Sherman Alexie reflection

Sherman Alexie is probably the most likable man in Spokane County. Really, he has done what every writer who's ever picked up a pen only dreams about. Let me just say that I don't sympathize with Mr. Alexie and the stories from his book, The absolutely true story of a part-time Indian, rather, I embody those stories. I relate so heavily to his life that sometimes I feel as if I am walking in Mr. Alexie's skin. while I never had to deal with "water on the brain" like he did when he was an infant, I suffered from almost every other malady that he mentions. Sure, my seizures are a little less extreme and my vision wasn't properly tested until I was in high school, but that doesn't stop me from connecting deeply with his words. I grew up in Spokane and lived my whole life in the valley, only setting foot outside of the confines of these mountains for a family reunion or a funeral. I don't know why I'm telling you this. Maybe it's because I want to defend myself so when people look back and say "you're nothing like Sherman Alexie!" I can confidently say that I, in fact, am just like him. Of course, maybe that's just the mark of a successful writer. they make everyone feel what they feel and go "yeah, I am just like them" when in fact they know nothing about what it was like being in their favorite author's shoes. Or maybe this is something that only a few writers can do. Even more elite than "just the good ones". But either way, I connected with Sherman Alexie's work. I was the small, skinny kid who was constantly getting beat up. I had a big head. I had huge feet that seemed to walk into a room five minutes before I did. I know those feelings. But all of my life they have been negative experiences. It is often said that happiness destroys comedy, because nothing makes people laugh like a good tragedy. In a way, I feel like this is why I connect with Mr. Alexie, because we both took a look at our shitty life circumstances and made them into laughable stories so others would smile at us for once. I have often wondered if I could ever be a standup comedian because of my depressing life, but the truth of the matter is, I have no idea how to spin my stories to make them actually funny or relatable to people. But reading Sherman Alexie's book made me realize that being brutally honest about our lives is the exactly what makes those stories so funny. I connected with the humor that radiates through Mr. Alexie's book. That, and his godly description of fried chicken.