"What You Pawn I Will Redeem" appeared in The New Yorker magazine in April 2003. It is also part of Sherman Alexie's collection of short stories Ten Little Indians, published later that year. The bestselling book was distinguished as a Los Angeles Times Best of the Best Selection, a San Francisco Chronicle Best Book, and a Publishers Weekly Book of the Year. The story was included in the 2004 collection The Best American Short Stories and was a 2005 O. Henry Prize Juror's Favorite. In her essay on why she selected "What You Pawn I Will Redeem" as her favorite story of 2005, novelist and O. Henry juror Ann Patchett remarks, "As I read [this story,] I was moved by sorrow, compassion, and joy."

In "Way Off the Reservation: The Indians in Alexie's Fiction are Out for Redemption," San Francisco Chronicle writer David Kipen writes that Ten Little Indians is...