In his first book for young adults, bestselling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is based on the author's own experiences, coupled with poignant drawings by acclaimed artist Ellen Forney, that reflect the character's art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he was destined to live.
Thoughts:
5/5 stars.
This was quite the interesting read. I really did not expect much going into this, kind of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid-- Teen's Edition. But it surprised me.
This book had a lot of depth to it. There were much themes to be acknowledged. But Alexie just didn't jump all these themes on you, rather he brought it upon with humor. Junior is a sarcastic, witty teen who has some slight problems due to having a water-logged brain when he was born. But that doesn't mean he's not smart. He decides to take his life into his own hands, to flee the life he was born into. He lives on an Indian Reservation, but betrays his tribe to go to school in an all-white town, where he faces many...racist peeps.
I really enjoyed Junior as a character, and especially as a narrator. He had a great voice, real, at the same time being humorous. He knew his faults, and one thing I appreciated in him was that he wasn't afraid to tell the truth, being blunt and never backing down from a challenge. He had great aspirations, and didn't falter to achieve them. I also liked how we could tell the differences between the people Junior talked to on the rez and the people he conversed with on school grounds, giving you insight to the differences in living classes, along with how people perceived the different cultures.
As I said, this book dealt with many issues, but one thing I noticed clearly was that everyone has stereotypes on each other. Each group judged each other, which was why Junior could never bring the two lives together. And not only did this book deal with racism, it dealt with death, loneliness, friendship, and may others.
There were so many scenes where I just died of laughter, pretty much showing the entire book to my friends because there were so many hilarious scenes I could not get over. Though if you aren't one for vulgar books, this one may not be the right one for you. But hey, I'm a teenager, and think the word "sex" is hilarious.
Finishing this book broke my heart, because I felt so connected to the characters, Junior's family and friends, and wanted much more. I really do hope that Sherman Alexie writes another book. But is it weird that I would rather it not be a sequel to this book? I appreciate it more when its a stand alone, I guess.
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