What I've Stolen, What I've Earned

by Sherman Alexie

Poetry. Native American Studies. "One of the major lyric voices of our time" (NY Times Book Review), winner of the National Book Award, Alexie publishes his first new collection of poetry and short prose in six years.

Genres: Poetry, Native American, Short Stories, Fiction, Indigenous, Adult

156 pages, Paperback

First published November 12, 2013

About the author

Sherman Alexie is a Native American author, poet, and filmmaker known for his powerful portrayals of contemporary Indigenous life, often infused with wit, humor, and emotional depth. Drawing heavily on his experiences growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation, Alexie's work addresses complex themes such as identity, poverty, addiction, and the legacy of colonialism, all filtered through a distinctly Native perspective.
His breakout book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, is a semi-autobiographical young adult novel that won the 2007 National Book Award and remains widely acclaimed for its candid and humorous depiction of adolescence and cultural dislocation. Earlier, Alexie gained critical attention with The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, a collection of interconnected short stories that was adapted into the Sundance-winning film Smoke Signals (1998), for which he wrote the screenplay. He also authored the novels Reservation Blues, Indian Killer, and Flight, as well as numerous poetry collections including The Business of Fancydancing and Face.
Born with hydrocephalus, Alexie faced health and social challenges from an early age but demonstrated early academic talent and a deep love for reading. He left the reservation for high school and later studied at Washington State University, where a poetry course shifted his path toward literature. His mentor, poet Alex Kuo, introduced him to Native American writers, profoundly shaping his voice.
In 2018, Alexie faced multiple allegations of sexual harassment, which led to widespread fallout, including rescinded honors and changes in how his work is promoted in educational and literary institutions. He acknowledged causing harm but denied specific accusations. Despite the controversy, his influence on contemporary Native American literature remains significant.
Throughout his career, Alexie has received many awards, including the PEN/Faulkner Award for War Dances and an American Book Award for Reservation Blues. He has also been a prominent advocate for Native youth and a founding member of Longhouse Media, promoting Indigenous storytelling through film.
Whether through poetry, prose, or film, Alexie’s work continues to challenge stereotypes and elevate Native American voices in American culture.

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been sending people the link to "Sonnet Without Salmon" ever since it appeared in "Orion" magazine so I was surprised that was only my second favorite poem in this collection. My favorite one was the alphabet poem which deserves a place right up there with the poetic nonsense alphabets produced by Edward Lear, and I mean that as high praise indeed. Sherman Alexie is a genius.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sherman Alexie continues to amaze, surprise, and delight me with his poetry, whether he is following a form, twisting a form, creating a form, or abandoning form altogether.

I won't make a list of favorite poems from this collection because it would pretty much be the table of contents. :)

[Petter Nordal · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, Alexie shows so many sides of life that I think he's partially omniscient. His poems are insightful, beautiful and laugh-out-loud funny.

[High Plains Library District · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been a big fan of Sherman Alexie for decades. I think he is brilliant. What I’ve Stolen, What I’ve Earned is no exception. It is the winner of the National Book Award, and, of course, Alexie has won numerous awards for his writing. He is phenomenal at what he does. That being said, if you are an Alexie fan, then you will truly enjoy this. It is an evolved version of his poetry, different in style, but still very strongly written in his beautiful voice. As usual, his poetry doesn’t seem to have as much dry humor hidden between the lines as is often the case with his novels. They can be sad, annoying, revelatory, and non-committal, but they are all touching and thought provoking. If you read this collection, please pay special attention to “Blood In, Blood Out.” It is a personal favorite of mine.

Rosa

[Joshua Gage · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alexie once again shows his prowess as a poet in this collection. His range is wide, from prose poetry and experiments to traditional forms, and his imagery and tone are sharp as ever. Part of me wants him to branch out beyond his Indian/reservation life/etc. imagery and metaphors, but the other part of me demands that poets be the voice of the voiceless, and champions Alexie for continually bringing these voices to the reader's attention. A very solid book.

[Michael]

I read so little poetry that I'm hesitant to rate this. I did read it, and finished it, and enjoyed it. A bit too self-referential at times, a bit full of itself at others. Overall, though, left me with lots to think about, both at the micro level of language use and the macro level of Alexie's experiences. Glad I branched out.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

Provocative. Lyrical. I spent lots of time in the Sonnets with and without section. With a saxophone , without salmon, with snow....The last one especially--I hope to share it in the classroom. There is much to try to reconcile within it. I'm sure I could keep retreading in this book for a long time, but I have to return it to the library. I will seek out other volumes of poetry by Alexie.

[Rebecca Lartigue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this, especially his playing around with old forms. Honest and funny and surprising poems--confident, but not trying too hard.

[Eve · Rating 3 out of 5]

his short stories are much more to my taste... plus a lot of these felt too repetitive or nonsensical unfortunately

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always enjoy reading Sherman Alexie. You'd think a young white woman from the East Coast would have absolutely nothing in common with a middle-aged Native American man from the West Coast, but somehow I always find at least a few bits and pieces that really speak to me. And even the pieces that don't are just so beautifully written that I appreciate the lyrical, almost musical quality of the words in my head.

This collection had a particularly interesting format, with 4 sections divided by Alexie's own version of poetic form - sonnets, odes, etc. It also has his typical self-awareness, but to a completely new level; in one poem, he takes a lengthy tangent to explain why nobody will memorize this particular poem because nobody memorizes free verse, so he promises to end with a line or two that summarizes his point - and he does.

Among Alexie's usual mix of sacred and profane, I particularly enjoyed "Ode to Coffee, As Imagined by Wikipedia." So... race, education, lovers, fathers, alcoholism, philosophy, and coffee. As usual, Alexie mixes all of these things (and more) up and makes them fit. Amazing stuff.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it. This was my introduction to Alexie's poetry--indeed, to his writing--and I will definitely read more on the strength of this surprising, funnyi>, thought-provoking work. I kept it from the library far too long ( because I kept wanting to sit back and ponder what I'd read. Some of it is awfully deep, while a goodly portion seems (at least with the first run-through) to be light and...not carefree but imbued with a certain joy.

I am really glad that I picked this up.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful collection of poems. These poems are witty and hilarious and often caused me to laugh out loud and occasionally caused me to wince. They are unique. The author celebrates his Indian-ness, his maleness, his role as father and son and husband and neighbor and citizen. He did what poets do best, help us see things in the world that we may never have noticed. It’s brilliant and beautiful. I’m very glad I read it.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like that he's playing around with forms like sonnets and odes. I like the meta aspect of his writing, and that it focused a lot on fathers. It made me think of the end of Smoke Signals where Thomas recites "Do We Forgive Our Fathers" because a lot of content is about fathers. I love the idea of a feature film about Emily Dickinson and the tag line "Her Life Stood a Loaded Gun." I would see that flick!

[Jayde Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

I originally marked this book as currently reading, even though I have read it, because it's a book of poetry, and it's by Sherman Alexie, and that means I keep reading it over and over again. True to Alexie's other works, this book is a wonderful, amazing, beautiful, truth-telling mess - and that's a compliment. So clever. I wish I could write like Alexie.

[Gabbi Zurlo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of poems is a silent killer. It took me forever to read this and I thought I was trudging through it, but I have marked about 20 things to save. Alexie has won me over again. His verse has many references to his indigenous roots, of course, but they are so much more than that. They are human and honest and misleading and poignant. I want a copy of this for my shelves.

[celiathepoet at StoryGraph · Rating 4 out of 5]

The odes to rock songs are just charming. I've been a Sherman Alexie fan since the 90s when I lived in Washington and he was still a new author. This collection was almost too rich! Poems short and long.

[Wynne Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alexie's spirit, mind, images & skill as writer make his latest collection of poems (in pretty much every form imaginable, from haiku to free verse) more than worth the time. He's honest, clear,relentless, funny... highly recommended.

[Bitch With A Book · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a full year to get through this slim volume, and I feel like I still didn't spend enough time with the poems. Alexie is amazing as usual.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say? Sherman Alexie is a brilliant poet. I recommend this book to everyone.

[bumblethunderbeast · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read this in spurts. One that really stood out was Sonnet With Pride exploring juxtaposition of freed lions wandering the streets of Baghdad during the war.

[Carie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a fan of Alexie's writing. What I've Stolen and What I've Earned is no exception. Beautifully lyrical and thoughtful

[Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the books I bought in Seattle with our remit of buying a local book/author. Alexie is a Spokane/Coeur D'Alene Indian and a lot of his work is situated in the intersections between cultures, Indian and 'western'. His style is very colloquial and yet profound in its commentary. i was particularly struck by his 'Sonnet...Interrupted' series. Along with his style of prose sonnets. The interruptions are literally bracketed sections that act as a mediation and extended outside the 14 line poem. Alexie writes disarmingly natural poems, everyday despair and joy, basketball and iPads. This is not 'simple poetry though as his voice comes through, positioned as a maker, a speaker of universal truths, addressing the reader as a friend on a parallel journey.

[Simón · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't get one short poem out of my head. (I already returned the book to the library or I would quote it.) It's the one about earnestly grabbing everything you can to flee from a burning building and moving it into the house next door, which is also burning.
I'm always thinking about childhood. Passages from childhood to adulthood. Intergenerational trauma. Abuse cycles of denial, helplessness, action for the sake of activity.

The strongest work, I thought, was in the sonnets reconfigured as run-together numbered list, looking like a block of text. Each of them turned at the end like a sonnet. The entries followed conversational thoughts, like someone debating themself.

[Tara Schuhmacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s hard for me to read poetry because I like to read fast, to devour and move on. Teaching poetry is good for me, though, because I’ve learned that it takes slowing down to really have a chance at getting it.

That being said I still devoured this book, and probably missed a lot, but that is who I am.

There were some really great poems here. The stream of consciousness that pervaded was very intriguing.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of Alexie's poetry is moving, some of it uproariously funny, and some of it is just plain bad or silly. Fortunately no single poem is ever all three at once. Short stories remain his strong suit and lay his claim to literary accolade. At this point in his career at least, poetry seem more of a side-bar.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The sonnets knock me over. Also the plainspoken music throughout. And the one where we had to read through all the song titles just to get to the final tercet we need. I’ve only ever read Sherman Alexie’s prose and sometimes it feels like he’s “cheating” — that this is prose, too — but mostly who cares. I love how this rambles, how it confesses, how he loves.

[Nate · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are a few poems I liked here, but the vast majority feels like hacky bullshit poetry. You know you could write almost anything in an unusual format and package it in a poetry collection and it will feel a bit like it's meaningful. My review of this collection is that Sherman Alexie is a hack, I think.

[May-Ling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alexie gets it right in his bio when he states that he's a poet first and foremost. This collection is a gem. He's a master at writing devastating stories, clever approaches, and also making you laugh out loud. I had to go back and re-read several of these because they were so enjoyable. Free verse is not my favorite form, but Alexie has converted me!

[A. · Rating 1 out of 5]

This man, Sherman Alexie, sexually abuses women serially and I will never support his work.

Read the comments section: http://www.slj.com/2018/01/industry-n...

[Edmund Davis-Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read a lot of Sherman Alexie in the last few months. Good stuff.