Bibliography
Gansworth, E. (2013). If I Ever Get Out of Here. Arthur A. Levine Books.
Plot Summary
In 1975, Lewis struggled to make friends as he lived within two worlds: that of his Tuscarora Reservation home and his mostly white school. When seventh grade starts, he meets George, but continues to struggle with sharing the realities of his home life to this new friend.
Critical Analysis
The audiobook narration does not provide the reader with the images or playlist found in the physical copy of the book. However, the narrator of the audio version does an excellent job of drawing in the reader to Lewis’s perspective of life on the reservation and at his predominately white school.
Lewis is about to start seventh grade and in preparation, cuts off his braid. This is an important beginning to the novel because it reflects on his want to fit in at his white school. In fact, it’s a bit reminiscent of Eddie Murphy’s character in Coming to America when his character cuts off his rat tail to assimilate into American culture. The beginning of the novel goes on to describe Lewis’s failed attempts at making friends and moves on to him meeting George, a new kid at school.
As Lewis and George’s friendship deepens over shared interest in music, Lewis becomes more aware of how different they are. He is mindful of his home and refuses to allow Lewis to see where he lives. Unlike George with his nice, clean house and bedroom all to himself, Lewis shares a bedroom with his uncle with girly posters all over the walls. He tends to refuse rides home or asks to be dropped off far away from his actual home because he doesn’t want them to see the poverty his family experiences.
Being one of the few Native Americans at his school and on top of that, the only one in the “smarter” classes, Lewis endures a lot of bullying. Most of the bullying comes from one student in particular. Finally, Lewis gets to the point where he no longer feels safe at his school and refuses to attend. As the reader (and a teacher) it is upsetting how the administration treats Lewis and his concerns. Since the other student’s father contributes so much money to the school, nothing is done until George gets into a physical altercation with the other boy. The other boy is then expelled and Lewis can return to school. But now everyone blames him for getting the bully kicked out of school.
Lewis and George’s father bond over music as well. When Lewis learns that George’s family once taught at a boarding school, Lewis has a negative reaction. He has heard the stories of how those boarding schools operated. It’s not until he finally asks Mr. Haddonfield about it that his issue is resolved.
Gansworth has shared a story about identity, belonging, taking a stand, and a strong friendship across cultures with an emphasis on the power of music.
Review Excerpt(s)
American Indian Youth Literature Award for Best Young Adult Book (Honor Book) (2014)
"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
"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
Connections
-Activities
Music classes can do a study over the music of The Beatles, Queen, Wings, or Paul McCartney.
Pair with The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian. Compare and contrast the experiences of the two boys.
A Socratic seminar can take place to discuss bullying, students and teachers parts in helping to prevent bullying, and student’s thoughts on how the administration handled Lewis’s solution to the harassment he received at school.
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