Growing up
Born on October 7th, 1966 in Wellpinit, Washington, Alexie had a abnormally shaped head. This disease was called hydrocephalus, which is a disorder where a abnormally large amount of fluid is in the brain. His chances of survival were slim though he defeated all odds. At only six months, Alexie underwent brain surgery to fix the problem. His survival was secured at this point but the procedure of removing the excess liquid is know to cause severe mental retardation. Alexie escaped lucky once again being free from any mental problems but he did gain many side effects after the surgery. Up until he was seven Alexie, had bed wettings and seizures. These were only controlled by the usage of strong drugs. Right when he was born, Alexie already faced many troubles.
Even after the surgery Alexie had some "comebacks". By the age of three he already knew how to read. And by the age of five, Alexie already read "The Grapes of Wrath". Growing up, peers ostracized him for his intelligence. People called him "The Globe" because his head was so big. But even for his intelligence, he felt like he had no future. People called him a apple because he was red on the outside but white on the inside, a insult meaning that he is not conforming to the Indian norms. Alexie cared about his education and was one of the first Indians to leave the reservation to gain a greater education*. So, Alexie switched high schools to Reardan High School in Reardan and ened up being a fantastic scholar. Not only did he excel in the academics, he was also a star in basketball and a leader in many different clubs. After all of Alexie's strong work and dedication, he secured a scholarship to Gonzaga University in Spokane. Here is where some twisted roads happens in his pathway. Alexie originally wanted to go to the medical program but that was too much for him to handle. From that moment forward, Alexie struggled to choose what to study. This led to his drinking problem for six years. Upset with his choices, he returned to school attending Washington State University where he found his love for writing. *Alexie's biggest push to transfer high schools is when he got assigned a textbook with his mother's name when she was in high school. |
“I grabbed my book and opened it up. I wanted to smell it. Heck, I wanted to kiss it. Yes, kiss it. That's right, I am a book kisser. Maybe that's kind of perverted or maybe it's just romantic and highly intelligent.” |