The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

      Naturally, the teenage years are awkward for everybody. Our surroundings change, sometimes our friends change, but perhaps most importantly, our perceptions change. Now, to address the book: this is a story of a high school boy, Junior Spirit, who lives in an Indian reservation near Spokane, Washington. Junior was born with too much brain fluid, making him prone to seizure. He does not let this stop him; however, as he decides to join the nearby school off the reservation in Reardan, where he will be the only Native American student there. Once transferred, he encounters difficulty finding a place to fit in at his new high school. He also encounters a weird mix of white stereotypes about Native Americans, as well as certain types of fetishization of Native American/Native American culture, namely with his love interest.
      That said, Junior is not a perfect human being, either. Doubtless, he is sensitive, intelligent, and creative, but he also learns about white culture, and also increases ability in being able to examine his own culture, and self!  Throughout the book, you can notice how his perception becomes more honed, and how the us/them binaries that used to guide his thinking turns into a more nuanced, mature way of seeing the world.
     Okay, another important theme in the book would have to be the value of taking things with a grain of salt. Even during Junior's grandmother's funeral, the Spirit family finds a way to laugh. Junior eventually finds a friend who can provide an  intellectual challenge, but this does not take away from Junior's ability to laugh at a fart. He addresses some very real problems facing the Native American community, as well as its relationship with white society. However, Junior also a teenager with the same hormones and goofy antics. In other words, Junior becomes adept at navigating different, even contradicting social codes.
      Finally, this book is fun to read. Just like Junior, it mixes the serious with the fun and delightful. This, believe it or not, is an valuable thing to keep in mind in life. It is important to try and improve your station in life and plow your own course, but it is also important to step back and remember where you came from.
    Check out this book! It even has comic pictures! Yay!