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Flight

3.85 of 5 stars 3.85 · rating details · 6,124 ratings · 1,111 reviews

The best-selling author of multiple award-winning books returns with his first novel in ten years, a powerful, fast and timely story of a troubled foster teenager— a boy who is not a �legal” Indian because he was never claimed by his father— who learns the true meaning of terror. About to commit a devastating act, the young man finds himself shot back through time on a sho...more

Paperback, 208 pages

Published April 17th 2007 by Grove Press, Black Cat (first published March 1st 2007)

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Aug 19, 2007 Colin rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: youngadultlit, speculativefiction, fiction, history

Flight has a great narrative voice, and addresses important themes of revenge, violence, historical trauma and forgiveness. Alexie combines his poetic skill and humor adroitly to address these complex themes.

Yet the book was still rife with the major issues that turned me off from Alexie several years ago, that are part of why I think he remains so popular with white people in particular. He writes that all Indians are alcoholics again (including our narrarator), even going so far as to offer a...more Flight has a great narrative voice, and addresses important themes of revenge, violence, historical trauma and forgiveness. Alexie combines his poetic skill and humor adroitly to address these complex themes.

Yet the book was still rife with the major issues that turned me off from Alexie several years ago, that are part of why I think he remains so popular with white people in particular. He writes that all Indians are alcoholics again (including our narrarator), even going so far as to offer a pointed defense that it's not part of racism to do so, but rather the truth. (This, i would imagine, is in specific response to critiques about his perpetuation of this stereotype from Native scholars).

Also, literally every female character in this book is only discussed in terms of her sex appeal. While some may dismiss that in this book as the hormonal POV of a 15 year old male, (which Alexie does near the end) to me it is a continuation of a pattern that Alexie has shown for years. Women in all of his books are one dimensional sex objects or mothers. Nothing different here, and it really got on my nerves as I was reading.

There was also this glorification of white people throughout the book, and it really was unclear if that was part of the main character's internalized racism or because it sells more books for Alexie to talk about how great white people are. I think it's a combination of both.

The post-9-11-pandering, pointless subplot about the dangers of trusting resulting in inadvertently giving flight lessons to a Muslim terrorist who you thought was your best friend is too annoying to even go into. Ick.

The ending was way too neat and cheesy, with our main character finally learning to trust again after finding a happy adoptive home with a white cop, his firefighter brother, and their family. With a major theme of the book being this mixed Native kid trying to figure out what it means to be Native, this ending rings false. Also, his severe acne, which serves as a metaphor for his self-hatred and truama, gets cured. I love "disability as metaphorical tragedy."

In sum, I'm not Alexie's biggest fan. I still think this book is worth reading though. I like most books that involve time travel, and this book illuminates some complex political/emotional themes using that as the device, even with all its faults. (less)

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Sep 26, 2007 Thea rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone who likes crying in public places

I really liked this book a lot. It made me cry on the subway. This is the official review I wrote of it:

In Flight Sherman Alexie’s message is that everything is perspective, and it’s delivered in an original, moving, hilarious and intensely persuasive way.

Flight shocks its readers by presenting extremely sympathetic characters, who then do horrendous things. Zits, a half white, half Native 15 year-old orphan, has been abused and neglected most of his life. Moments after committing a shocking ac...more

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Mar 21, 2008 Emma rated it 4 of 5 stars

Published in 2007, "Flight" is one of Sherman Alexie's more recent novels. His critically acclaimed YA debut "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" came out a few months after "Flight's" publication. Together these novels illustrate how teen narrators can comfortably inhabit both adult and young adult novels. More about that later.

The book starts with a simple request from the narrator: "Call me Zits. Everybody calls me Zits." In other words, the narrator has no name. Given the struct...more Published in 2007, "Flight" is one of Sherman Alexie's more recent novels. His critically acclaimed YA debut "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" came out a few months after "Flight's" publication. Together these novels illustrate how teen narrators can comfortably inhabit both adult and young adult novels. More about that later.

The book starts with a simple request from the narrator: "Call me Zits. Everybody calls me Zits." In other words, the narrator has no name. Given the structure of the novel, this choice actually works. Throughout the story, Zits is rarely called by any kind of name that would be termed as his own. The opening line also tells readers everything they need to know about Zits. Specifically that this fifteen-year-old half-Irish, half-Indian kid doesn't think enough of himself to bother using his own name. Worse, Zits is pretty sure no one else thinks much better of him.

Orphaned at six and in foster care since he was ten, Zits has slipped through the cracks and is truly a lost soul. After an unceremonious exit from his twentieth foster home and his latest stint in the kid jail in Seattle's Central District, Zits starts to think that maybe he doesn't really need a family. Maybe what he needs is some kind of revenge.

But things don't go as planned. Instead of punishing the white people who are abstractly responsible for his present situation, Zits finds himself on a time-traveling, body-shifting quest for redemption and understanding.

Zits' first "stop" is inside the body of a white FBI agent during the civil rights era in Red River, Idaho. From there he moves to the Indian camp at the center of Custer's Last Stand, then a nineteenth century soldier, a modern pilot with his own variety of demons and, finally, Zits finds himself in a body more familiar than he'd like to admit.

As many other reviewers are quick to point out, "Flight" is Alexie's first novel in ten years. Unlike previous works, where characters and plots intersected (even in his short stories), this novel remains disjointed. It's the kind of book that could easily be seen as a grouping of short stories. Except that each segment follows Zits' spiritual evolution. For this reason, the novel is obviously much more character driven than plot driven. But Alexie makes it work.

I consider flight to be adult fiction. Zits is a teen, so it could be YA, but that fact is largely irrelevant to the main machinations of the novel--which is why it's an adult book but "True Diary" whose narrator is close to Zits' age is a YA book.

Finally, a word on the ending of the novel: It's optimistic. There is some talk that the ending is too up, that things come together a bit too easily. In terms of the plot that could be true although I'm more of a mind that the ending was already in the works from the beginning (the fact that "The wounded always recognize the wounded" and other events support me in this claim).

Some have claimed that the happy ending might be reason to suggest that "Flight" is a YA book because only a book written for teens would have such an abrupt ending. That's bogus. This is an adult book that teens can enjoy and the ending doesn't change that. After reading this novel it becomes clear that Zits has been through a lot. Way more than any fifteen-year-old should have to take. For Alexie to end the novel in any other way would have been a slap in the face both for Zits and the readers invested in his fate.

"Flight" is a really quick read (I finished it in a day) and entertaining throughout. The novel doesn't have the depth of character found in "Reservation Blues" or "True Diary" but the story remains different enough from Alexie's usual work to make "Flight" a refreshing departure nonetheless.
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Aug 11, 2012 Anna rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Harold Terezon, Eric Wat

Sherman Alexie's Flight was a quick read, a much sparser book than his first novel, Indian Killer. That earlier work was more dense, much darker. I actually appreciated that first novel very much -- it was an angry, despairing book that captured well the continuing struggles and tensions of a modern-day rez-Indian and its dark, unrelenting sensibility was disturbing yet poignant too.

At the LA Times Book Festival, I heard Alexie talk about Indian Killer which he says he hates. He felt it was so a...more Sherman Alexie's Flight was a quick read, a much sparser book than his first novel, Indian Killer. That earlier work was more dense, much darker. I actually appreciated that first novel very much -- it was an angry, despairing book that captured well the continuing struggles and tensions of a modern-day rez-Indian and its dark, unrelenting sensibility was disturbing yet poignant too.

At the LA Times Book Festival, I heard Alexie talk about Indian Killer which he says he hates. He felt it was so angry and basically was his reaction to all of the pressures and conflicting expectations for him to be a mouthpiece for "the Indian Experience." I actually think it was an engrossing novel, nevertheless.

Anyway, what it has to do with Flight is that Alexie's wife pointed out to him that this one was his Indian Killer rewrite. This one is about an Indian teenager foster kid -- unloved, unwanted, and unhinged -- who at a moment of sheer death and destruction in contemporary times, is plunged back into time to relive in different personas, seminal moments of sheer death and destruction in Indian history in America.

But this is a different novel. It's shorter, breezier almost. And has a redemptive ending. And tho' at first, I was wondering if perhaps Alexie had lost his touch with the too short chapters and the quick-cut jumping around of the character into different bodies and periods of time (making me compare it unfavorably at first to Octavia Butler's Kindred, a much more masterful time-jump-back novel dealng with the legacy of slavery in the South), there's a scene that he inserts about 3/4s through that is just KICK-ASS and completely turns the tales on their heads. It becomes a more intimate take on sins of the father and is ultimately about what Alexie described (in ironic, yet beneath, maybe quite sincere) "the kindness of strangers" and "forgiveness."

He said at the Festival that he could've written the darker ending -- did in fact write several -- but in the end "I just didn't want to put that shit out there." And in light of the fact that the novel was released in April 2007 -- around the time of the Virginia Tech incident -- Alexie said he felt well-satisfied with that decision, despite any critical knocks for doing so.

And I actually agree. I'm still mulling over that ending he chose. I almost feel like these days, the darker endings are becoming the trite ones. So in a way, a redemptive ending may be the weird, edgy twist, after all.

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Feb 15, 2008 Clint Jones rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: EVERYONE

I love this book!!! However, I must say, with a bit of sadness, that this is not Alexie's best book. Alexie is at his best when his prose is poetic, thought provoking,and humorous all at once. And, while this book certainly has its moments, it fails to substain the sentence-after-sentence, page-after-page trance that Alexie's writing is capable of producing. What I love about this book is how it has gotten my high school students, who would normally not even consider reading a book, to consume t...more

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Aug 08, 2007 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars

Told from the perspective of a very dislocated, long-suffering, smart-ass adolescent, Alexie's book initially--and at times throughout--can seem to echo as much as elaborate upon its narrator's sensibilities. Certain jokes fall flat on (almost-)forty-year-old ears, some insights (and the way they're revealed and described) can seem a tad hokey. And the plot can seem a bit ... well, after-schoolish -- this abused boy turns to violence, then--as a consequence?--begins flipping through time and per...more

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May 31, 2008 claire rated it 5 of 5 stars

I love Sherman Alexie's writing and have heard him speak on a radio program--what a loving, funny, open-hearted person. If you've ever read any of his short stories, you know how he can weave humor into seemingly dire situations. I can't wait to have a full week where I can read this new addition to his collection.

OK! I've read it and WOW. It only took me about 5 hours in total. Fast-paced and raw, this book was a roller-coater ride through not only history, but the life of the beloved "Zits"--...more

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Jul 09, 2011 Daniel rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2008

I am sad that "Flight" was my introduction to Sherman Alexie, because I did not care for it, and, given the widespread praise that he has received, I suspect that it does not represent his best work. Many things about this book did not work for me. The time-travel device is forced upon the story to serve Alexie's agenda, which in turn breezed through a few historical anecdotes that were themselves shallow. The revelations that Alexie produces in these episodes, though weighty, are not surprising...more

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Apr 14, 2012 gina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, fiction

I once was a social worker and I can tell you, Alexie delivers an accurate account in a short amount of time of the struggle of many of these kids, and why they do the things they do. I love where his mind goes. I love how he writes. The narrator did the BEST job on this book. I cannot say enough good things about Sherman Alexie. One of the best writers of our generation and I wished this was required reading for both foster parents and social workers. Aside from that, the social overview of whi...more

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May 24, 2008 Lindsay rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: militant pacifists, snapshots of AI history

Shelves: children-ya

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I'm still taking a little time to process this book. It was a super quick read--I read it in a day--but it certainly packs a punch. It's a story about Zits, an orphaned and awkward half-Indian kid covered in serious acne and dealing with some severe loneliness. He's passed from foster home to foster home and has been arrested so many times he knows the officers around Seattle by name. As he goes to commit a mass murder, he is suddenly transported into several points of the past, primarily violen...more I'm still taking a little time to process this book. It was a super quick read--I read it in a day--but it certainly packs a punch. It's a story about Zits, an orphaned and awkward half-Indian kid covered in serious acne and dealing with some severe loneliness. He's passed from foster home to foster home and has been arrested so many times he knows the officers around Seattle by name. As he goes to commit a mass murder, he is suddenly transported into several points of the past, primarily violent moments in American Indian history, where he experiences the pain and complexity of war (both literal and figurative).
I really enjoyed the several embodiments the character takes in the novel, and as with any good writing on war, Alexie effectively creates compassion for both the "good" and "bad" guys while blurring the line between "good" and "bad". He creates vivid settings for every scene no matter how quickly he bounces around time. I particularly enjoyed the exposition on how the Little Bighorn camp smelled...never really thought about the smells before. And as with The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian, I think he has a great talent for using an adolescent voice. I hope he might continue writing like this--this is a unique and underrepresented voice in young adult literature. However, this book might be a little intense for some teens.
What I can't quite figure out is whether the story is too simple. Even though I don't think I'm spoiling much (the jacket does read that "he is mightily transformed by all he has seen"), it's not much of a surprise that, when Zits finally returns to the present, he understands the error of his ways. The events he partakes in certainly would melt even the coldest of hearts (some scenes got me a little weepy), and even though I pretty much knew how it was going to ultimately end, the various experiences continued to captivate me throughout. But I still feel like something was missing...perhaps it was because I knew there was going to be a more or less "happy" ending. It felt more like a fable. Maybe this is a good thing? I haven't read a book like that in long time; plus it gives hope that a very lost kid might somehow find a way. Also, since there was so much time-travel packed into so few pages, we jump to the next story when I want to hear more about the previous one. In a way it kind of keeps in line with the fast-paced environment kids grow up with today and definitely falls into the helter-skelter life Zits has had to lead, but as a reader I wanted even more detail. Good thing I have more Alexie books to turn to.(less)

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Dec 06, 2008 liz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: literary

Okay, so this was my first time ever reading Alexie. I had been kind of hesitant, since he's The Indian Author, and it makes me feel bad for all the other Indian authors floating around out there (I imagine the publishers: "Well, we got The Indian Author, we don't need to worry about finding any other ones!"). So, I was pleasantly surprised that his writing is so good.

The way the story is set up reminds me of The Law of Love, in that there's a ton of switching back and forth between other lives...more

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Mar 04, 2008 Lindsay rated it 3 of 5 stars

Sherman Alexie's Flight is often beautiful and usually poignant. However, any novel written through the point of view of a 15-year-old boy can run the risk of annoying readers, especially if the character is written well (e.g., Holden Caulfield).

Alexie's narrator, a teenage orphan called "Zits," is written rather well. Losing his Indian father to homelessness and his Irish mother to cancer, chronic foster-child Zits is understandably angry. Like many angry teenage boys, "Zits" is vulnerable, b...more

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Sep 19, 2007 Liza rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

I’ve been meaning to read a book by Sherman Alexie for a while now, and after reading Flight, I now want to devour everything that Alexie has ever written or been associated with. Flight is the story of Zits, a teenage Native American orphan who repeatedly finds himself on the wrong side of the law. Upon meeting another lost teenager, Zits thinks he has discovered the outlet for his anger, but suddenly he is traveling through time to important eras of Native American history--both in the popular...more

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Jul 02, 2007 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Sherman Alexie lovers, pessiminsts

Shelves: booksofthepast

This is not the typical Sherman Alexie novel, but then, what is? Everything Alexi writes has its own spirit and moves through your mind by its own course. This book was different from all those that came before it, and I'm sure the next book will be different from this one.

"Flight" is the story of a young Native American boy who has been shunted through the foster care system in the Seattle area since the age of seven. Since then he has experienced no love or gentleness from the world and has co...more

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Jan 23, 2009 Dorothea rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: highschool English teachers looking for a relevant book for their students to read

Flight's language is simple and the story is compelling. Alexie addresses some of my favorite themes: identity, shame, betrayal, justice, revenge and redemption. This book would be an excellent read for high schoolers and I hope teachers will begin using it, SOON! (Although, the occasional f-word will cause a stink among the narrow-minded set.)

Part of me wants to say that Flight isn't Alexie's best work in a literary sense. His 1993 book, Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven, remains in my...more

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Jul 14, 2007 Amy marked it as to-read

Sherman Alexie is currently on book tour and is blogging: http://www.fallsapart.com/FlightBlog.htm

He'll be in Minneapolis in October at the MBA trade show. Haven't looked to see if the reading is open to the public.

S. Kirk Walsh - The New York Times
Mr. Alexie is no stranger to this brand of gutsy writing. With 17 volumes of fiction and poetry to his name, he has established an impressive literary reputation as a bold writer who goes straight for the aorta. He is in the business of making his re...more

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Mar 05, 2009 Emily rated it 5 of 5 stars

I wept the whole way through it. This book is marvelous. It bleeds empathy and compassion and is one of the most sincere, gut-real, open-eyed, forgiving, hopeful novels I've read this year so far. I love this book. The wit and charm of the teenage boy narrator kept me giggling and grinning, and the tone switches were so subtle and genuine and seamless that I would cry and laugh at the same times. Sometimes I would just cry. I am achingly pleased with Alexie and can't wait to pick up another of h...more

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Feb 01, 2009 Carrie rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Flight is a short, direct and unsubtle novel, but nonetheless a powerful one. It reads more like YA to me than like an adult novel , but that has more to do with my complete inability to understand what gets shelved where - why are some novels with teens considered adult books and some juvenile fiction (and then Alexie went and wrote a YA novel which won the National Book Award, so there you have it)?? Anyway, Flight tells the story of Zits, a young half Indian - half Irish young man whose mothe...more

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Jan 26, 2009 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who likes Sherman Alexie, anyone interested in Native Americans, anyone not afraid to weep.

Shelves: fiction, owned

I was feeling sad about the number of Sherman Alexie books I haven't read, so I made a bookstore run and picked this one up. Yesterday morning I grabbed it as we were getting in the car for a trip, and by the time we were home that afternoon I had finished it. In between I did a lot of crying, developed a major headache and a mild sense of nausea, all of which I'm blaming on this book. It was horrific, filled with rage and blame and fury, and yet somehow infused with hope.

It's the story of Zits...more

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Mar 11, 2013 Holly Kregel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Flight, by Sherman Alexie, is about Zits, a half Native American adolescent struggling to understand his place in the system; his father left, his mother died, and he's been juggled around failure foster homes and juvenile detention centers more times than are worth counting. When Zits finally finds a friend, it's a boy who calls himself "Justice," an equally angry boy willing to use Zits as a pawn to get back at society. Justice sends Zits on a mission to shoot up a bank, but he is interrupted....more Flight, by Sherman Alexie, is about Zits, a half Native American adolescent struggling to understand his place in the system; his father left, his mother died, and he's been juggled around failure foster homes and juvenile detention centers more times than are worth counting. When Zits finally finds a friend, it's a boy who calls himself "Justice," an equally angry boy willing to use Zits as a pawn to get back at society. Justice sends Zits on a mission to shoot up a bank, but he is interrupted. Zits is taken by time travel to various situations throughout history in which he is a part of situations where he has to deal with violence and hatred. Zits has to contemplate the "justice" he feels in killing those who he feels are responsible for his life's failures; as he lives vicariously throughout certain guys' moments in time, he begins to understand his walk-out father, the failure of his culture to respect others, and even himself.

This book wasn't an easy read for me because the time traveling threw me for a loop. Zits changed perspectives multiple times, and it's a learning process to understand who he has become and when/where he has been placed. Things usually didn't start to piece together until the end of the chapters. It was, however, incredibly engaging. The character of Zits is created very well; he seems like a real teenager with real adolescent problems involving his culture and his identity. I also liked how the author wrote the ending necessary for the book; it wasn't a half-done job for the readers' pleasure, which is something I despise in literature. It sort of reminds me of a book I read a couple of weeks ago, Gimme a Call, in that in both stories, a teenager has a time-travelesque experience that helps them deal with the present-time conflicts of identity formation.

This book has some vulgar language and graphic content, so I wouldn't offer Flight to a child much under the age of 13. The book is a pretty quick read and isn't particularly difficult, so I'd feel comfortable with recommending it to most any teenager ready for the content material. Teenagers who like multicultural literature, are struggling with their identities, or those who are fans of Sherman Alexie's other works may particularly take to a book like this. (less)

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Dec 17, 2012 Shonna Froebel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This short novel comes alive in this reading by Adam Beach. He does the voice of the main character, Zits, a native teen, with all the nuances and emotion that you'd expect from the character.
Alexie is of course an extremely talented writer and this book is a wonderful example. Zits grew up never knowing his father, with his mother dying of breast cancer when he was only 6. Since then he has had a difficult, unhappy life, going from foster home to foster home. His name is a nickname he has taken...more

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Dec 13, 2012 Andrea Hunziker rated it 5 of 5 stars

The book Flight is about an orphaned native American boy who is trying to figure out who he is and what his place in the world is. His entire life he was bounced from abusive home to abusive home never feeling wanted or being appreciated. He is in and out of juvenile hall and is always in trouble, when the book starts he is in a new foster home and he runs away; he then is put in juvy for the night and meets a boy named "Justice" Justice becomes his role model, a hero figure in his life. Zits ha...more The book Flight is about an orphaned native American boy who is trying to figure out who he is and what his place in the world is. His entire life he was bounced from abusive home to abusive home never feeling wanted or being appreciated. He is in and out of juvenile hall and is always in trouble, when the book starts he is in a new foster home and he runs away; he then is put in juvy for the night and meets a boy named "Justice" Justice becomes his role model, a hero figure in his life. Zits had never had anyone else to look up to. Eventually Zits and Justice reunite again and start living together on the streets. Although Zits is unaware of it Justice is grooming him to become a violent and out of control force. Abruptly the story shifts and Zits finds himself skipping between time periods and occupying a variety of other peoples bodies and living their lives. He experiences murder,loss, fear and hope. He comes to realize the beauty of human life, its fragility and its importance. He no longer wants to hurt people his fantasies of shooting and killing people are expelled. The last body he occupies turns out to be his father who had abandoned him as a new born and had left his mother who soon had died. He discovered that his father a drunken broken homeless Indian carried around a picture of his small son whom he had never met. After coming-to back in his own body Zits retreats from the crowded bank where he had planned to commit mass murder. Zits wandered around in fear searching for a cop he was acquaintances with; he found him in a cafe and turned himself in. he was hospitalized and put through therapy. Doctors decided he was not dangerous and released him into the custody of the police man Daves brother and his wife. The story ends with a positive tone and a renewed attitude from Zits to live a good and happy life in a positive and nurturing home. We find out at the very end that his name is Michael and this shows us how he is changing and his new approach to life. What stands out in my mind is the character transformation from the beginning to the end of the book. Zits goes from being this angry, hurt and dissociated young boy to a new and more optimistic person he sees and values life and doesnt let his difficult past rule his life anymore. I liked this book very much and would recommend it because it is gripping and interesting all the way through it doesnt leave you hanging at the end but alludes to new and bright future for Michael.(less)

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Oct 21, 2012 Sian Lile-Pastore rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

I really like the way Sherman Alexie writes, and I like his subject matter too - I haven't read a great deal of fiction which deals with the lives of Native Americans today - and am not sure how much is out there anyway.

other than this book, I have only read a short story by Alexie which I loved as well as the fantastic The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. I don't think Flight is as good as part-time Indian (which as just great) but it's still pretty powerful and I would really like...more

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Sep 06, 2012 Carter Watson rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book and I think that it is a great read for anyone interested in American Literature. It uses simple diction while asking huge, universal, and profound questions about morals and ethics. The pacing of the book is great and it's one that you'll really fly through if you're not careful. It deserves a closer reading however because there are many heavy weighted statements and questions throughout the book that deserve to be expanded upon. You really become emotionally attache...more

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Sep 06, 2012 Cooper rated it 4 of 5 stars

Every student of American literature SHOULD read this novel because of the rampant symbolism and metaphors, which in themselves, allow students to easily detect and interpret such symbols in the book such as the meaning behind the planes, or subtle things the author implants. In addition, I thought the quest to find an identity resonates with everyone at some point in their lives, as they struggle to determine their place in the world and whether they are meaningful. The moral dilemma Zits faces...more

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Sep 06, 2012 Kyle Chapman rated it 5 of 5 stars

Flight by Sherman Alexie should be read by every student of American History, because it confronts two issues that show themselves often in the course of American history. The first is the history of violence in America with regards to Native Americans. The book humanizes, in a way, the conflict between these two groups. It reminds us of the humanity of the people on both sides that committed atrocities against each other. But while doing so it makes us feel more poignantly the tragic nature of...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Andy Mac rated it 3 of 5 stars

The book Flight by Sherman Alexie was a simple read with a complicated plot. I enjoyed reading a few chapters every night because I was able to analyze the readings and take things one 'flashback' at a time. The book is based on a character name Zits, who is in hi mid-teens and is of native American decent. His father left him when he was younger, and his mother died to breast cancer when he was six years old. He was sent to many different foster homes where he was taken advantage of and never r...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Ryan Murray rated it 5 of 5 stars

I thought that this book was awesome. I loved the fact that it was very similar to Alexie's life. The book was very interesting and I was hooked on it once I started reading it. The constant action was awesome and I really liked that Michael was able to change his ways in the end. He ended up respecting others and not just doing what he thought was best at the time. He had a family who all loved him in the end and he was truly happy for once since his mother passed away. Alexie did a great job i...more

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Aug 09, 2012 Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had a strong emotional response to this book. A time traveling teen who calls himself Zits, inhabits bodies and minds of people engaged in violent, horrific situations. This took place in contemporary and historical America. There is a lot of blood boiling, revenge instigated action. Zits quickly leaves one event and is dropped into another, "unstuck in time." So it moves pretty quickly. With Zits inhabiting the minds and bodies of the participants, we got to tie together how the pain contribu...more

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Jul 25, 2012 Rachel Brown rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy, historical

Teenage half-Indian, half-Irish "Zits" has spent his life being bounced in and out of foster homes and juvenile detention. One day, in yet another holding cell, he meets an angelic revolutionary of a white boy who calls himself Justice, seduces Zits with talk of bringing back the Ghost Dance, and eventually sends him out alone to randomly shoot up a bank.

In a dreamlike sequence, Zits begins firing, is shot by a security guard, and finds himself in the body of a crooked FBI agent in 1975. And the...more

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About Sherman Alexie

Sherman J. Alexie, Jr., was born in October 1966. A Spokane/Coeur d'Alene Indian, he grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Wellpinit, WA, about 50 miles northwest of Spokane, WA. Alexie has published 18 books to date.
Alexie is an award-winning and prolific author and occasional comedian. Much of his writing draws on his experiences as a modern Native American. Sherman's best known works in...more

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Books by Sherman Alexie

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven

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Trivia About Flight

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Quotes from Flight

“What kind of life can you have in a house without books?” — 32 people liked it

“I learned how to stop crying.
I learned how to hide inside of myself.
I learned how to be somebody else.
I learned how to be cold and numb.” — 25 people liked it

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avg rating	preview: Flight Goodreads rating: 3.85 (6124 ratings)
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