Sherman Alexie was born in 1966. He is a Spokane/Coeur d’Alene Indian and was raised on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Wellpinit, Washington State. His father was employed in truck-driving and logging and his mother was a social worker. Alexie was born hydrocephalic and required a brain operation when he was six months old. He was not expected to survive and, when he did, it was predicted that he would suffer from mental retardation. The prognosis proved to be wrong and Alexie graduated from high school with honours and attended Gonzaga University in Spokane on a scholarship, graduating in American Studies.

Due to his illness, Alexie spent a great deal of time indoors in the early years of his life, much of it devoted to read

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First published 16 March 2001

Citation: Forsyth, Susan. "Sherman Alexie". The Literary Encyclopedia. 16 March 2001.
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=73, accessed 21 November 2009.]