Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie is about the struggles of life on a reservation and how traditional Native American culture coincides with modern American culture. Sherman Alexie has a very accurate portrayal of reservation life because that is where he grew up. The main character of the book is Thomas-builds-a- fire who goes on a journey to start a band and help Robert Johnson undo his deal with the devil. Each character faces different struggles in the reservation. Victor and Junior aim to live in a modern American society while Thomas and Robert Johnson move towards the more traditional Native American culture. This book most likely takes place in the 1950’s, after Robert Johnson supposedly faked his death and around the time blues music genre was very popular. The story takes place on the Spokane Indian reservation. Sherman Alexie shows how the people on the reservation vary a lot from people in the modern American culture. The author is original because he has a Native American background which most authors do not have. Sherman Alexie does a good job showing the differences between traditional Native American spirituality and modern American culture and how the two mold together. When Robert Johnson seeks help from Big Mom this shows a person from the modern American culture moving into the traditional Native American culture. Also, when the band, Coyote Springs, performs in Seattle and other places outside of the reservation they are showing their culture to modern American societies. This book is interesting because the point of view is unique to most American novels because the author comes from a Native American background. Although you would need prior knowledge about modern American and Native American cultures to fully understand the book, it still shows America in a very real way. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Native American culture.