THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN begins with Junior's everyday travails. Born with water on the brain, he suffers a rash of difficult and painful physical traumas daily. Bright and filled with ideas and artistic ability, Arnold Spirit (Junior's beautiful true name) --- the son of an alcoholic and a long-suffering mom --- decides to take a chance, get off the "rez" and attend a white private school in Rearden, Washington (just like Alexie himself did). To his surprise, he leaves the world of bullies and bullying behind him and encounters new friends who share some of his interests. His basketball team meets up with his old classmates on the court, and a battle of both bodies and cultures begins.
Junior’s remarkable ability to weather even the worst personal storms (death, hunger, a questioning of his identity and his tribe) makes this an uplifting yet very emotional reading experience. Also, the drawings by Ellen Forney remind me of a teen's combination of the work of Ralph Steadman and any MAD magazine cartoonist; they add a further, descriptive dimension to Junior's persona and are a great accompaniment to Alexie's forthright words and dramatic incidents. By the end of the book, you are entirely inside Junior's oversized head.
This book is really really really good. I recommend for everyone in the world.
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