I'm not 14 and I'm not a boy. Didn't matter. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian was a wonderful read. I'm recommending it to older kids and adults alike.
Sherman Alexie is a writer, poet, stand-up comic -- you get the point; he is talented. This story, which is based on his own experiences growing up on the Spokane Indian reservation "the rez", is funny and heartbreaking. The hero, Arnold "Junior" Spirit, tells of his life the year he decides to leave the rez and attend the all-white school 22 miles away. He is the only Indian: "if you don't count the school mascot." What this entails is the pain of being an awkward, geeky kid, who doesn't fit in at school or on the rez, who's thought a traitor to his tribe, who's father is an alcoholic, who's older sister lives in the basement, who's best friend is constantly beaten by an alcoholic father, and has been to 42 funerals by the age of 14. “I’m 14 years old, and I’ve been to 42 funerals,” Arnold says. “That’s really the biggest difference between Indians and white people.”
Despite all this, and more, Junior, survives with wit and dignity to escape what others believe is his destiny; be they white or Indian. You will laugh on one page and be crying 2 pages later. This is a wonderful read and I think a soon-to-be classic.
I told you this book was good.