An Almost Made Up Poem

“I’m a poet who can whine in meter,” is a great quote from writer Sherman Alexie. However in “Flight” Sherman Alexie’s whining seems more like a loud cry. Alexie is known for his essays, short stories, and novels centered around Native Americans and their cultural struggles. “Flight” centers around a 15-year-old Indian misfit, Zits, who bounces from foster home to foster home, displaced in society, just like his Native American ancestors. Zits finds a way to time travel into the body of various individuals, and in the process, he finds his own identity. “Flight” is worth the read, even though at times it seems a little contrived and sweet. Alexie writes beautiful prose and really knows how to bring a sense of humor to extremely dark situations. Check out “Flight” if you like Alexie’s essay “Superman and Me” and want to the same themes play out  in his coming-of-age novel.