The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Did you know that November is National Native American Heritage Month?  A great book to learn more about what it's like to be a Native-American teen today is Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.  Based on the author's own experiences, the novel 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.  He expects disaster but soon finds himself making friends with both geeky and popular students and starting on the basketball team.  Meeting his old classmates on the court, Junior grapples with questions about his community, identity, and tribe.  The book even includes simple pencil cartoons to reflect the promising artist within Junior.  Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian chronicles the adolescence of one Native-American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he thought he was destined to live.

Alexie's YA debut won the 2007 National Book Award for Young People's Literature.  You can look for the book or put it on hold here.