Fresh off his National Book Award win, Alexie delivers a heartbreaking, hilarious collection of stories that explores the precarious balance between self-preservation and external responsibility in art, family, and the world at large. With unparalleled insight into the minds of artists, laborers, fathers, husbands, and sons, Alexie populates his stories with ordinary men on the brink of exceptional change. In a bicoastal journey through the consequences of both simple and monumental life choices, Alexie introduces us to personal worlds as they transform beyond return. In the title story, a famous writer must decide how to care for his distant father who is slowly dying a “natural Indian death” from alcohol and diabetes, just as he learns that he himself may have a brain tumor. Alexie dissects a vintage-clothing store owner’s failing marriage and his courtship of a married photographer in various airports across the country; what happens when a politician’s son commits a hate crime; and how a young boy discovers his self-worth while writing obituaries for his local newspaper. Brazen and wise, War Dances takes us to the heart of what it means to be human. This provocative new work is Alexie at the height of his powers.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
From National Book Award–winner Alexie comes a new collection of stories, poems, question and answer sequences, and hybrids of all three and beyond. In a penetrating voice that mixes humor with anger, Alexie pointedly asks, If it is true that children pay for the sins of their fathers, then is it also true that fathers pay for the sins of their children? Many of the stories revolve around the complexities of fatherhood; in the title story, the Native American narrator recalls his alcoholic father's death as he confronts his own mortality, and The Ballad of Paul Nonetheless is the tale of an eccentric vintage clothing salesman whose sexual attraction to his wife fades following the birth of their children. The collection also contains stirring defenses of artistic integrity; Fearful Symmetry is an incisive account of working as a young screenwriter for a Hollywood studio, and the poem Ode to Mix Tapes endorses hard work as the key ingredient behind any creation. Alexie unfurls highly expressive language, and while at times his jokes bomb and the characters' anger can feel forced, overall this is a spiritedly provocative array of tragic comedies. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
“Sherman Alexie is not a finicky writer. He is often messy and in-your-face in a way that can make you laugh (or shudder) when you least expect to. . . . War Dances is Alexie’s fiercely freewheeling collection of stories and poems about the tragicomedies of ordinary lives.”—O, the Oprah Magazine
“Alexie has a wry, subversive sensibility. . . . The structure [in War Dances] is sophisticated yet playful, a subtle way to bring lightness to heavy topics such as senility, bigotry, cancer, and loneliness. . . . A mix tape of a book, with many voices, pieces of different length, shifting rhythms, an evolving story.”—Carolyn Kellogg, Los Angeles Times
“Sherman Alexie mixes up comedy and tragedy, shoots it through with tenderness, then delivers with a provocateur’s don’t-give-a-damn flourish. He’s unique, and his new book, War Dances, is another case in point.”—Mary Ann Gwinn, Seattle Times
“Few other contemporary writers seem willing to deal with issues of race, class, and sexuality as explicitly as Alexie . . . [“War Dances” is] a virtuoso performance of wit and pathos, a cultural and familial critique and a son’s quiet, worthless scream against the night as his father expires . . . [that] reminds me of the early 20th Century master of the short form Akutagawa Riyunosuke. . . . Yet again Sherman Alexie has given us a hell of a ride.”—Anthony Swofford, Barnes & Noble.com
“Alexie’s works are piercing yet rueful. He writes odes to anguished pay-phone calls, to boys who would drive through blizzards to see a girl, to couples who need to sit together on airplane flights even though the computer thinks otherwise. . . . [A] marvelous collection.”—Connie Ogle, Miami Herald
“Sherman Alexie is a rare creature in contemporary literature, a writer who can make you laugh as easily as he can make you cry. He’s also frighteningly versatile, as a poet, screenwriter, short story author, and novelist.”—Ben Fulton, The Salt Lake Tribune
“Remarkable . . . Wonderful . . . [Alexie’s] work reveals both the light and dark within native American life. A paradox in his writing is that you can be in the middle of delighted laughter when he will hit you with a sentence so true to the core of a character’s pain that you suck your breath or are startled to realize you are crying.”—Gale Zoe Garnett, The Globe and Mail
“War Dances is maybe the most personal book Alexie has ever published, and it’s certainly one of his most readable. The closest thing to a historical precedent for this book is Palm Sunday, Kurt Vonnegut’s wildly entertaining self-described ‘autobiographical collage’ of anecdotes, fiction, reminiscences, and other work. . . . Each piece firmly builds on some part of the other, like the songs on a good mix tape. . . . The asymmetrical collection on display in War Dances works as a supremely gratifying reading experience.”—Paul Constant, The Stranger
“Alexie is a master storyteller whose prose is laced with metaphoric realities of life, mixed with triumph and tragedy. . . . War Dances is vintage Alexie . . . [and] should be savored. . . . Fans will not be disappointed.”—Levi Rickert, The Grand Rapids Press
“May be his best work yet . . . An odd grab bag of images, insights, and loose ends . . . yet each piece asks a similar set of questions: What’s the point of all this? If there is a point, what’s the point of that? And isn’t life really goddamn funny? . . . A book about searching.”—Mike Dumke, Chicago Reader
“Complex . . . Unpredictable . . . Thought-provoking.”—Michelle Peters, Winnipeg Free Press
“Beautiful . . . [Alexie] tells wryly amusing, bittersweet stories. . . . He makes you laugh, he makes you cry. Perfect reasons to read him.”—Frank Zoretich, Albuquerque Journal
“Penetrating . . . Alexie unfurls highly expressive language . . . [in] this spiritedly provocative array of tragic comedies.”—Publishers Weekly
“Encounter [Alexie’s work] once and you’ll never forget it.”—Library Journal
“Alexie is at his best in this collection of hilarious and touching stories.”—Geeta Sharma-Jensen, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“[With War Dances], Sherman Alexie enhances his stature as a multitalented writer and an astute observer of life among Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest. . . . [An] edgy and frequently surprising collection.”—Harvey Freedenberg, Bookpage
“Alexie has a wry, subversive sensibility. . . . The structure [in War Dances] is sophisticated yet playful, a subtle way to bring lightness to heavy topics such as senility, bigotry, cancer, and loneliness. . . . A mix tape of a book, with many voices, pieces of different length, shifting rhythms, an evolving story.”—Carolyn Kellogg, Los Angeles Times
“Sherman Alexie mixes up comedy and tragedy, shoots it through with tenderness, then delivers with a provocateur’s don’t-give-a-damn flourish. He’s unique, and his new book, War Dances, is another case in point.”—Mary Ann Gwinn, Seattle Times
“Few other contemporary writers seem willing to deal with issues of race, class, and sexuality as explicitly as Alexie . . . [“War Dances” is] a virtuoso performance of wit and pathos, a cultural and familial critique and a son’s quiet, worthless scream against the night as his father expires . . . [that] reminds me of the early 20th Century master of the short form Akutagawa Riyunosuke. . . . Yet again Sherman Alexie has given us a hell of a ride.”—Anthony Swofford, Barnes & Noble.com
“Alexie’s works are piercing yet rueful. He writes odes to anguished pay-phone calls, to boys who would drive through blizzards to see a girl, to couples who need to sit together on airplane flights even though the computer thinks otherwise. . . . [A] marvelous collection.”—Connie Ogle, Miami Herald
“Sherman Alexie is a rare creature in contemporary literature, a writer who can make you laugh as easily as he can make you cry. He’s also frighteningly versatile, as a poet, screenwriter, short story author, and novelist.”—Ben Fulton, The Salt Lake Tribune
“Remarkable . . . Wonderful . . . [Alexie’s] work reveals both the light and dark within native American life. A paradox in his writing is that you can be in the middle of delighted laughter when he will hit you with a sentence so true to the core of a character’s pain that you suck your breath or are startled to realize you are crying.”—Gale Zoe Garnett, The Globe and Mail
“War Dances is maybe the most personal book Alexie has ever published, and it’s certainly one of his most readable. The closest thing to a historical precedent for this book is Palm Sunday, Kurt Vonnegut’s wildly entertaining self-described ‘autobiographical collage’ of anecdotes, fiction, reminiscences, and other work. . . . Each piece firmly builds on some part of the other, like the songs on a good mix tape. . . . The asymmetrical collection on display in War Dances works as a supremely gratifying reading experience.”—Paul Constant, The Stranger
“Alexie is a master storyteller whose prose is laced with metaphoric realities of life, mixed with triumph and tragedy. . . . War Dances is vintage Alexie . . . [and] should be savored. . . . Fans will not be disappointed.”—Levi Rickert, The Grand Rapids Press
“May be his best work yet . . . An odd grab bag of images, insights, and loose ends . . . yet each piece asks a similar set of questions: What’s the point of all this? If there is a point, what’s the point of that? And isn’t life really goddamn funny? . . . A book about searching.”—Mike Dumke, Chicago Reader
“Complex . . . Unpredictable . . . Thought-provoking.”—Michelle Peters, Winnipeg Free Press
“Beautiful . . . [Alexie] tells wryly amusing, bittersweet stories. . . . He makes you laugh, he makes you cry. Perfect reasons to read him.”—Frank Zoretich, Albuquerque Journal
“Penetrating . . . Alexie unfurls highly expressive language . . . [in] this spiritedly provocative array of tragic comedies.”—Publishers Weekly
“Encounter [Alexie’s work] once and you’ll never forget it.”—Library Journal
“Alexie is at his best in this collection of hilarious and touching stories.”—Geeta Sharma-Jensen, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“[With War Dances], Sherman Alexie enhances his stature as a multitalented writer and an astute observer of life among Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest. . . . [An] edgy and frequently surprising collection.”—Harvey Freedenberg, Bookpage
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
War Dances by Sherman Alexie
Grove Press, 209 pp.
Sherman Alexie is as interesting a person as he is a writer. A few years back I heard him do an interview with national conservative talk show host, and Seattle-based, Michael Medved. Although Alexie declared himself somewhat left on the political spectrum, I found him to be one of the most delightful (and I'm not a guy who uses that word often, but it fits) interviews I've ever heard. While so many folks, on both sides can sound downright mean, Alexie is honest, self-deprecating, insightful, and quite funny.
Why did I start this review of War Dances with a review of Alexie's interview prowess? Well, because I found many of the reasons I liked the book are the same reasons I'd liked the interview. While at times I laughed, saddened, and even winced, I was sucked in by every word.
While the stories appear to be "all over the place," you sense there is a common thread running through the stories--and there is. And these are stories that feel so real the fact they're fiction, often feels vice versa. So real. And for me, as a Seattle cop, my day job, it rang incredibly real in one particular story.
A father is home alone, in Seattle's Central District, (my beat) working as a freelance film editor. There's a knock at the door at three in the afternoon. Determining that no one of any worth comes to anyone's door at that time of day, he ignores the knock and returns to his work. A minute or two later he hears a window break, and confronts a burglar who's broken in. The remainder of the story is fascinating, but I can tell you this specific type of burglary, this M.O., Modus Operandi, is unfortunately way too common in the neighborhood Alexie describes.... Read more ›
Grove Press, 209 pp.
Sherman Alexie is as interesting a person as he is a writer. A few years back I heard him do an interview with national conservative talk show host, and Seattle-based, Michael Medved. Although Alexie declared himself somewhat left on the political spectrum, I found him to be one of the most delightful (and I'm not a guy who uses that word often, but it fits) interviews I've ever heard. While so many folks, on both sides can sound downright mean, Alexie is honest, self-deprecating, insightful, and quite funny.
Why did I start this review of War Dances with a review of Alexie's interview prowess? Well, because I found many of the reasons I liked the book are the same reasons I'd liked the interview. While at times I laughed, saddened, and even winced, I was sucked in by every word.
While the stories appear to be "all over the place," you sense there is a common thread running through the stories--and there is. And these are stories that feel so real the fact they're fiction, often feels vice versa. So real. And for me, as a Seattle cop, my day job, it rang incredibly real in one particular story.
A father is home alone, in Seattle's Central District, (my beat) working as a freelance film editor. There's a knock at the door at three in the afternoon. Determining that no one of any worth comes to anyone's door at that time of day, he ignores the knock and returns to his work. A minute or two later he hears a window break, and confronts a burglar who's broken in. The remainder of the story is fascinating, but I can tell you this specific type of burglary, this M.O., Modus Operandi, is unfortunately way too common in the neighborhood Alexie describes.... Read more ›
39 of 46 people found the following review helpful
By Athena
Format:Hardcover
Blending short stories, bits of prose and poems, this new collection by Sherman Alexie is too short a read. The book feels sketchy, as if a sculptor sat down with a sketch pad, and drew exercises intended for later use. But the sketches are no less beautiful for it. Sherman Alexie's voice makes the bitter "I", sweet--well, mostly. The Short story "Ballad of Paul Nonetheless" is like something from the Savage Love podcast--a man stuck in his own lens. Another short story, "War Dances", links fragments reflecting fear, grief, and love --the last few lines are the best--anger, tears and laughter--such economy. "Breaking and Entering" written in staccato--so much so that I could not remember the stories content after the first read, details blurred in the jumbled confusion, I had to read it again. I liked it more the first time around, before digesting the ugly details. "Salt"--beautiful story and out of the bunch feels the most whole. The collection reminds me, `if the guilt doesn't get you, the shame will'. And maybe that is as it should be. If you're already a Sherman Alexie reader, you'll probably enjoy this book. If you've never read his work, I would suggest you start with one of his other books, like The Toughest Indian in the World (short stories) or The Business of fancy dancing (poetry) and read War Dances after you've read all his other adult works.
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
_War Dances_ is a mixed bag of Alexie's short stories and poetry. There are gems and glimpses of the brilliance that one expects from Alexie: "Fearful Symmetry" about a writer's screenplay that sufferes a death of a thousand cuts as the producer, director and corporate pointy-heads transform art into schlocky, formulaic "entertainment" and "the poem "Another Proclimation" are the strongest pieces. But intermingled are stories and poems that feel as if Alexie phoned them in. The result is an uneven reading.
There is a rhythm to the collection as successive stories and poems are loosely related and connected to each other - a story about a traveling salesman's repeated connections with another traveler ("The Balland of Pual Nonetheless") preceeds the poem "On Airplanes"; the poem "The Theology of Reptiles," introduces the short story "Catechism", about the Coeur 'd Alene and their conversion to Catholcism (and the underlying issues of Native assimilation so common to Alexie's work.) This formula works as each piece is interrelated with the next, a way of preparing the palatte for the next course.
The themes common to Alexie - alienation, guilt, the struggle of identity and wrestling with one's personal (and historic) past are all here, and all have the semi-autobiograhical feel that is indicitive of his earlier work. Fans of Alexie will not be disappointed; he is a great writer. For those who aren't familiar with his work, my recommendation for a first read would be The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. There are nuggets of brilliance in this collection, but it was too uneven to warrant five stars.
There is a rhythm to the collection as successive stories and poems are loosely related and connected to each other - a story about a traveling salesman's repeated connections with another traveler ("The Balland of Pual Nonetheless") preceeds the poem "On Airplanes"; the poem "The Theology of Reptiles," introduces the short story "Catechism", about the Coeur 'd Alene and their conversion to Catholcism (and the underlying issues of Native assimilation so common to Alexie's work.) This formula works as each piece is interrelated with the next, a way of preparing the palatte for the next course.
The themes common to Alexie - alienation, guilt, the struggle of identity and wrestling with one's personal (and historic) past are all here, and all have the semi-autobiograhical feel that is indicitive of his earlier work. Fans of Alexie will not be disappointed; he is a great writer. For those who aren't familiar with his work, my recommendation for a first read would be The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. There are nuggets of brilliance in this collection, but it was too uneven to warrant five stars.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Kenso
Format:Paperback
On its own, this book is good; compared to the wide catalogue of Alexie, it is below average. I expected a lot from this book, but would suggest readers of the classic Alexie (00-05) to read with caution. For the fans of early Alexie (93-99), avoid this book.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Jym Cherry
Format:Hardcover
Sherman Alexie's War Dances is a collection of short stories and poems that may at first glance seem deceptively simple but have the capacity to catch you unaware of the ingrained depth.
The stories and poems included in War Dances are pretty easy reading and are amusing, especially the poems which precede and follow each story. The poems encapsulate little modern slices of life and serve to punctuate the theme of the story. War Dances is anchored by six stories of urban/suburban life, in the stories some characters are identified as Indians, some not. These characters are all just people going through similar searches as human beings and not Indian or Anglo. The best example would be the first short story Breaking and Entering which is a homeowners reaction to a thief breaking into his house while he's home and the ramifications of their encounter.
Some of the stories or poems may convince you to look at the world differently than you do (the aim of most art), Looking Glass is a poem about Chief Joseph of the Nez Pearce who's famous quote, "I will fight no more forever" which through the looking glass of history is taught as a victory over the Indians; but Looking Glass puts it into the Indian and perhaps correct connotation. The story, The Ballad of Paul Nonetheless, is a look at a marriage and infidelity and Alexie stays away from the usual clichés of this type of story, looking at it from all angles and advances some ideas that aren't usually voiced. That is the beauty of stories included in War Dances, is Alexie's ability to look at all sides of the situations the characters find themselves in and still deliver a pithy and entertaining story.... Read more ›
The stories and poems included in War Dances are pretty easy reading and are amusing, especially the poems which precede and follow each story. The poems encapsulate little modern slices of life and serve to punctuate the theme of the story. War Dances is anchored by six stories of urban/suburban life, in the stories some characters are identified as Indians, some not. These characters are all just people going through similar searches as human beings and not Indian or Anglo. The best example would be the first short story Breaking and Entering which is a homeowners reaction to a thief breaking into his house while he's home and the ramifications of their encounter.
Some of the stories or poems may convince you to look at the world differently than you do (the aim of most art), Looking Glass is a poem about Chief Joseph of the Nez Pearce who's famous quote, "I will fight no more forever" which through the looking glass of history is taught as a victory over the Indians; but Looking Glass puts it into the Indian and perhaps correct connotation. The story, The Ballad of Paul Nonetheless, is a look at a marriage and infidelity and Alexie stays away from the usual clichés of this type of story, looking at it from all angles and advances some ideas that aren't usually voiced. That is the beauty of stories included in War Dances, is Alexie's ability to look at all sides of the situations the characters find themselves in and still deliver a pithy and entertaining story.... Read more ›
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great writer !! One of a kind!
I'd seen Mr. Alexie on Ia Public Television. I liked what he was saying, it intrigued me to read his writing. I'll buy more. Read more
Published 19 hours ago by Barbara Bloom
1.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful book
This is a wonderful book. I love all of Alexie's books and this one did not let me down. I would highly recommend.
Published 22 days ago by Ronald F. Layer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not All Dance, but We All Have Wolves
It seems counter-intuitive to say you can read a book that time and again practically slaps you in the face with an undeniable demonstration of your own ignorance and still keeps... Read more
Published 2 months ago by jaromager34
5.0 out of 5 stars
Author-on-Author
"My father needed a real blanket, a good blanket."
How many times, how many hours I spent in ER with my neutropenic father shivering to death? Chills. Read more
How many times, how many hours I spent in ER with my neutropenic father shivering to death? Chills. Read more
Published 4 months ago by F.J. Nanic, Author of STREET WALTZING
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sherman Alexie is everyman
And every woman. He sees into what makes us think and feel and believe. What brings us life and what takes away life.
Published 4 months ago by sheila hutchison
5.0 out of 5 stars
Most Entertaining
Sherman Alexie is funny, deep, and brilliant. Love his work. Having gone to HIgh School on the Rez, and being close to the tribe and its members I relate to so much of what he... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Marcell Ammon
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sherman Alexi caused my sides to shake with laughter, then stopped...
Maybe I just enjoy writers who are offbeat because Sherman Alexi leaves me in stitches at times then shakes me back to reality. He is raw; his writing is like peeling an orange. Read more
Published 7 months ago by James Curtiss
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disingenous
Alexie has a facility with language, I'll give him that. However, other than a few exceptions, there was an air of disingenuousness about the writing in many of his pieces: He... Read more
Published 14 months ago by citygal
3.0 out of 5 stars
Deep
I know when I read this I felt there was something deeper involved. I know I thought about it for days, weeks after. Read more
Published 14 months ago by MandytheBookworm
5.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining
His book is funny, sad, political, different. Alexie has a very special talent and he gets your attention and keeps it there.
Published 16 months ago by Jeanbook
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