Tompkins County Public Library Community Read discussion

I love how Alexie takes on the persona of a white girl who admits to feeling empty inside but fails "to see why feeling that way should prevent me from trying not to feel that way." Good point! Now, 31 years after having sex with an Indian boy whose name she cannot remember, she sees herself in just about every woman in L.A.

This was the other that I read out loud. I found it interesting, getting into the main character's head and understanding her shame, and regrets. The theme of white people on reservations trying to fit in and be one of the Indians reoccurs throughout the book, but this was one of the most overt. The idea of white folks going in to help, but actually hurting, is an important conversation in today's "voluntourism" world. Do the brown folks need white help? What can white people do instead when they see people in need?