Most of the time, unless you live or grew up on an Indian reservation, you won't be able to get a glimpse of this life. However, Sherman Alexie gave the public the opportunity to see what life was like for people on reservations in his book The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. Set in the 1960s-1980s, the book allowed readers to understand many of the struggles Native Americans went through. The book, made up of short stories, also puts the audience on the same level as the storytellers and allows them to understand the state of mind and feelings of the main characters. The stories all took place in or around the Spokane Indian Reservation, outside of Spokane, Washington. . The main character of the stories changes regularly but all deal with many of the same characters. Much of the book centers on the characters Victor Joseph and Thomas Builds the Fire. Other members of the reserve are regularly mentioned such as Lester FallsApart and Norma Many Horses. The stories follow Victor and Thomas throughout their adult lives with many reflections of their pasts. The book covers many different topics, but some main points concern the effects of alcohol on Native Americans and their intense relationships dealing with both love and hate. In the very first story, Every Little Hurricane, Victor is woken up by his drunk uncles fighting downstairs at a party his parents are throwing. He leaves to find his parents and all the adults he meets are completely drunk. Once he finally finds his parents, they are both passed out on their bed and smelling of alcohol. In another story, The only traffic light on the reservation no longer flashes red, Victor and his friend Adrian are sitting outside when the high school star...... middle of paper...... his uncles hit each other. the other with such force that they must have been in love. Strangers would never want to hurt each other this much. It's something so true, but so unknown. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It helped me better understand what Native Americans felt and experienced just forty years ago. The book made a great way to share Indian life, through comedy but also with very serious notes. One of my favorite lines was in the introduction to the 20th anniversary edition of the book. Sherman reflects on writing the book and what he thought about its writing. He states that each character has black hair and calls them the "Stepford Indian Tribe". I thought that was such a funny phrase. I feel like I know more about the struggles of Native Americans today and what it was like growing up on the reservation..