The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
I loved this book for the perspective I so rarely see in books: that of a modern Native American. Junior is a talented cartoonist who decides to leave his school on "the rez" and attend a nearby all-white high school. The story is both funny and poignant. It follows Junior through his difficulties navigating two worlds and feeling pulled by the expectations and sacred traditions of his tribe and world outside of the reservation that offers the future he dreams of.
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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 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.