Indian Killer

After reading other reviewers, I am amused and not a bit surprised. Sherman Alexie can't get a break - sure he is successful by many standards, but the critiques I read were watery. Useless, in fact. This book was a departure from Alexie's shorter stories - any why not? His short stories were a departure from his poems. His films have been departures in a sense, both from his texts, and also one from the other. His poetry bouts and comedy are also departures. What that says to me is you can't categorize Alexie, and thank goodness. Prolific and talented may be the two that could be applied most, and we are fortunate as his audience.

Why should Alexie make white people interesting? Though I would argue he does, this criticism is useless. White people reading his book will most likely be too busy emulating one or more of the characters.

I just finished reading the novel a second time. I read it when it first came out, and promptly gave my copy to my best friend. That was in 1996/7. I lived in Seattle at the time. Since that time I've had time to learn a lot of things from some really understanding and brilliant people. My recent reading of Indian Killer was mind-blowing. Alexie has a keen mind for detail - I am giving a lecture tonight with this text in hand, and the historical context makes my 2.5 hour class an easy one to teach. Adoption of Native children , sterilization of Native women, poverty, alcoholism, racism - all these are trends that were ultimately going to wipe out Native populations - something we know as ethnic cleansing or genocide. And these are just in recent history.

The wannabe Indian movement is where I was nailed, but thankfully schooled about in the early 90s. None of those folks I knew were wannabe drunks, wannabe in poverty, wannabe sterilized, etc. A huge trend in Seattle in the 1990s, with books like Women Who Run With the Wolves and Iron John. These movements were just another way for whites to "deal" with their complicity in how messed up the world is for over half its occupants.

Now everyone has found religion or Prozac. But its clear Alexie won't let us white folks burrow into our complacency without a fight. Thank goodness.

Indian Killer was an excellent book that I thought really brought out the struggles of people and our society. I think Sherman Alexi wrote this book not only to have us enjoy it but to teach us a valuable lesson about his culture and about our society today. How somethings can just go out of whack and screw up everything. I think the title Indian Killer fits the story strongly because it is really what John is throughout the entire story and it fits exactly what we read in the story. I think the most interesting part of the whole book was just learning how he came to be so messed up and what really brought him towards the edge. I think the most exciting part of the book was towards the end with the kidnapping because it really brought out the climax of the book and kept me on the edge of my seat and wanting to read more. I think Alexi's style is a little biased from his standpoint of being Native American and how this book kind of brought down the "white man," but it was a very well written book that kept me on the interested the entire time.

Indian Killer is a masterfully crafted story. The author weaves social issues and our most subtle prejudices into the story in a way that never feels contrived or gets tiresome. The characters are multidimensional-complex or simple, they come across real. The story moves at clipper speed. The genius of the writer is made manifest in the gutsy ending.

Sherman Alexie's mystery novel "Indian Killer" grabs the readers attention from page one. One finds themselve looking over their shoulder while reading thinking that they may just be the next victim. The title of the book itself conveys a dual message to the reader making one reconsider who is commiting the horrible crimes inside the book. This Native American novel appeals to both male and female readers of all ages because it deals with controversial issues that are very much prevelant in today's society.
John Smith, an Indian raised white, yearns desperately for his lost heritage as he seeks to find his true identity. In Seattle John meets Marie, an Indian rights activist at the local university, who together grow inraged at the local people who try to act Indian such as writer Jack Wilson. Murders throughout the city are taking place which appears to be committed by an outraged Indian who leaves behind two owl feathers. The local bigoted disc-jockey creates a division amongst the whites and Indians. His programs incite violence and before long...the Indian Killer strikes again.
"The killer saw the fear in the white man's blue eyes. The man's fear inspired the killer's confidence. The killer slid a hand beneath the jacket and felt for the knife."
This novel will keep you on the edge of your seat just wondering who is murdering these innocent people. This is a great novel that not only stimulates the mind but also educates. I give it a big thumbs up.

Sherman Alexi had seemed to be a funloving writer. Hie Eralier work bursted with joy and a lot of life's small insights. But in "Indian Killer", this wakes the readers up into a scary world, one that has the possiblity of happening. Alexi opens your eyes to a strange, scary, and confusing look into the life of man who is lost. A man who has lost his own identity. For fans of grim richness in danger and suspense, this book is the one to read.

I first have to get this of my chest: Those other reviewers who claim that Alexie's White characters in "Indian Killer" are cardboard are lacking imagination themselves. I have met all of these characters and their attitudes to Indians; heck, I have even BEEN them at one point or another in my life!

I greatly enjoyed reading the book. However, it left me puzzled at the very end. If you're writing a novel on interracial killings, you'd better have a message IMO. Not since every or even most novels should have any message at all, but I beg to differ for novels on interracial killings. Interracial murders should not be used as mere plot devices.
The end seemed highly masturbatory. (SPOILERS, maybe?) I-as-member-of-the-White-oppressors simply couldn't take it serious. I realized with slight bewilderment that I would have even taken mass murder at the hands of aliens or witches more serious. So the question of audience arises, for two reasons:
1) If the intention was to make White readers identify their own prejudices, then "Indian Killer" seems not to have worked for most reviewers here (maybe including me?).
2) Since the ending doesn't 'work' for me (i.e. 'scare' me), where does that leave me as White reader? Is this book's only intended audience Indians and other PoC, who get to indulge in "If-only-we'd-kill-em-all" porn? If so, fair enough, reader FAIL on my part. (Otherwise, I'd just have personally liked more "thriller" in the end and less "fade to black").

I've read this book four times now. There are a few passages so well-crafted that I enjoy reading them even now. However, the book is not without problems, at least in my opinion. These problems do not by any means destroy the story. They simply make it a bit less than it could be.

In my opinion, any novel that addresses issues of race and racism best strikes a chord when a reader can see his reflection in one or more of the characters. Indian Killer revolves around the interaction between whites, Indians, and, peripherally, blacks. I can't speak for Indian or black readers, but as a white reader, I couldn't see myself or any friends or acquantances in the book's white characters. The white characters seemed as wooden and as stereotyped to me as Indian characters from old movies or novels must seem to Indians. While Indian readers might find the book's white characters believable, I did not. This, in turn, made me question the authenticity of the Indian characters, leaving me with little choice other than to take the author, as an Indian, "at his word" regarding the aforementioned authenticity.

I think that if I ever wrote a novel about racial issues, I'd ask Indian or black or latino friends to contribute to my development of my book's Indian, black, or latino characters. I wouldn't be asking so much for help with vernacular, dress, mannerisms, etc. as I would be for input regarding deeper emotions, feelings about other races, etc. Similarly, if I were Alexie and I had no mentally ill children at the time of my writing of Indian Killer, I'd ask friends or acquantances with mentally ill children, or more specifically schizophrenic children, to help me develop my mother and father characters, characters in Indian Killer who slowly but steadily lose their son to psychosis. Had Alexie done so, I think he would have created a more plausable scenario for his novel. Great fiction allows the reader to logically, if only temporarily, suspend reality in favor of the author's fantasy. I wish this good novel would have done that very thing for me.

I read this for my bookclub, where we like to read books giving different perspectives of the world than the small corner that we inhabit. At first, I thought this would be a real eye opener, but as I read further, I found it to be uninspired and, well, boring. Most all the characters were relayed to us as a laundry list of issues with over simplified emotional difficulties. Just when I thought there would be real complexity, such as in the character of Marie, the book would stop and revert back to caricature and one note emotional levels that never change. I did enjoy the writing of the character of John Smith who was a genuinely interesting study of schizophrenia and sadness. But too often the story fell off the road of simple and truthful storytelling into the bottomless pit of fuzzy pictures with vaguely annoying plotlines. And, boy, did it need editing.

As a quater Cherokee I was interested what a current Native American piece of literature written by an actual Native American would be like. Would it be boring? Just like any other book about Native Americans? Or something different? I got my answer within the first few chapters. A racy, intrigueing, and ultimately surprsing book about a Native American's struggle with identity and closure with societies steroetypical white man. A true thriller right down to the last page.

I very much enjoyed the movie "Smoke Signals", which was based on Sherman Alexie's "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven", so it was with substantial anticipation I sat down to read "Indian Killer" as part of a book club selecton. Right away the language was easy and light, and the first few chapters flew by quickly. However, it soon became evident that the story and the writing in general would not hold its appeal for me.

It is set up as a typical "who-dunnit" albeit with an Indian flair. We are treated to lots of stereotypical "observations" about Indians and about Whites, all from the other's viewpoint. There is a desperate attempt to portray political incorrectness; however, it more or less boils down to a meaningless shouting match between people who have in some way been wronged. And the solution to the mystery is a complete let-down. All that for this???

I found various historical tidbits and descriptions of customs interesting; however, I often found myself questioning the amount of objectivity in certain factual-sounding statements. This became especially evident after a certain description of a neighborhood in Seattle mainly inhabited by Scandinavians. The narrator explains the lack of trees in this neighborhood as a direct result of these Scandinavians' wish to emulate the "monotonous flat landscape of their homelands" and thus they proceded to cut down all the trees. Well, I can hardly think of a more inaccurate way to describe the mountainous and forrested countries of Sweden and Norway... After such a blunder, I became perhaps overly sceptical of the remainder of the story.

From the reviews it seems as if most people agree this is not Alexie's best book, and that his first work is far superior. I will therefore conclude that I need to read another of his books to appreciate his writing and popularity, and all I can offer is that if you are reading Sherman Alexie for the first time, this is defintely not a recommended start.

The Indian Killer has two sub-stories within one book. The main story is about a criminally insane man that is going around Seattle committing murders. The other is a story about how an Indian boy who was adopted by a white family and has to deal with the fact that he will never know his racial heritage or where he comes from. This is an exiting book, from page one it catches your attention and keeps you interested till the last page. The plot is filled with twists and turns and it will keep you guessing till the last chapter. I must say that the ending is a little dull, but the book is filled with surprises and I guarantee that you won't be able to put it down. Another interesting thing about Indian Killer is that every chapter is about a different character. There aren't two chapters in a row that are about the same character. I would like to close by saying that Indian Killer was one of the greatest books that I have ever read.

Alexie amazes once again with his stunning use of prose. This book like his others goes deep into the world of double consciousness- what it is to be indian and what it is to be an indian in the white world. Like W.E.B. Dubois, who penned the double-consciousness theory, Alexie delves deep into the world of this phenomenon. This book is an absolute page-turner and a must read for all.

Too much has been written, spoken, and sound-bitten about Mr. Alexie's heritage. And that is ashame. Suddenly, Alexie has been drafted in to the spokesperson for all things native. That's bad for Alexie and for Indians. The fact is, Alexie has skills and delivers the goods. He should be recognized as a great AMERICAN writer or a spokesperson for young, up-and-coming AMERICAN authors. Because Alexie has been pigeonholed and ghettoized, many readers will be alienated who would otherwise enjoy solid stories about American culture. Alexie's characters could be from anywhere his any ethnic background -- John in this novel could be living in the projects in the South Bronx, or a white-boy driving an SUV in the 'burbs. The fact is he isn't and this is what causes the anger and rage.

p 314 "If the Ghost Dance worked, there would be no exceptions. All you white people would disappear . . . " Sherman Alexie's novel Indian Killer explores the modern day relationship between Native Americans and the white people that once drove them from there land. Alexie tells the story in a suspenseful mystery style that will keep you guessing as to who is the real killer. To add to the complicated storyline, Alexie presents the readers with a variey of characters, all with very different beliefs and backgrounds. The protagonist John Smith is an adopted Native American struggling with his identity among a an "urban" tribe. His struggle with community acceptance is only one of the many issues Alexie deals with in this somewhat controversial, page turning thriller. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an engrossing story that asks you as the reader to decide where you fall on on issues of race and culture.

On a surface, a great who dunnit centered in Seattle with a Indigenous twist. Complex characters. You have John who is adopted by white people and wants to know of his culture but cannot. You have Marie, the Indian activist college student who challenges her white professor at every turn. The white professor Dr. Mather who through his education thinks that he knows more of Indian culture than Indians that grew up on the reservation. Reggie is Marie's half Indian cousin that hates white people. Truck is a sensationlist radio broadcaster that is terrorizing the city of Seattle with his constant updates on the "Indian Killer" The novelist Jack Wilson, the wannabe Indian that claimed the little bit of Native blood that he had and held on so tightly. The common thread I saw in each character was that at some level each had the Indian killed out of them or they were killing the culture by their ignorance and upbringing.I Think Sherman Alexie's message is profound and is a statement of what is taking place in Indian country today! You will be assismalated....I think not!

I think that the book Indian Killer is very good. It is about a kid that gets adopted by 2 white people and will not tell him his tribe because they do not know it. He begans to wonder what it is. His parents tried to teach him all they could by giving him books, papers, research they found, etc... It is about a murderer that is stalking and scalping white men in seattle. The Native Americans population is being disturbed. As john is searching for his dreams of being in a reservation he finds a girl marie, a strident young student that is isolated from her tribe. She is educated but does not know her own traditions. Marie is particularly enraged with the people such as a guy named jack wilson. He is a local ex-cop and now he is a mysterious writer. he says he is indian so he will be accepted. as the indian killer searches for his last victim he notices a unexpected and terrifying climax.

A stunning accomplishment. Disturbing. Poignant. Saturated in Broken beauty. Staying power. Haunting imagery. Wisdom imbedded in Timeless storytelling. Memorable, deeply textured and layered characters.

Many of the people reviewing this book have missed the point, yes it is a violent, racially charged book. And it is about time that an Indian wrote it. So much of Indian culture is being stolen by white people who are in love with the idea of Indian. They think taking a sweat in the sweat house and smoking a peace pipe are still options to erase what was done by their white ancestors. They think that love with no tribe is enough for any Indian child Alexie is just trying to show how wrong these ideas are. The ironically named John Smith is searching for his people. Marie is fighting for hers, Junior is doing both. Jack Wilson is another character that is ironically named. (Jack Wilson was the white name of the Indian Prophet Wovoka) He and the professor represent every white person who steals from the Indians while claiming to love them. This is a powerful book. It will leave you reeling for days.

Indian Killer is a great title. What does it mean? To some it assaults adoption and assimilation. I am aware that this is not a book on adoption..but the author does raise a very sensitive issue: What to do with orphaned
Native American babies? How important is culture when compared to the
health of an infant? I am one of those Korean adoptees..my two sisters
are Native American (adopted before the Act). I understand the issues of
assimilation and race..but I also understand the importance of healthy
babies. When the Indian Killer returns the white baby to it's distant white parents..the spirit of culture is revealed. This is a great novel that raises big issues and has stimulated much needed discussion. Perhaps the best mystery yet to be written on this subject will a book on the life of Michael Dorris.

I enjoyed reading this book, it was full of surprises. I enjoy Alexie`s writting style and how he includes so many land marks from the Northwest. I enjoy the character s he includes in his book, they all play important rolls.

This book is great, it may seem slightly lengthy before you start reading, but it moves very quickly. I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars because it is a little on the crass side for me, nevertheless it is extremely interesting and it will make you think. Sherman Alexie is an excellent writer, and I would recommend any of his books for mature readers.

I have enjoyed Alexie's poetry and short stories for a long time. Indian Killer was very poetic in its own way. It plays on your prejudices and expectations. I have met Sherman Alexie and he signed my edition of Indian Killer. He is a great guy with a lot of insight for people with Native/American identity issues...

When I first saw this book on a shelf at Barnes and Nobles, I thought to myself, "hey-a new Alexie novel." Already a fan with Reservation Blues and his movie Smoke Signals, I bought it. Yet when I sat down to read it that night, I didn't stop until about 3 AM the next morning. This is a total 90 degree turn from his usual realistic styles-dealing with rage, revenge, hatred, and racism on a whole new level. This is quite possibly the best of Alexie's works ever. Hauntingly stark and brilliantly detailed, this is a great read for all those who have ever felt scared or betrayed.

Alexie continues to confront the mistakes of the past with tales so shocking it boggles the imagination. However, we need to see the effects of our need, in a melting pot nation, to respect the diversity of various cultures trying to blend into one nation. The scars of the past, especially with our Native American population need to be addressed. Money is not the answer as much as mutual respect and acceptance of differences.

Sherman Alexie is an excellent author, whos books touch those who have read them. Alexie's way of writing is a unique and uninhabitabal island, in which only he has the key. Indians are illisrtated in this book as people who have been mistakened as bums and unlawful individuals. On the otherhand indians are also demonstrated as racially targeted individuals who have been put out into the sparring ring of an up and coming bull fight. Indian Killer is an excellent book Alexie's writing techniques allow him to place pictures directly into your mind while leaving you breathless.

I found this book very satisfying on a couple of levels. First, I was impressed how Alexie developed a diminsional person using all the aspects of a humanity. I appreciated that his characters were neither good or bad, just people trying to survive.

Secondly, I like the mystical aspect he put into. After all, aren't we all tied to our ancestors as strongly as Alexie paints.

This is a good book and i would recomend it to someone with a short atention span. This book will wrap you up and you will not wantto put it down. The auther did a very good job with introduceing new people into the story. this is a mystery that will will keep you guessing untill the end. it is about the murders of white men you are being scalped and left for dead. this sends the city of seattle into an uproar acussing every person with an idian backgrond of being the murderer.

I found Indian Killer to be a very well-written book, but very trying to read. It flowed as well as any race hate novel can flow. Alexie is obviously a very angry man who has chosen to share his feelings through writing. By the end of the book, I felt beaten to death by all of the violence and hate that was thrown at me. The characters became old after awhile. I kept waiting for them to snap out of their "hate all beat all" moods. They never did. Overall, I though the book was very good with a great plot.

I saw Sherman Alexie give a reading and I was an instant fan. He has some of the finest descriptions and plot lines of any writer out there. Wonderful writer that strays away from all cliches. Can't give him enough praise.

The reviews all seem to be either wildly positive or negative. I'm in the latter group. I thought this book was so shot through with hate and self-pity that it was painful to read, and the white characters were all cardboard stereotypes. It's a pity, since the author is obviously deeply familiar with northwestern Indian life and could have written a fascinating, mind-opening book instead of this mess.

I understand how people think that Alexie's other work (e.g. Reservation Blues, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven, Ten Little Indians, etc.) is amazing, I still think that Indian Killer is true to Alexie's voice and themes. Although I think that Alexie is a better short story writter than novelist, I think that he has shown growth as a writter. Hell, he's young. He won't stop!

I loved this book. It was very good. The main characters were very unique and had alot of very serious life experiences. It describes very well the way an Indian in the city might view things or understand them. I recommend this book to anybody who likes sherman's work.

Alexie out does my previous favorite mystery writer! This is a page-turner. Well written, strong, believable characters, and full of suspense. You will not know who the killer is until the very end, no matter what you think you know! Please give us more like this, Sherman!

I have never enjoyed reading a book as much as I did this one. This book is definitely a challenge and very complicating, but it was so fascinating reading into the angry and twisted minds of the characters. I truly couldn't put the book down once I started. I had the need to keep reading to know what was going to happen next. Though it was amazingly written, the end was a little disappointing. For me, there were quite a few unanswered questions. I definitely would reccommend this book to anyone seeking a read that will make you THINK!

The book took me a few chapters to really engage with the characters. However, the more I read the more invested I became. The ending (no spoilers) was striking, and one of the best I've read in a long time.

My book club is going to read the autobiography of Mr. Alexie this month. I decided to read one of his other books so I could get a feel for his writing style. I have decided that I like it. This book is about urban Indians in a large city and the whites that surround them. I know very little about these non-city dwellers, except what I have read here and there. The inhabitants of our large city feel real. The intersection of their lives and the less tolerant whites also feels real.
There are Indians raised on the reservation, Indians raised by white families, radical Indians, intolerant whites, want-to-be Indians and people who think they know more about being an Indian that Indians do. Plus there is a right wing radio personality who just loves to "stir the pot" of his largely prejudiced audience. In the midst of all these people is a serial killer, who may or may not be an Indian but thinks of himself as one. All these story strands are woven into a complete blanket of a tale. I enjoyed the book completely.