Sherman Joseph Alexie, Jr. is an award winning author whose works primarily fall under the genre of Native American literature. His works are characterized by themes relating to the difficulties faced by Native American people: alcoholism, violence, poverty and despair. Born and raised on the Spokane Indian Reserve, Washington, Alexie had a very troublesome childhood. He was born with a serious health condition that required complicated surgery when he was just an infant. Doctors had warned that the boy might not live and even if he survived he might face mental disabilities later in life. Alexie not only survived, but also grew up to become a highly acclaimed novelist and poet. His childhood struggles were not limited to health problems; the son of an alcoholic, he faced domestic troubles as well. Life on the Spokane Reservation presented its own challenges and he realized that he needed to get out of there to achieve something in life. A brilliant student in spite of his health problems, he earned a scholarship to attend the Gonzaga University. Initially he wanted to become a doctor but anatomy classes made him squeamish and he shifted to creative writing. He entered the literary world first by writing poetry before moving on to write short stories and novels.