Flight, by Sherman Alexie

Once again Sherman Alexie has challenged me but ultimately delivered a profound reading experience.  The book addresses our foster care system in this country, contemporary and historical Native American/Indian issues, and the power of the individual to make decisions about their own life's journey. I read this as our world is being challenged by the conflict/genocides in Iraq/Syria and the Ukraine.  Flight offered a perspective for me to think about these events.

This is listed on NoveList as an adult/YA cross-over book.  I found the beginning of the book, as sometimes happens with Sherman Alexie's writing, a much too graphic/violent for my tastes.  I almost put the book down.  But, I'm glad I stuck with it.  Ultimately I think the book offers invaluable insights into violence and conflict.  Yes, it's very hard to read at times--but ultimately it helps us understand the causes of and actually offers a possible path to healing wounds and reducing  violence and conflict.

I'm not certain that I would use this as a book in a high school class, but it is certainly one I would want to have available in my classroom/school library.  It's also a book I would recommend to study groups who are trying to come to grips with violence, conflict, and the challenges of our foster care system.