The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Used Books New.|
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List Price: $16.99 Our Price: $11.55 You Save: $5.44 |
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| ♥♥♥♥♥ | True to Alexie's biting satire and look at modern reservation life |
| I first became acquainted with the works of Sherman Alexie through his [[ASIN:0802141676 The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven]] and its film adaptation [[ASIN:6305428417 Smoke Signals]]. I'm a longtime student of First Nations authors and musicians, and enjoyed his biting writing style and look at life on reservations, so when I saw that he'd published a young adult novel, I rushed out to read it.
Junior has a lot of things going against him; born hydrocephalic, he suffers from seizures, bad eyesight, and has been branded a geek by the rest of the tribal school. He frequently is picked on and beat up, but he seeks escape through his cartoons and his only friend, Rowdy. Rowdy and Junior's relationship leaves much to be desired; Rowdy is terminally angry and physically and verbally abusive towards everyone, including Junior. Junior decides to try and escape his destiny as yet another rez Indian who gave up on his dreams to become another poor alcoholic, and transfers to the all-white Rearden high school twenty miles away. Rowdy is furious, and the two part ways violently. Junior finds his life turned upside-down as the only Indian at Rearden, leading to inevitable discrimination and a unique way of resolving social matters Indian-style that earns him respect. He tries out for the school basketball team, which drives a further wedge between his new life and his old life on the rez, especially when Rearden plays against his old tribal team. There are also several family tragedies that Junior faces during the school year. Junior also has several experiences dabbling in romance and sexual attraction (or at least some tried and true ways of relieving sexual tension; the book contains several graphic (and funny) descriptions of sexually-themed acts). The included illustrations by Ellen Forney bring to life Junior's apt descriptions (as well as some clever interpretations of Alexie's prose, including my favorite illustration of "all butt-kicking bruises look like Texas"). Overall, this was a whip-smart, biting look at growing up poor, geeky, and a minority, but Junior doesn't let any of these factors stand in his way. He has no tolerance for self-pity, and instead chooses to fight for respect and acceptance in the hopes that he can make something of himself. I hope to see more of Junior in the coming years. |
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