Junior is a Spokane Indian living on the rezervation who seemingly has everything working against him. He was born with water on the brain, suffered from debilitating seizures until he was 6, and even now at 14 has a stutter and a lisp. All of those are good reasons for everyone but his best friend (the toughest guy on the rez, Rowdy) to beat him up on a regular basis. Add to that the fact that he is dirt poor, and Junior seemingly has no hope. When he decides to give himself some hope and a future and go to school 22 miles away in the farmtown of Reardan (where the only other non-caucasian at the school is their Indian mascot), everything changes.
An aspiring cartoonist, Junior's voice is fresh, real, funny, and poignant. He peppers his story with cartoons and drawings. His accounts of the basketball games were pulse-poundingly exciting. Add in a hint of romance, and you've got something for everyone in this book.
The audio version of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is narrated by Sherman Alexie himself. While his narration is fantastic to listen to, you might want to pick up a copy of the book to flip through so you can read Junior's cartoons.
Find this book at Y ALE. Find the Audio version at CD Y ALE.
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