Sherman Alexie is an award-winning author, poet, and filmmaker. His work primarily focuses on contemporary Native American identity.
Alexie was born on October 7, 1966 on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Washington, to Sherman Joseph Alexie and Lillian Agnes Cox. He is of Coeur d’Alene, Colville, Flathead, Spokane, and Caucasian descent. Alexie has spoken about how deeply his father's alcoholism affected him, and his work often explores the effects of alcoholism on reservation life. After seeing the way addiction robbed many of his friends and family members of their aspirations, Alexie made the choice to avoid alcohol.
In his early life, Alexie suffered from poor health. He was born...
