Flight... again :)

Alexie, Sherman. Flight. Black Cat: New York. 2007

Okay, I jumped on the Sherman Alexie bandwagon. At first I was going to read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, but after last week’s rave review of Flight, I decided to read that instead. This novel very much reminds me of Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five, although it’s definitely more accessible to a middle school audience. Flight follows the story of a young man who called Zits. He is a foster child of Native American and Irish descent, and constantly discusses the plights associated with his complicated background. His father left him and his mother when Zits was a baby, and his mother died later. The young man frequently gets himself in trouble, but it is clear his struggles are strongly associated with his identity crisis.

Although I think this is a very well written and teachable novel, I don’t know if I would actually teach it in the classroom because there violence, swearing, and sex. However, I suppose if I sent home a permission slip, then it could be taught in an 8th grade classroom. The themes are incredibly relevant to middle school, particularly identity confusion and learning not to judge others. I think many students would enjoy reading this novel and it could spark many interesting discussions.