The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie is about Junior, a high school student who lives on an Indian reservation in Washington State. Junior's family is poor, as are most of the Indian families on his reservation. His father drinks a lot, just like most of the adults on the reservation. There are a few things that set Junior apart from the other kids, though. First, he was born with "water on the brain" and suffered brain damage, leaving him prone to seizures. Second, he's really, really smart. Third, Junior is the kid everyone picks on. After a strange talk with one of his teachers, Junior decides to enroll at Reardon High School, in the closest town off of the reservation. It's a school filled with primarily white, small-town kids who all grew up together. Junior, or Arnold as they call him at Reardon, doesn't fit in there any better than he does on the reservation. To make matters worse, he has trouble just getting to school - the car breaks down, there isn't money for gas, his dad is too hung over, etc. Sometimes he has to make the 22 mile walk on his own! Things begin to look up for Junior when he begins making friends, gets a girlfriend (sort of) and makes the Reardon varsity basketball team. Unfortunately, things just get worse for him on the reservation. He begins to feel like he's 1/2 Indian at school and 1/2 white at home. He doesn't fit in anywhere. Junior takes solace in his drawings, finding strength and inspiration that help him get through the toughest times - including the death of his beloved grandmother and older sister.

What a fantastic book! It isn't written like anything else I've ever read - it's a mix between a free verse style and Diary of a Wimpy Kid journal/drawing. Parts are funny, parts are sad, most is touching. It certainly doesn't end with the typical "happy ending" that most books have. I think that's why I liked it so much. It's real.