Postponed until 2014

Due to scheduling conflicts, the AIS book club will be postponed until 2014, have a wonderful rest of 2013!

The Hiawatha by David Treuer

The next book club meeting is Tuesday, September 24th. We'll be discussing The Hiawatha by David Treuer from 6-8pm at the AISCC. 

A brief overview from Amazon:

Recently widowed, and encouraged by government relocation schemes to move Native Americans off their reservations, Betty takes her four young children from their Ojibwe roots to make a new life in Minneapolis. Her younger son Lester finds romance on the soon-to-be-demolished train, The Hiawatha, while his older brother Simon takes a dangerous job scaling skyscrapers. Their fates collide, and result in a tale of crime, punishment, and redemption.

An elegy to the American dream, and to the sometimes tragic experience of the Native Americans who helped to build it, The Hiawatha is a powerful novel that confirms David Treuer's status as a young writer of rare talent. 

Join us, all are welcome! 

Book Club Tomorrow, September 10th!

-Mary Wise

Indian Nations of Wisconsin

It's a new school year which can only mean...lots of new books to read!

Our first book of the Year will be the new Indian Nations of Wisconsin by Patty Loew. Our discussion will be on Tuesday, September 10th from 6-8pm at the AISCC (215 North Brooks Street).

During this meeting, we will work on planning the next as well. Interested in the next books we'll be focusing on...

September: Wisconsin Native American Heritage
o Indian Nations of Wisconsin by Patty Loew (Tuesday, September 10th)
o Hiawatha by David Treuer (Tuesday, September 24th)

October: Trickster Tales
o Trickster by Matt Dembicki (Tuesday, October 8th)
o Griever: An American Monkey King in China by Gerald Vizenor (Tuesday, October 22nd)

November: Native American Heritage Month
o Facing East from Indian Country by Daniel Richter (Tuesday November 5th)
o House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Mamady (Tuesday, November 19th)

December: Family
o A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris (Tuesday, December 3rd)
o Last Standing Woman by Winnona LaDuke (Tuesday, December 17th)

Questions? Comments? Would you like a copy of the fall semester reading list? Do you have a recommendation for the spring semester? Simply email Mary Wise at: aisp@library.wisc.edu

Have a wonderful day and happy reading!

April 26th, 2013, 6:00-8:00pm

Join us April 26th, 6:00-8:00pm, at the AISCC on 215 North Brooks Street to discuss To Show What an Indian Can Do: Sports at Native American Boarding Schools by John Bloom (University of Minnesota Press 2000). Even if you haven't finished the book, you're welcome to join!

Book info:

To Show What an Indian Can Do explores the history of sports programs at these institutions and, drawing on the recollections of former students, describes the importance of competitive sports in their lives. Author John Bloom focuses on the male and female students who did not typically go on to greater athletic glory but who found in sports something otherwise denied them by the boarding school program: a sense of community, accomplishment, and dignity.

The Carlisle Indian School and the Haskell Institute in Kansas were among the many
federally operated boarding schools enacting the U.S. government's education policy
toward Native Americans from the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century,
one designed to remove children from familiar surroundings and impose
mainstream American culture on them.

Next Meeting

The Meetings page has now been updated to reflect the next book club meeting of Thursday, April 4th from 5-7 pm. The books being discussed will be:

• Two Old Women by Velma Wallis
• Everything you know about Indians is Wrong! by Paul Chaat Smith

You're welcome to come if you've read all, part, or even just some of the titles above :)

Happy Spring Break!

Discussion Questions

We welcome questions from all participants at the book club, here are some questions that may spark our Friday discussion or simply get us started...

Overall Questions:

Through Blasphemy, we have examined a handful of "quintessential" Alexie works. What do you think his overall themes and/or arguments are? What are his main messages? 

Were you offended at any point while reading? What are your reactions to Blasphemy?

How does this book choice add or detract from discussing aspects of American Indian culture? 

Story-specific Questions:

Because My Father Always Said He Was the Only Indian Who Saw Jimi Hendrix Play “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Woodstock

• One possible theme in this work is that of "war", both physical and cultural war. As a reader, what is your reaction to this theme of "war"?
• This is arguably one of Alexie's most popular works. Why do you think it is so popular? 

The Toughest Indian in the World

• One possible motivation Alexie had for this work was to deconstruct Indian standards for males. Do you agree? Why or why not? What other motivations may have Alexie had within this text?
• Some of the more graphic or intimate details in this story may disturb readers. How does this story build an understanding of love and human need while providing the opportunity for readers to move beyond their own cultural contraints? 

Do You Know Where I Am?

• Does David believe that his ethnicity is a help or hindrance? How do you know? 
• How does Sharon feel about her ethnicity? 
• What are the various methods for coping with feelings of anger, powerlessness, and disenfranchisement used by Sharon or David in this story? Do you identify with these strategies?

Indian Education

• What overall impression does Alexie create of life on the reservation? What examples do you have to support your thoughts?
• The title refers to more than just formal schooling. What are some of the other implications of "Indian Education"?

Faith

• How did you react to the ending of the story? There is ambiguity of whether or not the narrator will engage in an affair, what do you think will happen? 
• Why do you think it was necessary for "flirty teacher" to work with Indian kids? 

Search Engine

• How do you feel about the dialogue between Corliss and Harlan? What do you find interesting? Why?
• Is "making fun" specific to American Indian culture? Why or why not? 
• What is the meaning of the title "Search Engine"?

War Dances

• What is a "War Dance"?
• Consider the following quotation from “War Dances”:
• "I want to feel reassured, but I had a brain tumor. How does one feel any optimism about being diagnosed with a brain tumor? Even if that brain tumor is neither cancerous nor interested in crushing one’s brain? (54-55).
• Now, cast aside the possibility that Alexie used the above questions for persuasive effect, and imagine that he expects his reader—you—to reply. How would you reply?

The Approximate Size of My Favorite Tumor

• This is perhaps the most humorous of the stories selected to read from Blasphemy. How do you feel about Alexie’s use of humor in this story? 
• Do you think Alexie uses humor to ameliorate devastating situations, like terminal illness or do you think he makes light of a serious situation? Does his use of humor make situations like poverty and despondency bearable or unbearable? 
• The last exchange between Jimmy and Norma is partcularly poignant. What do you think of Norma's statement that she returned because the man she was living with got too serious and that "maybe because making fry break and helping people die are the two last things Indians are good at." What does Norma mean by this? What is Alexie saying?

Please feel free to comment on this post with additional questions you would like raised or comments you have. We look forward to seeing you on Friday!