Indian Education for All

Sherman Alexie and his book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian have been the focus of much criticism.  Before you decide whether or not Diary is right for you to read, you might peruse some of these articles:

Here is an article from the Chicago Tribune that discusses why a group of Antioch High parents want to have Sherman Alexie's novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian removed from their district's curriculum.

Here is a Huffington Post article about a similar decision made by a district in Meridian, Idaho.

Here is another article from the Wall Street Journal that poses the question "Why is dark contemporary fiction [good] for teens?"  

Although there us much more out there to read on the topic, here is a March 2018 article from The Guardian that details sexual harrassment allegations that Sherman Alexie has recently had to face, notably from aspiring Native American authors.  

Due to the allegations mentioned above, the American Indian Literature Association rescinded Alexie's 2008 AILA Young Adult Book of the Year award.  This is Kara Yorio's story from the March 21st, 2018 story from the School Library Journal, including the AILA's letter to its membership explaining why they took the award back.  

Rather than defend why I teach Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian, why not have the author do it himself?  Here is his rationale for the importance of books like Diary that he blogged for the Wall Street Journal.

Here is a collection of links to learn more about a whole host of IEFA links and resources.

Articles that Supplement The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian:

If you are reading Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian, read this supplementary articlefrom Sports Illustrated on Johnathan Takes Enemy and the 1983 boys' basketball team from Hardin High School.

Articles that Supplement Wind From an Enemy Sky:

If you are reading D'Arcy McNickle's Wind from an Enemy Sky,read this supplementary article from the New York Timesabout water rights in northwestern Montana.

If you are reading Wind from an Enemy Sky, you should also read this article from the Flathead Beacon about how in 2015 the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes assumed control of Kerr Dam.

Articles that Supplement Firekeeper's Daughter:

Angeline Boulley mixes Ojibwe and Ashinaabe language into her story.  Read "Why is Preserving Indigenous Languages Important" from the Indigenous Foundation and go to ojibwe.net for a glossary of terms as you read.

You may want some background on the Boarding School Era and its effects.  This article from Minnesota's Star Tribune can help.

If you want to know more about generational trauma and its effects, this article, "The Impact of historical trauma on American Indian health equity" from Medical New Today's Ana Sandoiu, will help.

To learn more about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, visit nativehope.org.

Articles that Supplement Killers of the Flower Moon:

To learn more about the Osage Nation, read "Osage Nation" from the Oklahoma Historical Society.

To learn more about the Osage murders that are the focus of Grann's book, read "The Osage Murders: Oil Wealth, Betrayal and the FBI's First Big Case" from History.com.

To learn more about the concepts of treaties and tribal sovereignty and the rights the Osage and other tribes had at the start of the 20th century, check out the website National Museum of the American Indian - "Nation to Nation: Treaties Between the United States and American Indian Nations".

To learn more about the Oklahoma oil boom, read the article "Oklahoma Oil: Past, Present and Future" from the Oklahoma Historical Society.

To read a bit more about the early days of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, go to the website FBI History - "Early Days of the Bureau".

Here is a poem called "After 'Killers of the Flower Moon'" by Elise Paschen on the Poetry Foundation website.  Incidentally, Lily Gladstone, named in the first line of the poem, is a University of Montana graduate and was born in Kalispell.  She was nominated in 2024 for the Best Actress Academy Award for her portrayal of Mollie Burkhart in Martin Scorsese's film adaptation of Killers of the Flower Moon.