Flight
by Sherman Alexie
Young Adult fiction
Available now in paperback
Review by Laurel Wong
A fascinating book about the choices we make, Flight is one of my all-time favorites. It follows the story of Zits, a foster child living in Seattle, as he runs away from his 21st foster home and is detained by Seattle police. While in his cell, he meets a boy named Justice and eventually they plan to take over a bank and kill everyone inside.
When Zits starts shooting, a security guard shoots back, killing him. When he wakes, he is in the body of an FBI agent living in Red River, Idaho during the 1970's. He then finds himself in the bodies of an American Indian child, and aging tracker, and a pilot.
When at last he is finally himself again, he's still at the bank--before the shooting. He must choose whether to obey Justice, whose motives (and real name) are unknown, or to walk away.
Flight is one of my favorites because it shows how much we shape our own lives, which stands the test of time and comes into play with everyone he inhabits. I recommend it to everyone.
1 comment:
I know this is late but I met Sherman Alexie at a Society of Children's Book Writer's and Illustrator's Conference this weekend (8/7 thru 8/10). He was a fabulous speaker... very inspirational amd down to earth, and so funny. He's rich now but grew up poor. His story called So down to earth! I loved him and while I haven't read this or any of his other books, I bought "Absolutely True Diary of a Part time Indian" and will read it soon!
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