If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth, Paperback

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"[A] funny, poignant young-adult debut." -- Washington Post

"Eric Gansworth fearlessly lays down the truth about what it's like to grow up poor, and the strength it takes to hold your head high and find a way out." -- Laurie Halse Anderson, author of The Impossible Knife of Memory and Forge

* "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.... And although Gansworth manages the weighty themes of racism and poverty with nuance and finesse, at its heart, this is a rare and freehearted portrait of true friendship." -- Booklist, starred review

"If I Ever Get Out of Here rings true with a sophisticated look at what it's like to be an outsider and what it takes to be a true friend…. More than just engaging, [it] is the sort of book that can spark all kinds of meaningful conversation." -- Los Angeles Times

"Readers will appreciate the teenager's sharp insights into being an outsider and Gansworth's intimate knowledge of the prejudices and injustices inherent to Lewis's life." -- Publishers Weekly

"A heart-healing, mocs-on-the-ground story of music, family and friendship." -- Cynthia Leitich Smith, author of Tantalize and Rain Is Not My Indian Name

Publishers Weekly

Set in the mid-1970s, adult author Gansworth’s first novel for teens introduces Lewis Blake, a seventh-grader who lives on the same impoverished Tuscarora reservation in New York State where the author himself grew up. Ever since Lewis’s alcoholic father took off, the boy has been raised by his overworked mother and Vietnam vet uncle. A couple of years earlier, Lewis’s smarts landed him in the local junior high, off the reservation, but fitting in has never been an option. He lucks out, however, when Air Force brat George Haddonfield arrives in town and picks Lewis as his new best friend. Although their backgrounds couldn’t be more different—George has lived in Germany and Guam, while Lewis sees the rez as his past, present, and future—they bond over a shared love of the Beatles and Wings, as well as making music. Although the plot takes time to get going, as a bully stirs up trouble for Lewis, readers will appreciate the teenager’s sharp insights into being an outsider and Gansworth’s intimate knowledge of the prejudices and injustices inherent to Lewis’s life. Ages 12–up. (Aug.)

VOYA - Vikki Terrile

It is 1975, and Lewis Blake is trying to fit in as the only American Indian in his junior high school "brainiac" class. When George, a military kid, joins the class, Lewis finally finds a friend, begins to question his relationship with his closest friend on the reservation, and inadvertently draws the ire of a bully no one—including school officials—will do anything to stop. Gansworth's first book for teens does not quite read like a book for teens. There is a strong sense of nostalgia in the slow pace and references to 1970s rock music (particularly Paul McCartney's Wings) that modern teens may have difficulty wading through. Lewis is a likeable character, struggling to find his place between the two worlds of his home life and his school life, with little hope that he will ever break away from the reservation and lead the kind of life he witnesses firsthand when he meets George. Lewis's experiences with Evan—a bully whose family's financial support of the school has given him total impunity—will strike a chord, and readers will likely be as outraged as Lewis is when he is blamed by many (teachers included) for Evan finally being removed from the school. Comparisons to Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian (Little, Brown, 2007/Voya August 2007) seem inevitable, if not unfair, both because of the plot and the format (Gansworth's paintings feature prominently throughout the book). This is a solid choice for teens looking for realistic historical fiction that is not too historical, or for rock music history fans. Reviewer: Vikki Terrile

Children's Literature - Paula McMillen

Lewis Blake lives on the Tuscarora Native American Reservation in upstate New York with his mom and Uncle Albert, a disabled veteran who shares Lewis's bedroom and his love of the Beatles' music. The house is literally falling apart around them, with the kitchen roof collapsing and holes in the floors and walls. There's no running water, no automobile, and his mom barely make ends meet by picking up cleaning jobs when she can. Lewis knows they are among the poorest families on the reservation, but their situation seems even more painfully confining when he has to leave the reservation school to attend the junior high school in town. It's the mid-70's and relations between those on the Res and the Whites in town are bad at best. Although Lewis is really bright, he is the only Native American in all of his classes and the other students actively shun him. But then, a new boy, George, arrives from the local Air Force base and can't seem to be bothered with the local kids' advice to stay away from "the wild Indians." George and Lewis become friends, but their friendship is limited by Lewis's inability to trust George and his inability to reciprocate the kinds of behaviors that actually build friendship, like having someone over to your house to just hang out and listen to records. When a girlfriend enters the picture, the friendship is tested even more. After Lewis becomes the victim of physical bullying that the teachers choose to ignore, however, George takes matters into his own hands. Gansworth employs an authentic voice to illuminate the challenges faced by Native Americans in dealing with the dominant, and often inhospitable, White culture. Still, there is a note of hope that people can reach across boundaries if they try. If readers liked Sherman Alexie's Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, this text will appeal. Lots of discussion possibilities for issues such as stereotyping, friendship, multiculturalism, and bullying. Reviewer: Paula McMillen, Ph.D.

School Library Journal

09/01/2013
Gr 6–9—In 1970s upstate New York, Lewis Blake inhabits two separate universes: the reservation where he lives in poverty with his mother and uncle, and school, where the fact that he is American Indian (and his sardonic sense of humor) has made him an outcast and a victim of bullying. The seventh grader has begun to accept his status until a new kid shows up in his class. George Haddonfield grew up on air force bases around the world and doesn't seem to know or care about the divisions between the reservation kids and everyone else. Although Lewis and George bond over their shared love of the Beatles, George's friendly overtures to visit are constantly rebuffed by Lewis, who isn't sure if their tentative friendship will be able to withstand the jarring differences between George's home and his own. Can a love of rock and roll overcome all? Lewis's relationships with his mother, his uncle, and even his peers ring true and draw readers deep into his world. Life on the reservation is so vividly depicted that scenes set elsewhere, such as the air force base where George lives, feel a little flatly drawn in comparison. Nonetheless, the overall tenor and wry humor of this novel more than make up for its weaknesses.—Evelyn Khoo Schwartz, Georgetown Day School, Washington, DC

Kirkus Reviews

It's 1975. Lewis lives in abject poverty on the reservation. His favorite band, the Beatles, has broken up. He's the only Indian in the class for smart kids. And he's in middle school. Times are tough. When George, a military kid, arrives, the two bond over their mutual appreciation of music. Lewis shares select pieces of his life with George. However, he struggles to avoid revealing the true nature of his life on the rez. Things deteriorate for Lewis when he catches the attention of a school bully who makes his life miserable. Forces of nature eventually compel Lewis to face everything: the bully, what he is hiding and his own shame. Lewis' desire to move between cultures, and his difficulty doing so, will resonate with readers of many backgrounds. The action in this book builds slowly, providing readers with the context to understand the distrust that makes Lewis reluctant to fully commit to a friendship with George. Some readers may not be enthralled by the extensive exposition and sometimes-stilted dialogue, but those who stay with the story to the end will find their hearts touched by Lewis, George and their families. Gansworth's debut for young people is a worthy exploration of identity and friendship between middle school boys who live in different worlds. (discography) (Historical fiction. 11-14)

If I Ever Get Out of Here

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