Sherman Alexie sits in a coffee shop on Westlake Avenue, talking about his recent appearance at a national booksellers convention. Alexie stirred up some controversy when he called the Kindle an “elitist” wireless reading device, but right now he’s telling a story about being on a panel with James Patterson and Lisa Scottoline, fiction writers who are more popular than he is and don’t go looking for trouble, like he does.

Alexie couldn’t get Patterson and Scottoline to understand the difference between what they write and what he writes. They study the book-buying market and try to appeal to the broadest possible audience. Alexie doesn’t operate that way.

“If you’re not offending a pretty high percentage of people who read your books, you’re not doing it well enough,” Alexie says. “(Patterson and Scottoline) don’t want to displease anybody, and I’d just feel terrible if I didn’t displease somebody. At my public performances, if somebody doesn’t walk out at some point I feel like I haven’t done my job.”

Then Alexie tips his head back and laughs. It’s his signature move, as easy to spot and hard to defend as a crossover dribble on the basketball court near his office.

The 42-year-old Alexie loves basketball — he can’t seem to go more than a few minutes without making some reference to it or using it as a metaphor — but he loves to laugh even more. He’s a serious man, committed to his art and his life with an intensity that would come off as maniacal if it weren’t for the humor lurking at the edge of every pronouncement. He’s not afraid to say anything, not afraid to write about anything and not afraid to joke about anything. After he stopped laughing, Alexie went quiet and waited for the next question:

Read more