By Sherman Alexie
In these nine (not 10) stories, Alexie's writing is wonderfully economical. In "Flight Patterns," when Alexie describes an Ethiopian cabdriver and a Spokane Indian businessman as "two dark men laughing at dark jokes," he perfectly sums them up. In another story a son recalls his mother as "fierce and protective, open and permissive...and a total embarrassment." Alexie, screenwriter of the 1998 film Smoke Signals, is a fine distiller of words whose Indian protagonists—they don't call themselves Native Americans—battle liberal goodwill, sentimental stereotyping and the offhand racism of the clueless while trying to feel both normal and individual. This is a stellar collection of full-hearted, energetic stories. (Grove Atlantic, $24)
BOTTOM LINE: Terrific tales
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