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You Don't Have to Say You Love Me
You Don't Have to Say You Love Me: A Memoir | Sherman Alexie
A searing, deeply moving memoir about family, love, and loss from the critically acclaimed, bestselling National Book Award winner. When his mother passed away at the age of 78, Sherman Alexie responded the only way he knew how: he wrote. The result is this stunning memoir. Featuring 78 poems, 78 essays and intimate family photographs, Alexie shares raw, angry, funny, profane, tender memories of a childhood few can imagine--growing up dirt-poor on an Indian reservation, one of four children raised by alcoholic parents. Throughout, a portrait emerges of his mother as a beautiful, mercurial, abusive, intelligent, complicated woman. YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY YOU LOVE ME is a powerful account of a complicated relationship, an unflinching and unforgettable remembrance.
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SamAnne
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Thanks for the tag @AmyK1 ! I might have tagged Educated too but thought I'dchoose another. I know Alexie has fallen from grace. But tagged book is such a powerful memoir, esp. the audio read by him. Hell yeah I vote. I‘m thankful for the beautiful October weather, my dog and that I‘m headed out this weekend to fish and hike along a beautiful wild river. Tagging the universe.

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Eggs
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“...living on an Indian reservation was like living inside an Edith Wharton novel-a place where good and bad manners were weaponized...”

63 likes3 stack adds
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BarbaraJean
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Panpan

For the first 100 pages or so, I thought this was a moving & powerful memoir (even though I found the poetry unnecessary & a bit lazy). As the book went on, Alexie relied more & more on repetition without really doing much that was new w/ the repeated passages. What was described as a “quilt” of a memoir felt more like a bundle of cloth scraps—it could be a gorgeous whole, with some craft & some editing—but as it is, it just didn‘t work for me. ⤵️

BarbaraJean Honestly, I don‘t think I would have finished this if it hadn‘t been my library‘s book club pick this month. I disliked it the more I read. And yet, it has some very important themes and it‘s a story that needs to be told. I just wish it hadn‘t been such a mess. I get that it‘s an exploration of grief, and the form reflects the rawness of working through loss and pain, but... it just didn‘t do what it was supposed to for me. 5y
41 likes1 comment
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BarbaraJean
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I thought my August TBR was going to be a little more under control than July was. But no. Here we have two chunksters for book clubs, three leftover from #MakeMeReadIt, two books for my poetry project, and four examples of my inability to control myself at the library.

Any thoughts on the tagged book? It‘s my library‘s book club pick, and I‘m conflicted after having seen the #MeToo accusations about Alexie.

Caroline2 Ohhhhh we need to talk about Kevin is sooooo good!!! 👍🏻 5y
BarbaraJean @Caroline2 Yes, it is!!!! It‘s a re-read for me—reading it with my book club and I‘m hoping it goes over well, given how harrowing the story is! 🤞🏼 5y
Lcsmcat ❤️ Calypso! 5y
RamsFan1963 I received a copy of We Need To Talk About Kevin as a birthday gag gift. They thought it was funny since that's my first name. 5y
56 likes4 comments
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a.bookish.byrd
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Pickpick

💔

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babyruth2510
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Mehso-so

I'm not sure what to say about this book. Part poetry part prose, Alexie works his way through stages of grief and coming to terms with who his mother was and how she shaped him. As the author himself says, he is an unreliable narrator but that both adds and detracts from the story at parts as he recounts stories of life on the Rez. I have enjoyed Alexie in the past, but this one was much harder to get into.

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SamAnne
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Pickpick

A combination of prose and poetry, an amazing memoir. Best book I‘ve read this year. I live on the Spokane Tribe‘s ancestral lands and work to restore salmon so it particularly hit home. I hope that there is some path towards appropriate reconciliation in the wake of the #metoo allegations and Alexie publishes again.

Christine Thanks for your thoughts on this one. I love reading about native communities, and this was highest on my TBR for years...until the scandal hit and I didn‘t know if I should/could read it. (Also, love your chicken!! We have 5 backyard hens that we love so much.) 5y
SamAnne @Christine I admit I bought it right before the allegations went public and then set it aside. Glad I decided to read it finally. And it puts an interesting lens on his step out of the spotlight. And glad you like Goldie! Hoping she is a pullet and not a cockeral! 5y
Christine OMG, yes, 🤞 re: pullet! We had six chicks this time around and had to get rid of one when he started doing some awkward juvenile crowing! 😂😭 Thankfully the feed store where we got them keeps a lot of adult birds and was happy to take him back (as they should have been - he was gorgeous! But forbidden in San Diego city limits). 5y
SamAnne @Christine I‘ve been taking my book or computer out to the coop to socialize them. Such a relaxing place to read as long as i don‘t get crapped on LOL. Based on the hackle feathers I think I have at least one roo. Just hoping my cutie-patootie polish cresteds are hens. Roos are also banned in Spokane but you only get busted if a neighbor complains. Hoping I have a lazy rise late crow late rooster LOL 5y
Christine Such a good idea to take a book out to the chickens (despite the ever-present poop risk! 😂)! I should do that. Jealous re: Polish crested! Have you raised those before? And yes, may any rooster you have be a quiet one! (Ours was being super obnoxious before 6 a.m., plus we live on a canyon, so I can only imagine how it was echoing! 😆) 5y
42 likes5 comments
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Lauren_reading
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Pickpick

An amazing book! The storytelling and poetry was so emotional on the audiobook. #nonfiction #audiobook

63 likes1 stack add
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SamAnne
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Listening to this heartbreaking memoir as I drive up the Columbia Gorge from Portland to Spokane. I often stop here, at what was Celilo Falls until it was destroyed by Dalles Dam in the 60s. Once one of he most important salmon fishing and gathering places for Northwest Tribes.

Crazeedi Beautiful, just beautiful ❣ 5y
BookNAround I had a geology professor in college who said all iterations of the word dam should be spelled with 4 letters. 5y
SamAnne @BookNAround HA! Any chance you went to Whitman College? I work with a professor emeritus there on efforts to remove the 4 lower Snake River dams in southeast WA. Sounds like something Bob Carson would say! 5y
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SamAnne @Crazeedi the Columbia is a beautiful river for sure, even with the dams. Wish I could have seen Celilo Falls. A good novel that captures the impact of the Dallea dam on Indian communities is 5y
BookNAround @SamAnne Nope. College of Wooster. Small liberal arts college. 5y
Hooked_on_books My husband was born in The Dalles and told me about that. What a sad thing. The pre-dam pictures are beautiful. I envy your drive. 5y
55 likes6 comments
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kindergartenkat
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I've almost got a BINGO! #nonfiction2019

jb72 Yay! You can do it. I‘m not sure where I am yet. I need to update my bingo card. 5y
kindergartenkat @jb72 ya, I just did a bunch of updating this weekend. 5y
AnneFindsJoy Yay, you are so close! 5y
7 likes3 comments
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BestDogDad
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Book: You Don‘t Have to Say You Love Me

Author: Ed Yong

Movie: The Year of the Yao 🏀

Food: Yogurt

#manicmonday. #letterY @JoScho

JoScho 💜💜💜 5y
8 likes1 comment
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MeikeReads
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Pickpick

Native American author Sherman Alexie writes about the tragic destiny of his mother and the hard life of his parents on the Spokane Indian rez in Washington. Everybody should read Alexie, #TommyOrange and #LouiseErdrich.

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DrSabrinaMoldenReads
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Pickpick

A book that I almost did not read is “the perfect book for me at the perfect time”, another mystery at work behind the scenes of my life. Sherman attributes many of his issues to being “Indian”. On that, he is wrong. We are from/in the same “tribe.” Sherman: “I am often lonely even in a room full of people that love me...I am not alone in this world”. Me: No, you are not alone and neither am I. Thank you. “This is who I am” and that‘s OK🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

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DrSabrinaMoldenReads
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I really wanted to finish my book tonight...just saying. I only have 61 pages left. I usually do not even count pages. Its not a novel but I am wondering how it will end. Guess I will have to wait and tell you a bit about it tomorrow. Its after 2 AM and I really want to get an early start. (I almost always say this but do not get up early enough). Night night...
“I used books for self-defense”-Sherman Alexie

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DrSabrinaMoldenReads
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This was a book that I was going to BAIL and not read. It seemed too sad although I love memoirs. However, I ended up thinking about it a lot today. Sherman called be back into his life and I am glad.

35 likes2 stack adds
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goodbyefrancie
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Relaxing, and hopefully finishing this one tonight. #SaturdayNight #PartyAnimal

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Chelsea.Poole
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Pickpick

Today is my boys‘ first shared birthday party! 🎁
Just finished this one. I liked it. Really liked it, but I feel guilty for even listening to it after the news about Alexie‘s behavior. Several women stepped forward, bravely, with #metoo stories about the author. It most definitely colored the way I read this memoir. I wouldn‘t have listened to it, but I had already been on hold for it for months and honestly forgot about it until it had arrived.

Lmstraubie Happy birthday to your boys! 6y
mrp27 Happy Birthday to your boys! 6y
Chelsea.Poole @Lmstraubie @mrp27 thank you both! We had a nice day. 😊 6y
102 likes1 stack add3 comments
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specificity
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Thos book contains so many ironic passages considering the author's #metoo allegation. Nonetheless I still appreciate his works.

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Nitpickyabouttrains
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Pickpick

I listened to the audiobook of this one and Sherman Alexie did the reading. Hearing his words in his own voice was great. His emotions came through in his reading. It felt personal.

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emilyhaldi
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I have 2 brackets this year- one with my friends where winner gets $1500... I‘m essentially in last place 😫 (but my husband is in second!🤞🏻) & my #marchmadnesschallenge book bracket. So seeing as I probably have no chance with the first one, I‘m reading to my hearts content in hopes of winning this one! I am currently working through this pile (2 completed) and another 13 holds at the library 🤣 help!
#Ishouldbesolucky
#marchintooz

cocomass Salvage the Bones is so excellent!! 6y
Sweettartlaura I‘m reading An Untamed State to sub for Hunger, too😊 🙌🏻Should finish that one up today. 6y
readherwriteher Beartown surprised me. I thought I was going to read a book about a dying small town who rallied around their junior hockey team. But this book is so much more than that. It made me cry. Okay, now about you: YOU CAN DO IT. Good luck! 6y
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Cinfhen #GOGIRL I‘m not sure what‘s better $1500 or @JenP bookish box of goodies 🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗 6y
emilyhaldi @cocomass oh man, sorry to disagree but I am about to write a scathing review of that one 😝 I can finally confirm once and for all that Ward‘s writing is NOT for me!! 6y
emilyhaldi @Cinfhen I can‘t say I disagree!!! 😄😄 6y
cocomass @emilyhaldi hahaha well she definitely has a very distinct style. Kudos for trying her more than once for confirmation 😂 6y
135 likes7 comments
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RebelReader
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Pickpick

I‘m glad I listened to this one because I‘m not sure I would have finished it in paper form. He does a good job telling the hard time native women have had on the reservation and illuminating our prejudices. I hated that he repeated some phrases over and over and over. I understand he was making a point, but it‘s irritating on audio. I don‘t think Sherman and I would be friends if we met. I don‘t feel very sympathetic towards him.

Tamra Did the sexual harassment story impact your listening experience? I was going to listen and then cancelled my library hold. 😐 6y
RebelReader @Tamra I think it might have a bit, because I kept questioning some of the things he was so sensitive about. 6y
Tamra @RebelReader I could definitely see how that would happen. 6y
100 likes3 comments
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OrangeMooseReads
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laurieluna I don't know what to make of it. Is he doing it because he's definitely guilty, or that any kind of accusation like this, even when not guilty can halt or destroy a career so he's just counting his chickens so to speak? 😕 6y
laurieluna Ah I see he has acknowledged the accusations. Why is every industry riddled with this sort of thing?! 😩 6y
OrangeMooseReads @miralunasbooknook because men have been taught that women are objects for their sexual gratification and that they have all the power. Women have been taught that men have the power and that we are objects for them, and also that we stay quiet and don‘t cause a fuss and if anything happens to you it was your fault. Thankfully this is starting to change. 6y
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laurieluna @OrangeMooseReads yep. I'm glad things are starting to change. Sad that it has taken this long and I don't think things are changing quick enough. I hate that men feel like they can do that. I feel like everytime a man harasses any woman, they are harassing the women in their own lives, because they're perpetuating the culture and signalling to others it is ok to do it, inevitably circling back to those women they hold dear. 6y
OrangeMooseReads @miralunasbooknook I agree, things feel like they are changing too slowly. I hope that any of these men if they have living mothers or sister got a slap to the head and a “you were raised better than that”. Along with a whole lot more. 6y
laurieluna @OrangeMooseReads I hope I'm raising my boys to have respect for all people. If I hear that they've harrassed anyone then I will come down on them like a tonne of bricks. I want them to be part of a better world. 6y
Tamra 😔 6y
31 likes8 comments
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JenP
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This book was randomly selected (from NPR best of 2017) to be on our #marchmadnesschallenge bracket.

Given all the recent allegations (and his “acknowledgement”), participants will be allowed to substitute reading/buying this book for any book of your choice. So you can pick it to advance but then read any book.

rachelm 👏🏼👏🏼 6y
Betty Alexie also declined the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction that he won for You Don't Have to Say You Love Me. 6y
JenP @Betty i know, I saw that this morning which reminded me to post the update on this book for the bracket. People can make up their own minds whether or not to read it but wanted to give people the option of opting out of this one 6y
sprainedbrain 👍🏻 6y
47 likes4 comments
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OrangeMooseReads
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JosieG
Mehso-so

I did not enjoy this reading experience as much as I anticipated I would. At the heart of it, Sherman Alexie is a great writer, and I learned a lot... about him and his family, about Spokane Indians and about myself. But the writing was fairly repetitive, and I found myself skipping whole chunks of the book to just get back to the main idea.

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SaraBeagle
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Pickpick

A memoir told partly through poetry, diary and essay forms. The violence, mental illness, substance abuse and poverty are heartbreaking. The chapters on race, culture, appropriation, and Trump are insightful. And it was really interesting to pick up on the inspirations for some of his fictional characters- honestly that was probably my favorite part. I really want to go back and re-read some of his work.

38 likes1 stack add
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TracyReadsBooks
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Pickpick

It‘s a Sherman Alexie book so of course it‘s a pick & I recommend it. And yet, this isn‘t a book to “like” as much as it is to read & be thrown into the tumultuous chaos of Alexie‘s grief, anger, love, hate, and, ultimately, limitless sadness over his mother‘s death. Reading this book isn‘t easy—Alexie‘s life as a child wasn‘t easy, his relationship with his mother wasn‘t easy—but there is no denying the power & emotion, good & bad, of his words.

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TracyReadsBooks
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I read this passage and thought there are always layers of meaning to the things we find. Some we know and understand and some, once an object is lost to time, we may never decipher.

Sherman Alexie‘s writing is, as always, powerful and emotional.

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TracyReadsBooks
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When you are reading and learn about the origins of a wonderful picture book in your library...

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TracyReadsBooks
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Going back to nonfiction since I don‘t want to follow In Other Lands with more fiction. (The family wants me to read Ready Player One but I feel very confident in saying if I try to read it now, I won‘t like it. So...) I love Sherman Alexie‘s writing. I‘m expecting a powerful—he actually had to cancel most of his book tour for it because it proved to be too difficult—and emotional book.

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Steph_EE
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Pickpick
5 likes1 stack add
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goodbyefrancie
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I bought a new toy for my fat Lola, and she loves it! She's having so much fun, it's distracting me from my book. Love my old kitty. #CatsofLitsy

shanebeth love it! 🦁❤️ 6y
TheBookKeepers Hehehe adorable!! 6y
bookwrm526 What a cutie!! 6y
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Leftcoastzen So glad she‘s having fun!😻 6y
Christine11 She‘s beautiful 😻😻 6y
OrangeMooseReads 😻 so cute 6y
99 likes1 stack add6 comments
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Lanney220
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Pickpick

I think I‘m a little obsessed with Sherman Alexie. This book is beautifully written. He is emotionally raw in some parts, hilarious in others. I never knew what life on an Indian reservation was like before reading this book. I am incorporating some of his poems and short stories into my senior course when we fall about race and identity. This is a must-read.

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Giannagm
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"We fall in love too easily...Or we fall in love with the same boy or girl who was tortured alongside us. We spend our lives with the person who has the same scars in the same places. We make love with the person whose open wounds snap into ours like LEGO pieces. And then, of course, we rage at our neediness...Does any of this sound like love?"

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Lanney220
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“... it was her touch that brought me back into the world. Her touch gave me back my body. Her touch reintroduced me to the corporeal. Her touch began the healing process.”

What a powerful statement about the importance of human kindness and non-sexual intimacy.

RaimeyGallant Nice quote. :) Welcome to Litsy! #LitsyWelcomeWagon Some of us put together Litsy tips to help new Littens navigate the site. It's the link in my bio on my page in case you're interested. :) 6y
Lanney220 Thanks! 6y
2 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Kwizgiver
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Pickpick

A touching, yet difficult memoir. There‘s poetry, prose, and song. It‘s pieced together as a quilt is. The audio is well done.

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Cinfhen
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Pickpick

This book was not perfect, it could have been shorter BUT that didn‘t stop me from fully appreciating and benefiting from Mr. Alexie‘s bravery,honesty, humor & pain. Sherman Alexie says it best “I am in pain. I am always in pain. But I always find my way to the story. And I always find my way home.” 🙌🏻💕 Emotionally draining, nobody can ever know what another human has endured. Thank you,mom & dad for filling my memories with love & warmth💘💘

Tamra So glad to read this was a pick for you! I have this audio in my queue, can‘t wait! Have you read listened to Diary of a Part-time Indian? I was a latecomer, but so glad I made it! 6y
Dragon Great review! Stacking! 6y
emilyhaldi Nice review. I am definitely intrigued! 6y
Cinfhen I read part time Indian @Tamra and thought it was very well done...thanks @Dragon @emilyhaldi hope you guys all get to this one soon... I'm curious to hear your thoughts💚 6y
Reviewsbylola I‘m nervous for this one. 6y
133 likes2 stack adds5 comments
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Cinfhen
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Yesterday I read a review by @britt_brooke about the Sherman Alexis memoir and while I‘m loving this book, Britt wasn‘t a fan. One of her legitimate gripes was the repetitiveness of the memoir. I came upon this “I repeat the same words, sentences, and paragraphs. That‘s what happens. Great pain is repetitive. Grief is repetitive. And, maybe, this repetition can become a chant inside a healing ceremony.” I believe this helps explain his process

BarbaraTheBibliophage Yes, I have experienced that with tremendous grief. I‘ve really got to get to this book in 2018. 6y
Cinfhen It‘s wonderful @BarbaraTheBibliophage really cathartic, honest, open, lyrical, funny, sad 6y
BarbaraTheBibliophage @Cinfhen I‘ll find a time for it. Definitely. 6y
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Reviewsbylola Interesting that he explained it. But I‘m typically bored by repetition. (edited) 6y
britt_brooke Oh, I know. I‘ve read his comments on it. I appreciate his grief and healing process, but it doesn‘t mean I have to like the book. I still don‘t like that style. Not gonna convince me. 😝 I‘m completely okay being the one weirdo that doesn‘t like it. 😉 6y
Cinfhen Definitely not a weirdo😘😘😘 @britt_brooke just in case you skimmed some pages and missed this😉 6y
TrishB That one is consigned to sad NF I won‘t be reading! 6y
emilyhaldi Very interesting. Makes sense in terms of dealing with grief, but I‘m not sure that means I would want to read it as an outsider 🤔 @britt_brooke 6y
britt_brooke @Reviewsbylola @emilyhaldi I‘m going to need you guys to read it just so we know if you‘re #teambritt or #teamcindy. 😝😉🙃 6y
emilyhaldi Lol @britt_brooke that‘s a fair challenge!! #stacked 😉 6y
Cinfhen I found it deeply moving but then I‘m an old lady and you three are little spring chicks 🐥 🐥 🐥 @britt_brooke @emilyhaldi @Reviewsbylola 6y
britt_brooke @emilyhaldi 😆👏🏻 6y
britt_brooke @Cinfhen Honestly, I think I‘m the only person who hasn‘t loved this book, so I won‘t be surprised if it stays that way. Also, you‘re not an old lady!! 6y
britt_brooke @Cinfhen PS. I‘m glad we can mess with each other in good fun. 💚 (edited) 6y
Mdargusch If I didn‘t have such a big TBR I would weigh in as another old lady @Cinfhen @emilyhaldi @Reviewsbylola and @britt_brooke 6y
teebe This has a wider context too: a lot of Indigenous cultures are oral cultures. Repetition is a necessary part of oral storytelling, otherwise stories are forgotten, and one of the things Alexie is known for is combining traditional storytelling with Western written forms. (edited) 6y
Cinfhen I didn't want to label you @Mdargusch but I was hoping you'd read this book and back me up!!! I'm pretty sure @Reviewsbylola will be a #HATER but I'm counting @emilyhaldi to throw some love my way 💖💖💖and I totally agree @britt_brooke I love to #AgreeToDisagree with you😘😘 6y
Cinfhen Very true @teebe 💗 6y
britt_brooke @Cinfhen 💚💚💚 6y
122 likes4 stack adds23 comments
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Cinfhen
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This memoir is fantastic! Painfully honest, with plenty of laugh out loud moments and equal amounts of free flowing tears. A very close friend from the States, dad passed away yesterday, however the burial will be in Israel today. I'm always glad to be able to support my friends & loved ones on this end of the world. How privileged I feel to be able to share in their grief and offer comfort in person. Our friend will sit shiva in my home today💔

Libby1 💔🕊 6y
Cathythoughts How lovely for your friends to have your support at this time. ❤️ 6y
Cinfhen Thank you @Libby1 makes me want to call my parents today and let them know I'm thinking of them 💕 6y
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Cinfhen Aww, thanks @Cathythoughts unfortunately since I've moved here I've gone to several funerals of friend's parents, actual friends and even a friend's child 💔 6y
batsy ❤️❤️ 6y
KarenUK Thinking of you and your friend, on this sad day 💔... 6y
CarolynM Hugs to you and your friend. 6y
Cinfhen Thanks so much @batsy @KarenUK @CarolynM I'll be sure to let my friend know that my lovely book friends send their condolences 💖 6y
Reggie I‘m sorry for your friend‘s loss @Cinfhen. 6y
Christine11 I‘m sorry for your friend 🙁 it‘s so nice of you to support her 💕 6y
rockpools Best wishes to you and your friend today ❤️ 6y
ElishaLovesBooks Sorry to hear this- BDE. 6y
mrozzz 😔💜 6y
emilyhaldi Sorry about your friend, but she is lucky to have you there!! ❤️ 6y
Kalalalatja I‘m sorry for your friend‘s loss 💔 6y
JacqMac How wonderful that she has you for support. 💕 6y
Mdargusch So sorry but I‘m so glad you can be with her. 💐 6y
Reviewsbylola That‘s great that your friend has someone to lean on. ❤️ 6y
ValerieAndBooks Condolences to your friend; I‘m sure she appreciates your support 💖 6y
minkyb That is so heartwarming. 6y
TrishB Sorry for your friend ❤️ it will be a relief to have you there. Cherish your parents 💕 6y
mrp27 💕💕 6y
Cinfhen Thanks so much for all your lovely words today...my friend was amazed by the kindness of Littens. He felt terrible that he arrived empty handed(no books, no Luna bars) but I told him, it‘s ok...he gets a free pass. @Reggie @Christine11 @RachelO @ElishaLovesBooks @mrozzz @emilyhaldi @Kalalalatja @JacqMac @Mdargusch @Reviewsbylola @ValerieAndBooks @minkyb @TrishB @mrp27 I‘m emotionally exhausted, don‘t know how he was able to function. (edited) 6y
Centique Big hugs to you and your friend from here 💕😥💕 6y
Cinfhen Thanks so much @Centique 6y
BarbaraTheBibliophage Love and hugs to you both. ❤️❤️ 6y
127 likes3 stack adds26 comments
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Tjackson
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Pickpick

5/52 -❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️! I have been a fan of his for over 15 years. Reading his memoir was wonderful. I believe it is powerful, painful, poignant, and many times it is profane. He is brutally honest about so many aspects of his life, yet he still has secrets that he hasn‘t shared. It makes me wonder what the secrets are, but like everyone we all have to keep certain secrets. He has persevered against so many odds. We are fortunate that he allows us in.

Tamra Anxious to read! 6y
Cinfhen Reading now! Amazing!!! He's such an elegant story teller 6y
20 likes2 comments
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Tjackson
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Only 30 more chapters and 50 more pages to go set up at this wonderful book to bed. The problem is I don‘t want to put it to bed because I look forward to reading it every day.

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britt_brooke
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Panpan

Writing about grief can‘t be easy ... but I really didn‘t like this book. Alexie uses incessant repetition as a device. This could‘ve easily been half the length. It‘s an awkward mix of stream-of-consciousness(esque) rambling and a lot of poetry, much of which is prose poetry, which turns out, I don‘t enjoy. I‘m a huge memoir fan, but stylistically this did not work for me at all. #unpopularopinion

Reviewsbylola This sounds like a book I would absolutely hate. You mentioned two of my major dislikes: repetition and stream in consciousness. 6y
britt_brooke @Reviewsbylola And to top it off, I found myself just not liking him, which sounds awful of me. I also thought the poetry was terrible (but I‘m no poetry expert). I don‘t understand all the praise for this book. 6y
OrangeMooseReads Hmmm I have this one on Kindle. I love Alexie‘s other work. He does have a repetition use in his fiction as well. I think I‘ll just bump this one back for now. Thanks for the review. 6y
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Owlizabeth I loved this one, but I listened to it, which may have made the difference. 6y
britt_brooke @OrangeMooseReads I‘ve only read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian and I loved it. It was in my top 17 of 2017. This was just not my cup of tea. It generally has very good ratings, though. 6y
britt_brooke @Owlizabeth Audio may be the way to go with this one. 6y
GatheringBooks aww.. sorry to hear that. 6y
britt_brooke @GatheringBooks They can‘t all be winners. 😉 6y
Cinfhen And I'm LOVING this book ~ I'm enjoying his no holds, in your face honesty. The poetry in free verse is working for me as I appreciate his creativity and craft through another medium. This will probably be a 5 star read for me!!! 6y
Cinfhen Don't brush it off to quick @Reviewsbylola @OrangeMooseReads I'm finding it to be poignant and entertaining (edited) 6y
britt_brooke @Cinfhen Glad you‘re enjoying it. I couldn‘t wait to be finished and move on. #agreetodisagree 6y
Cinfhen We get this a lot 😘 6y
britt_brooke @Cinfhen I know! 😆😘 But we‘ll always have The Heart‘s Invisible Furies. 💚 6y
Cinfhen ☺️☺️☺️ 6y
114 likes14 comments
review
Nonaroo
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Pickpick

This was my last book of 2017. I loved it. Sherman Alexie is honest and raw in his grief. He writes about his life as a kid on the Spokane reservation, some stories of his youth can be found in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. This memoir isn‘t just about Sherman but about the loss of his mother and the complicated grief he feels. Lillian Alexie could be difficult and the relationship between mother and son was hard at times. 👇🏻

Nonaroo I appreciate how honest he is about how his grief is as complicated as their relationship. Rather than place his mother on a pedestal after death, he‘s open about how he still has to forgive her. I also loved how he wove his poetry within the memoir. (edited) 6y
Cinfhen Great review!!! I'm really enjoying this book 6y
21 likes2 comments
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Tjackson
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Page after page & paragraph after paragraph, Sherman tells his story which is beautifully written. He is brutally honest & there are many heartbreaking parts of His story, but he addresses topics that everyone can relate to and shows a level of intelligence and persistence that clearly indicate that he is a highly gifted individual, in my opinion. BTW, I have been identifying giftedness & serving gifted children for over 20 years. ❤️❤️❤️ Sherman!

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britt_brooke
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So many poems about, or referencing, salmon. So many. You guys know I‘m a huge memoir fan, but I‘m not digging this one at all.

jhod Such a thing as too much salmon! 😂🐟🐟🐟 6y
Notafraidofwords The salmon is overload but I feel like it worked. I can see how that might not be the case for everyone. 6y
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britt_brooke @Notafraidofwords I‘m just really not feeling the combination of stories and poetry either. I know I‘m in the minority, but I‘m just not a fan of this book. 6y
Notafraidofwords @britt_brooke the structure is set up in that way. I mean I felt like it worked but I can see how that is hard to connect to. Because I didn‘t connect to all the poetry. 6y
britt_brooke @Notafraidofwords Yes, I knew that was the style going in, but I thought I might enjoy it. 6y
blithebuoyant Imagine someone reading that to you but every time they say salmon, they pronounce the L. That's what talking to my dad is like. 😂 6y
109 likes1 stack add8 comments
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Tjackson
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Woooohooooo Chapter 100....only 80 more chapters to go!!! It is a very engaging book, not to mention informative. I have always been his fan and will always be his fan.

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Tjackson
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I couldn‘t wait to get home from work to eat and read. I had no idea that this was the next chapter 😋😋😋. Oh, how I miss my holiday vacation.

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bio_chem06
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I have been sitting on this book for months, just waiting to ring in the new year with what I know will be an amazing read. So excited!

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suvata
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Mehso-so

I know. I know that I am in the minority here. I found the tone of this book to be angry and depressing. I picked it after seeing so many rave reviews. Unfortunately, it just wasn‘t something that I needed to read over this joyous holiday season. The book‘s tenor and the way I‘m feeling right now are diametrically opposed. Wrong time/Wrong book. Don‘t hate me because I want happy books!

Tamra 👍🏾 no judgement on Litsy! (edited) 6y
suvata @Tamra And that‘s why I love y‘all so much. Litsy is my safe-haven! 6y
AshleyHoss820 Not every book is going to fit every person! Just like I love high heels but I look like Bambi learning to walk on ice in them...😂 No judgement here! 😊 (edited) 6y
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britt_brooke I‘m reading this now and I‘m with you. I think “so-so” is generous. I‘m about halfway and have considered bailing, but I‘m sure I‘ll stick it out. 6y
suvata @britt_brooke Glad to know it wasn‘t just me LOL 6y
britt_brooke @suvata I think we‘re the only two! 👯‍♀️😆 6y
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review
auntie_jenn
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Pickpick

WOW. i think the only way to truly experience this beautiful memoir is on audio. read by the author, it is a mixture of stories, spoken-word poetry, and native american chanting, so the audio gives you the full experience...including several times when he breaks down while narrating. All. The. Feels. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

HeatherBookNerd I‘m totally needing to listen to this one next year. 6y
britt_brooke I bought this ebook on a deal the other day, but I may go the audio route. 6y
26 likes1 stack add2 comments