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

Winner of the 2007 National Book Award for “Young People’s Literature.” This is the story of Arnold “Junior” Spirit, who lives with his drunk father and his formerly drunk mother on the Spokane Indian Reservation. (His sister, who may or may not be drunk, lives in the basement and makes everyone nervous.) Junior’s life changes when he decides to transfer to a school off the rez and get a decent education.  His best friend Rowdy stops speaking to him, but his sister gets the courage to leave the basement and run off to Montana to get married and write romance novels. What follows is a story achieving that oft promised concept of making the reader both laugh AND cry. Highly recommended for those who liked Youth in Revolt by C.D. Payne but were also ever-so grossed out by it.