Sherman Alexie is qualified to write this novel because it is his life. Wellpinit and Rearden are real places. The character of Junior is Sherman Alexie. The character of Rowdy is based on a real man named Randy J. Peone, who died in 2016; his loss was another that Alexie had to face. Alexie was born with hydrocephalus, the same “water on the brain” medical condition that Junior has. Alexie did choose to leave his reservation in search of a better education, where he found himself in the town of Rearden (Casey). While Junior and Alexie’s stories differ in some areas, Alexie writes his life. He writes organically and authentically because the story grew from the inside out, not outside in. He has written other works of literature as well, most