Sherman Alexie

Sherman Alexie won the 2007 National Book Award for young people’s literature with his acclaimed novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. The novel was inspired by the problems, struggles, and occasional triumphs he experienced as a teenager. Alexie had a long career before writing a YA novel. He has been a poet, a short story writer, a novelist, a screenwriter, a comedian, and a musician. No matter what medium he works in, Alexie attracts fans that love exploring the gorgeous, lonely, magical, and terrifying worlds he creates. This enthralling narrative gives teen readers an intimate portrait of Alexie, from his birth, when he was diagnosed with hydrocephalus, and youth on the Spokane Indian Reservation to his establishment as a rising star in American literature. Among his acclaimed books are Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, Reservation Blues, and Indian Killer, and his screenplay Smoke Signals. He also wrote and directed the film The Business of Fancydancing. He won the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction in 2010 with War Dances, a collection of short stories interspersed with poems. Also included are fact sheets on Alexie and his writing, critical reviews of his works, and a timeline.