Indian Killer

Rating:
Summary: Second half lags
Review: The title INDIAN KILLER is a double entendre in that on the surface the novel is about a madman who is murdering white men in Seattle. On another level, the book is about a young Indian boy who is adopted by a white couple, effectively murdering his identity. Olivia and Daniel Smith try to do everything in their power to make sure that their son, John, learns about his heritage, doing research on Native American history and culture, having him baptized by a Jesuit Indian, taking him to powwows. But the adoption agency refuses to reveal his tribe, and John becomes increasingly alienated. When John is old enough for college, he refuses to go, opting instead for a job working on the last skyscraper in Seattle.
The beginning of the book is quite enjoyable as we meet a number of interesting characters: Marie, a radical student, who attends a class on Native American Literature to heckle the professor; her cousin Reggie, who had been expelled because he'd assaulted the same professor; Jack Wilson, a mystery writer who claimed to be an Indian (he's working on a novel about the Indian killer and he sees John as the human embodiment of Aristotle Little Hawk, his Indian protagonist). Almost everybody in the novel is either an Indian or a wannabe Indian.
The second half leaves a lot to be desired, as young white men take the murders out on homeless Indians, beating them with baseball bats. The Indians fight back, the whites retaliate. Seattle becomes a miniature Middle East. Alexie is also trying to have it both ways, lifting elements of the conventional mystery (The murderer is referred to as "the killer"; he could be just about anybody in the story) and also trying to make some kind of radical statement: the white man better watch out because the Indians are dancing. I enjoyed THE LONE RANGER AND TONTO FISTFIGHT IN HEAVEN, but this one needed a serious rewrite.

Rating:
Summary: Indian Killer or Killer Indian?
Review: This book is great, it may seem slightly lengthy before you start reading, but it moves very quickly. I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars because it is a little on the crass side for me, nevertheless it is extremely interesting and it will make you think. Sherman Alexie is an excellent writer, and I would recommend any of his books for mature readers.

Rating:
Summary: Indian Killer: A killer book
Review: This is a good book and i would recomend it to someone with a short atention span. This book will wrap you up and you will not wantto put it down. The auther did a very good job with introduceing new people into the story. this is a mystery that will will keep you guessing untill the end. it is about the murders of white men you are being scalped and left for dead. this sends the city of seattle into an uproar acussing every person with an idian backgrond of being the murderer.