The Joy of Reading
Later life as a Writer
What does this mean?
- Even in adversarial circumstances, reading can mean something
- Reading can save a life, metaphorically
- gives purpose
- Categorizies the world in "paragraphs"
- Potential as a reader and writer requires practice
- Even the experts were beginners once (start off simple)
- Visits reservation schools
- Books mean the world to the kids
- "Reading, I'd been taught, means questioning, sensing that what you read is unfinished until completed in the self. The first text is the soul. And the last."
Sherman Alexie
Finding Purpose
Superman Comic
- Wanted to help (pediatrician)
- Teaches in schools
- Persistence/repetition - heroic
Consequences in his Society
- Panels were visual, three dimensional paragraphs
- The pictures communicated what words try to say
- Taught him to read at an early age
- "A smart Indian is a dangerous Indian"
- As Indian children, they were expected to fail in the non-Indian world
- "I was trying to save my life"
Barriers
- Superman- breaks door in comic
- Paragraphs- "fence"
- Books- success
- Reservations- Clark Kent- door doesn't open
- He tries to save lives- hope
Exposure to Reading
About Alexie
The Paragraph
- Grew up on Spokane Indian reservation
- Father went to Catholic School
- One brother, three sisters
- A fence that held words
- The world is organized into forms of paragraphs
- First reading concept he understood
- Father bought books whenever he could
- His love of books rubbed off on Sherman
- Picked up books before he could read
- Read everything and anything he possibly could
CHASE JARVIS / GROVE ATLANTIC