Dix Indiens

by Madison Smartt Bell, Pierre Girard (Translator)

Lorsqu'un chauffard un jour le renverse, Devlin ne souffle mot de l'accident. Et quand une femme tombe sous une balle perdue lors d'une fusillade de rue, il se surprend à kidnapper le bébé de la victime. Pourquoi ? Lui-même l'ignore. Devlin est psychologue pour enfants et pratique le taekwondo. Pour échapper à son malaise existentiel, il se lance dans un projet aussi exaltant que désespéré : ouvrir un cours de taekwondo dans l'un des quartiers noirs les plus défavorisés de Baltimore. Les membres de deux gangs rivaux s'inscrivent bientôt - de jeunes vendeurs de crack à la gâchette facile, animés d'une violence aveugle que Devlin croit un moment être à lui seul capable d'éradiquer, grâce à la maîtrise de soi qu'enseignent les arts martiaux... Placé sous le double signe de la lucidité et de l'empathie, Dix Indiens confronte, au fil d'un fatal décompte, le monde blanc que corrode la dépression individuelle et le monde noir en proie au désarroi collectif.

Genres: Fiction

265 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Madison Smartt Bell is a critically acclaimed writer of more than a dozen novels and story collections, as well as numerous essays and reviews for publications such as Harper’s and the New York Times Book Review. His books have been finalists for both the National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award, among other honors. Bell has also taught at distinguished creative writing programs including the Iowa Writer’s Workshop, Johns Hopkins, and Goucher College. His work is notable for its sweeping historical and philosophical scope matched with a remarkable sensitivity to the individual voices of characters on the margins of society.

Reviews

[Edward · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a little ambivalent about white dudes writing in African American vernacular, but I think Bell pulled off this novel. On the other hand, as a white guy, who am I to judge? In any case, I enjoyed this book.

[Isidore · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine, gritty little novel exploring fundamental moral dilemmas. What is our responsibility to others? How do we understand the failures which are likely to result from trying to do what's right? Very timely for this Golden Age of Narcissism; I was moved by it.

A certain suspension of disbelief is necessary here and there: how many shrinks are Tae Kwon Do masters? Some of the peripheral characters are merely sketched in. On the other hand, the story is dramatic and exciting, and, as I've said, matters of importance are addressed––better a flawed novel of substance than yet another empty, well-made book intended solely to amuse upper middle class literati.

[Margaret Kidhardt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why is the book titled Ten Indians?

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to be mad at this book because it’s a white guy trying to write in a black voice which made me cringe at times. But, it ended up redeeming itself because it also exposes the failures of white saviorism. As a high school teacher, parts of this book really resonated with me.

[Jonathan Norton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Relentless, grim but great
https://discontinuednotes.com/2023/01...

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

The novel is well written, and is an interesting read, yet it was fairly difficult to accept the motivations and actions of the lead character.

The novel is presented mostly from Dr. Michael Devlin's point of view. He is married to Alice, a successful social work manager, father of a bright high-school senior, Michelle, and they all live compatibly in an affluent northern suburb of Baltimore. His psychiatric practice is thriving, and he is also an accomplished instructor of Tae Kwon Do. However, his life begins to unravel when he decides to open a new branch of the martial arts school in an inner-city Baltimore neighborhood near The Edgar Allen Poe Home.

The novel is presented mostly from Devlin's point of view, but several of the chapters are told by his Black Tae Kwon Do students, and in the vernacular of the ghetto. The Afro-American dialog did not seem very authentic or necessary. The novel seemed to hinge on Devlin's psychological troubles, and the addition of other points of view did nothing to clarify this conflict.

I don't think that Devlin's motives are effectively represented, and the results of his actions are disastrous. I suppose you could infer that initially he was acting to ameliorate the negative effects of gang violence, but his intrusion into the community only aggravates the situation, and with dire consequences to him and his family.

Overall, the book is fast-paced and moving, yet somewhat muddled because it's just too hard to believe that an upper-class psychologist would act in such an odd manner. His kidnapping/saving? of a black infant, and the savage fist-fight with a Camaro are two most perplexing examples of his strange behavior.

[Noelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

My husband had to read this book for a class and one day I picked it up and finished that day. It's about a teacher who tries to help his underprivileged students. Not bad but nothing I'd recommend for a book club.

[William · Rating 2 out of 5]

I dunno..sometimes I have problems with white authors telling fictional stories fron the urban Af-Am perspective..

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Madison Bell is one of our best writers I think

A nice collection of stories