George and Lewis become friends mainly due to their shared love of music - especially the Beatles and Paul McCartney & Wings. It starts in chapter two - where George is d. George calls him "Shoe Box" and then eventually "Shoe" because he jokes that Lewis grew up in a shoe box. Should be required reading in all schools in the US. An enrolled Onondaga, he was born and raised at the Tuscarora Indian Nation, just outside Niagara Falls, New York. 19 Total Resources 9 Awards View Text Complexity Discover Like Books Meet-the-Author Recording of If I Ever Get Out of Here; The book is very educational, and earnest. This is probably the most relateable book for middle school students and either side. The audiobook is a little over 10 hours long given the length of the book. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. Part 1, Chapters 1-3 . Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2015. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Being the only Indian on the "smart kids" track at the white school, Lewis is friendless and feels invisible. Overall this was pretty good and I enjoyed the class discussions we had (: it just wasn’t my absolute fav, Another shout out to Powell’s Daily Dose for alerting me to this YA novel about Lewis Blake, a middle-school boy growing up in the Tuscarora Reservation in upstate New York in the 1970’s. This book follows a year and a half long journey of a seventh grader Lewis Blake as he navigates life at a predominately white school and life on the Tuscarora Native American Reservation in New York. And I did. He stays centered even though the world around him -- esp his school -- is unfair, unkind, and sparse of hope for his own particular future. If I Ever Get Out of Here Eric Gansworth. There are so many great things happening in this novel that it's hard to pinpoint exactly what I loved about it so much! The year is 1975, and the story begins with an American Indian boy named Lewis Blake who is entering grade seven at his middle school. I purchased this book for my library because I feel like there is a serious lack of Native American characters in YA books. Barclays 6-10-13 rotated version here https://youtu.be/izkSAmSvajg It was very informative and the character development is fantastic. If I Ever Get Out of Here stands firmly on its own feet. The Bloom's verbs will help you write your four questions per chapter! I loved the friendship, the family relationship, and a lot more. Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free. This story takes place in the 1970s and shows Lewis’ struggle to fit into both worlds. All of the supporting characters, especially the adults—from Lewis’ beleaguered mother and iconoclastic uncle to George’s upright father and delicate German mother, and a host of teachers and administrators who look right past the daily violence perpetrated on Lewis—are carefully, beautifully drawn. I stayed up late finishing this book. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. It is already a book I recommended to one of my students who loves 70s rock, and one I would recommend to anyone. The seventh grader has begun to accept his status until a new kid shows up in his class. I appreciate the fact that this book is read and recorded by the author. July 30th 2013 Early Title Page. Lewis Blake is the only Tuscarora reservation kid tracked with the "brainiacs" in... read more. “Yeah, summer's almost here, but we got a whole long year ahead of us for that lesson,” Evan said. It doesn't help that he's the only American Indian in the "smart kids" track. From IF I EVER GET OUT OF HERE:Evan landed on my back and began whaling on my face and head. It features a young middle school Native American student named Lewis, as he navigates his new middle school world, where for the first time there are no other kids from the rez on his advanced track. Luckily for Lewis, this is the year George's Air Force officer father is transferred to the base in Lewis' town. If I Ever Get Out of Here. It features a young middle school Native American student named Lewis, as he navigates his new middle school world, where for the first time there are no other kids from the rez on his advanced track. Lewis fears George and his family will reject him and tells variou. A writer and visual artist, he has published a dozen books, including the novels, Mending Skins (Pen Oakland Award) and Extra Indians (American Book Award, NAISA Book of the Year), the young adult novels, If I Ever Get Out of Here (Honor Award, American Indian Youth Literary Award; One Book, One Philadelphia 2020) and Give Me Some Truth (Whippoorwill Award). Grades 7-10. By Craig Graziano. George, a new student who lives on a nearby military base, becomes his best friend and they share countless memories playing old Beatles records, discovering Derek and the Dominoes, Paul McCartney and Wings, Queen, and so much more. Download Save. It is a story of friendship, first and foremost. Lewis “Shoe” Blake. His family is very poor and he is the only Native kid in the advanced class at school, making him friendless and the target of a vicious bully. The results are the same, which is why I strongly recommend this book. 33). This is supposedly is a book written for young adults or teens, but I think it is a book that can be enjoyed by everyone- whether you have any native bloodline or not. 1. Along with this integration came some pretty extreme hatred and bigotry from a. Wow! This is a great story. If I Ever Get Out of Here Eric Gansworth (Author, Narrator), Listening Library (Publisher) Get Audible Free. Great book for any kid, or any person needing hope, or a taste of what is possible in friendships, Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2013. I ended up loving the main character, Shoe (Lewis), and couldn't stop rooting for him. While a bright and gifted student, Lewis struggles to make friends. I'm now on the lookout for more books by this author. Lewis feels he must hide his poverty and keep his Indian life separate from his white life. Eric Gansworth. [toxic friendships, friendships with kids who are wary of who he is, fights with bullies, familial relationships, a connection with people who don't live on his reservation, with racist adults and supportive ones. That is why read after all, isn't it? I heard an interview with the author on Indian Nation Radio and was intrigued enough to buy this book. Lewis is an avid Beatles fan, and the novel chapters and sections are all include titles from either Beatles songs or Paul McCartney songs which alternate for each chapter. "A heart-healing, mocs-on-the-ground story of music, family and friendship." Please try your request again later. Both books take a sweeping arc to the story’s climax. If I Ever Get Out of Here (Book) : Gansworth, Eric : Seventh-grader Lewis "Shoe" Blake from the Tuscarora Reservation has a new friend, George Haddonfield from the local Air Force base, but in 1975 upstate New York there is a lot of tension and hatred between Native Americans and Whites--and Lewis is not sure that he can rely on friendship. Average Customer Ratings. Tragical History Tour. The only problem I have with the book is that I think it is too long and the pacing is fairly slow for a teen. While most of the housing on the reservation is that of poor families, the Blake home is perhaps the poorest. When I started, I was all, "Oh, Part-Time Indian in upstate New York." The pace is good, and being read by the author really helps meet the characters as he saw them. His debut novel for young readers, If I Ever Get Out of Here, was a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults pick and an American Indian Library Association Young Adult Honor selection, and he is the author of numerous acclaimed books for adults. The circumstance of his making a true friendship with another of true character leads the reader into scenes which celebrate a warmth of human kindness, and the things that last. Not yours, of course, but a fictional family whose story you can follow through the generations of... Lewis "Shoe" Blake is used to the joys and difficulties of life on the Tuscarora Indian reservation in 1975: the joking, the Fireball games, the snow blowing through his roof. Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2013. They bond over The Beatles and other music but Lewis keeps him at arm's length. Read for my YA lit class !! Please try again. I have a feeling that parts of this book are going to stay with me for a long time. Gansworth is an enrolled citizen of the Onondaga Nation; however, he grew up in the Tuscarora Nation as a descendant of one of two Onondaga women present among the Tuscarora at the foundation of the nation in the 18th century. Tragical History Tour. Gansworth originally qualified in electroencephalography, considered a profession useful to his nation; however, he went on to study literature and to continue a lifelong in. If+I+Ever+Get+Out+of+Here+F1.jpg 1/6 What do you do when you’re American Indian, so nobody in your class talks to you, dirt poor like snow-blowing-through-the-roof poor, small for your age so bullies like Evan Reiniger make you their punching bag, and a Beatles fan, … There is so much packed into this story. I think I missed something. Gansworth originally qualified in electroencephalography, considered a profession useful to his nation; however, he went on to study literature and to continue a lifelong interest in painting and drawing. There are so many great things happening in this novel that it's hard to pinpoint exactly what I loved about it so much! It brought back so much awkwardness of middle school, trying to fit in, finding and losing a best friend. Gansworth, himself an enrolled member of the Onondaga Nation, explores the boys’ organic relationship with generosity and tenderness and unflinching clarity, sidestepping stereotypes to offer two genuine characters navigating the unlikely intersection of two fully realized worlds. It is about alienation, resiliency, intelligence and grit. The description of Lewis’ first concert experience brought back vivid memories of my own first concert. 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