The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

I finally got around to reading Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. It won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature back in 2007 and I've been hearing fantastic things about it ever since.

Wow, talk about a one-two punch.

The narrator of the tale, Junior, is now quite possibly one of my favorite characters. Ever. He will break your heart with his story even as he leaves you in stitches. He's funny and fearless and lovably human. And though hardly immune to his circumstances, nevertheless he forges resolutely on.

Junior has been beating the odds since the day he was born.

He wasn't expected to live past a procedure to remove cerebral spinal fluid from his brain as an infant. Instead, we find he's made it to his teen years in pretty good shape, if you can overlook the crippling poverty, rampant alcoholism and general malaise that afflicts the Spokane Indian Reservation.

It sucks to be poor, and its sucks to feel that you somehow deserve to be poor. You start believing that you're poor because you're stupid and ugly. And then you start believing that you're stupid and ugly because you're Indian. And because you're Indian you start believing you're destined to be poor. It's an ugly circle and there's nothing you can do about it.

Poverty doesn't give you strength or teach you lessons about perseverance. No, poverty only teaches you how to be poor.

Junior, as you can see, is not afraid to tell it like it is.

His parents are drunks. His best friend has an abusive father. His school is so underfunded that it hasn’t updated its textbooks in least 30 years. Junior himself is a skinny, spectacle-wearing, book-kissing nerd, which doesn’t exactly earn him a lot of fans around the rez.

Then one day, prodded into action by his teacher, Junior decides to take his fate into his own hands. He decides to transfer to the all-white school in the neighboring town of Reardan, 22 miles away. His parents support the move, recognizing that it will allow Junior to get a better education and access to more opportunities. But they’re pretty much the exception. Junior's community proceeds to treat him like he's betrayed them. The Reardan High School kids ignore him.

Junior's beauty is how he weathers his hardships with such aplomb and good humor. Though lonely and confused, he hangs in there, funneling his energy into positive outlets, from doodling comics to joining the basketball team. And slowly but surely, things begin to change.

I recommend this book to anyone who's looking for a pick-me-up. Diary is a daring book, too, pushing the boundaries of young adult lit with its dark humor, language and examination of race, all of which has frequently landed it on Top 10 lists for most frequently challenged titles. We have it in book form (YP FIC ALEXIE; you'll get to see Junior's awesome doodles, drawn by Ellen Forney), audiobook (AD YP FIC ALEXIE), and downloadable audio. I listened to the audio version, which is narrated by the author. I'm sometimes leery of authors reading their own stuff but Sherman really knocks it out of the ballpark and brings 14-year-old Junior to life.

Junior may endure, at times, the unimaginable, but it's a statement to Sherman's talent how we still feel optimistic and hopeful for Junior’s future.

Lewis & Clark by Nick Bertrozzi YP FIC BETROZZI

Lewis and Clark’s epic journey west changed the fate of our nation forever.  This comic retelling of their great adventure takes a comic look at the adventures and misadventures that befell the famous duo.

Lewis and Clark were hardcore!  They were fighting, shooting, hallucinating (Lewis at least), fearless explorers.  The amount of ridiculous stubbornness they show in crossing the country is hilarious, inspiring, and hard to believe.  What is left out of many accounts of the famous expedition is how Lewis suffered from bizarre mood swings and eventually took his own life.  This is a funny but dark look at a wonderful true adventure.  The expedition is filled with unusual characters and surprising dangers.  The art is lively and inventive.  Bertrozzi keeps things fresh by playing with panel placement and size and excellent linework.  He makes America seem new again!  If you like comics or historical fiction, check out this  two-fisted, hair raising, bear shooting good time!

Dawn Land by Joseph Bruchac art by Will Davis YP FIC BRUCHAC

A story from before history, Dawn Land tells of the ancient people that lived in North America and one young man’s battle against an ancient evil that threatens to destroy them all. Young Hunter was almost killed by the Ancient Ones, evil blood drinking giants, when he was a baby. His cousin Weasel Tail defended him but was marked and infected with the ancient Ones’ evil. Now the Ancient Ones call and Young Hunter must track down his old friend and defeat the evil forces.

This is a classic folk tale brought to life by Will Davis’s excellent artwork. It has the look of something timeless and classic and brings the action alive with a great sense of movement. The story is very well researched and based on Bruchac’s novel of the same name. Bruchac knows a great deal about the Abenaki people this story is about and that authenticity makes the story feel real even though it has elements of legend and folktale. If you like stories of ancient times and myths and legends then you should check out Dawn Land. It has all the makings of a modern classic.