titled Indian Killer. There are nearly twenty editions of this book. The first edition was initially published in January 1996, and this standalone book is shelved under the murder mystery, literary fiction, contemporary, and crime fiction genres.

The featured protagonists in Reservation Blues are Thomas Builds-the-Fire, Victor Joseph, and Junior Polatkin. These characters, who are impoverished Native Americans and were raised in an Indian reservation, are up-and-coming rock musicians angling for rock music stardom. They befriend Robert Johnson, an American blues singer-cum-songwriter; legend has it that Johnson, who rose to fame in the 1930s, made a deal with Satan so as to get his guitar playing expertise. Thomas, Victor, and Junior form a Spokane-based rock band and start using famed Robert Johnson’s bewitched guitar as their gateway to prosperity.

The featured protagonist in Indian Killer is John Smith. Smith, who is an Indian, has been adopted into different white families since he was born; on the flip side, he was subjected to psychological and emotional problems as a result. He is in a cultural crisis. In the mean time, there is a serial killer on the prowl in a Seattle neighborhood; the killer is targeting white victims, scalping them, and putting feathers on their corpses. John Smith is fingered for the killings; he is a person of interest because he has pent up rage and is most likely angling for venting his anger on white people.

Sherman Alexie Awards
Author Sherman Alexie has clinched and been nominated for many prestigious literary awards. In 1994, Alexie’s 1993 comic anthology clinched the Washington State Book Award; in 1993, it was nominated for the PEN/Hemingway Award in the Best First Fiction category; and, in 1994, won the discontinued Lila Wallace-Readers’ Digest prize.

In 1996, Alexie’s debut clinched the American Book Award. In 2001, he won the PEN/Malamud. In 2007, his 2007 novella won the National Book Award in the Young People’s Literature category. The said work also won the Odyssey Award in 2010, a two-time winner of an award proffered by American Indian Library Association, and, in 2008, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award in the Fiction category. In 2010, Alexie, clinched the PEN/Faulkner Award courtesy of his 2009 book titled War Dances. Also in 2010, Alexie won a Lifetime Achievement Award and the Puterbaugh Award.

Sherman Alexie Books into Movies
There are film adaptations of Sherman Alexie’s 2007 dark comic anthology and his 1991 collection titled The Business of Fancydancing. The 2007 anthology was adapted into a multi award-winning movie titled Smoke Signals; it was produced in 1998. The starring actors, who are Native Americans, are Adam Beach and Evan Adams; they appear as Victor Joseph and Thomas Builds-the-Fire, respectively.

The Business of Fancydancing has also been made into a movie; it was produced in 2002, with Sherman Alexie writing screenplay and directing it. The starring actors are Evan Adams who acts as Seymour Polatkin and Gene Tagaban who appears as Aristotle Joseph.

Best Sherman Alexie Books
The best three books authored by Sherman Alexie are Reservation Blues, Indian Killer, and the 2007 comic anthology. Reservation Blues and Indian Killer aside–they have already been discussed above–the anthology has over 60 editions. The anthology has an autobiographical element; it revolves around a fictitious character and prospective cartoonist named Arnold (nicknamed Junior) who was bred in an Indian reservation. Determined to realize his ambition, Junior leaves the reservation contrary to the regulations and goes to an exclusively white high school.

Other Books You May Like
Readers who enjoyed the literary works of Sherman Alexie also liked the following. The first one is called Almanac of the Dead penned by Leslie Marmon Silko. Initially published in 1991, it is all about White man’s supremacy in America juxtaposed with the Native American tribal traditions. It predominantly features twin sisters Zeta and Lecha, an arms dealer-cum-drug smuggler and psychic, respectively.

The second one is called The Grass Dancer authored by Susan Power. Initially published in 1994, this book is all about the cultures of Native American tribes. It features protagonists Harley Wind Soldier alongside Charlene Thunder; both are high school classmates.Set between 1864 and 1981, it chronicles the social and personal problems faced by American Indians in a North Dakota-based Indian reservation. The third one is titled The Antelope Wife penned by Louise Erdrich, initially published in 1998. This book is infused with magical realism; it chronicles the present-day life of Native Americans who originally inhabited Minneapolis.