Never judge a book by it's cover

I always judge a book by it's cover. So when I first got this book, I immediately started studying the front cover. The first thing I noticed was the it was a bestseller and that it had won an award. Then I noted that it was a novel, not a good sign and that the author's name was bigger then the title. This is something that I am not a fan of, I dislike when the author's name is in larger text then the actual title of the book. Speaking of the title, I think that there is some meaning behind the choice of title that Sherman Alexie choose. 'The Absolutely True' tells me that it is probably either a well researched book or at least based on the authors life. This gave me hope because the only thing that I dislike more then fiction is unrealistic fiction/sci-fi. 'A part-time Indian' intrigued me, especially since the images of a cowboy and Indian figurines are right next to the text. To me, this eluded to a struggle between stereotypes and real facts and possibly an internal struggle of the main character. Overall, I like the simplicity and the symbolism on the front cover.

Tribes

In the book Jr. lists out the tribes that he belongs to other then the Spokane Indian tribe. This reminded me of my obsession with Pocahontas. When I was little, i loved that Disney movie and I must have watched it hundreds of times. I recall wanting more then anything to have long black flowing hair just like Pocahontas. Eventually, I grew out of this phase when I realized that I was never going to start sprouting black hair but it still remains my favorite childhood movie. So when Jr. describes his tribes it inspired me to do the same; I am a part of the tribe of Highfills
And the tribe of teenage girls.
And the tribe of Iowans.
And the tribe of daughters.
And the tribe of political junkies.
And the tribe of people who love to color.
And the tribe of Nebraska fans.
And the tribe of Midwesterners.
And the tribe of Baristas.
And the tribe of lifeguards.

Reservations = Death Camps

'Indians were supposed to move onto reservations and die. We were supposed to disappear. But somehow or another, Indians have forgotten that reservations were meant to be death camps (p. 216-217).'

This quote was definitely an eye opener. Partially because i had never thought of the concept of death camps other then the ones used against Jewish people; partially because even after numerous years of history classes, this notion of 'death reservations' had never even been visited by my teachers. After my initial reaction, I did some brushing up on U.S. history that involved the relocation of Native Americans. Then it became clear to me that Jr. has it dead on when he describes the place he lives as an intended graveyard for all American Indians. The fact is, the reason that he lives on the Spokane Indian Reservation because his ancestors refused to let their culture die out.

Politically correct: American Indians v. Native Americans

I personally have always thought that the politically correct term for Indians is Native Americans. In recent years, it has been brought to my attention that some people believe that the proper reference is American Indians. So i set out to research this topic to find a solution to this cultural issue...



I found a very helpful website that cleared up my confusion. First of all, the label Indian should not be used since it is derived from Columbus' mistaken landing on North America. The most recent survey (1995) on preferences for racial and ethnic terminology from the Census Bureau Survey indicated that:
49% of Native people preferred being called American Indian, 37% preferred Native American, 3.6% preferred "some other term," and 5% had no preference. This pole shows tmage: hat even the people dont have one decisive preferred label. However, as Tom Arviso Jr. (publisher and editor of The Navajo Times), puts it, "I . . . would rather be known as, 'Tom Arviso Jr., a member of the Navajo tribe,' instead of 'Arviso, a Native American or American Indian.' This gives an authentic description of my heritage, rather than lumping me into a whole race of people." Therefore, American Indian and Native American are both socially acceptable terms if you aren't aware of the specific tribe that people are from but preference would be to acknowledged their individual heritage.
image: http://www.kitchenproject.com/history/JerkChicken/Columbus_and_Indians.jpg

The Native American book

When Jr. says, "There's always time to change your life," he doesn't even believe what he is saying. 'I almost gagged when I said that.' Why do you think he feels that 'you don't get to change your life, period' (p. 40)?
In my opinion, Jr. is really getting at the overall feeling of hopelessness that is felt on the rez. I think that the apparent lack of hope within his mother and father affects their children's view of the world; thus, forever crippling their future ambitions.

Valentine's Day

Over the weekend I saw the new movie Valentine's Day. It is a film that has a huge cast of big name actors such as, Julia Roberts, Ashton Kutcher, Patrick Dempsey, and Jessica Biel. The storyline follows these, and many other, characters as their romantic lives interwine on Valentine's Day. I thought it was a very well put together illustration of a range of different relationships. The movie showed older generations of couples celebrating Valentine's day and contrasted this with a look at young couples in love. I noticed that the director portrayed the older couple's love as strong because of the attention that is shown to loving even the flaws of their spouse. In contrast, the young high school couple's love is described as "..full of promise, full of hope, ignorant of reality." I have to admit, this is my favorite part of the movie. This quote made me laugh because it is so true and I see it every day as i walk through the hallways. In the end, the director does a good job of putting all of the story lines together to show the different stages of being in love.

Nip/Tuck

http://comunidad.canalfox.com/blogs/niptuck/NipTuck-FlatStan.jpg

I have been addicted to the show Nip/Tuck Ever ever since a friend of mine introduced me to it. It is a show about two plastic surgeons that have a practice together called Macnamara Troy Plastic Surgery. The episodes detail the interesting clients that come in to fix 'what they don't like about themselves.' The other aspect of the show involves the doctors personal lives and the drama that ensues. It has always been an addicting drama that kept you waiting until the next week to find out more. However now that it is in it's fifth and final season, the plot has simply gone too far. The shananigans that occur on recent episodes just aren't realistic.
For example, last night the doctors were plagued with the aftermath of changing a felon's face so he could not be recognized by having the FBI investigate them. This is all happening while the surgeons deal with the suicide of Troy's wife and Macnamara's lover. On top of all of this drama is the ending scene that is just over the top. In the end, a patient that steals someones identity to get a boob job gets caught in her lies and is found by the victim of identity theft. The woman murders the patient and the episode concludes with the surgical partners burying the dead body. Needless to say, the show has become a soap opera. *This show is for 'mature audiences only'

Game Change

I finally got the book Game Change after having to wait two weeks because it was in such high demand. I have just started this book but I love it so far and find it hard to put down. It is exciting for me that the entire prologue was set in Des Moines during the Caucuses. Currently, I am reading about the inside conventions of the Hillary Clinton campaign. The way the authors John Heilmann and Mark Halperin tell the tales of the 2008 campaign trail is similar to an adventure novel. They use 'fly on the wall' narrations that directly quotes shocking things the candidates say that would otherwise never be made public. I can't wait to read the rest of this book!