Jason Sizemore

Apex Magazine Issue 99

Sarah Sammis

At first glance, this story is about cultural appropriation. A Pueblo man is supporting his wife through these virtual tours. He has to act "more authentic" than he really is, meaning he has to show up in the Hollywood and Zane Grey version of the Indian experience. It means having to put up with white people who claim to be related to an "Indian Princess" but can't accept that Native people might be living in the city and consuming the same pop culture they are.

http://www.pussreboots.com/blog/2018/...

Sarah Escorsa

· Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience by Rebecca Roanhorse ·

(This 🥇 2017 Nebula Award winner for Best Short Story 🥇 is available for free here.)

① Surprise, surprise! Everyone but me read this story 
  wrong
 right! Or is it right wrong? I forget.

② This short should have been called Welcome to Your Totally Deadly Second Person Narrative of Doom Experience (WtYTDSPNoDE)™.

③ The author obviously doesn’t know I trademarked™ the word trademark™ and the corresponding trademark™ symbol™ centuries ago.

④ Virtual reality meets tourism meets Native American heritage = most excellent premise but most excellent premise promptly turned into…

 

Yeah yeah yeah, I know, this is an allegedly gripping, brutal tale reportedly full of super deep thoughts about identity and reality and all that crap stuff, but it’s nothing that hasn’t been done two hundred million times before, Supposedly Super Clever Final Twist (SSCFT™) included. 

Granted, the Native American setting and underlying cultural appropriation  theme were interesting and fresh and stuff, but it doesn’t change the fact that impressed by this story, I was not. Because I read it wrong right, obviously. Or is it because I read it 
  right
 wrong? I forget.

Apex Magazine Issue 99

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