The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Jr was born with water on the brain. Jr was born on the reservation. Jr is the punching bag for most of the reservation, if his best friend Rowdy isn’t around, that is. Jr decides there’s something more to life, and asks to go to the 22 mile away predominately white school, off the reservation. While doing so, he makes friends in unexpected places, makes enemies in places closer to home and generally just tries to get by, despite his friends and family staying in one place…

Judging a Book By Its Cover

Seeing the Brave on the cover kept making me think of the Indian in the Cupboard–a series I LOVED growing up. I don’t know why I didn’t pick this up sooner.

The Whole Story

My Thoughts

I did not expect to like this book.
Going in, I’d heard of the book multiple times and been told that it was the perfect book for the YA/middle grade market. We’d sold it a ton of times. It was the easy sell to a middle grade/teen male reader. It had cartoons and was on the ‘required reading’ table of many an area school.
I wasn’t sure if it was fiction or fact, but then I decided to give it a try. While it was an insanely quick read, it was also memorable.
Jr is every man, at least those who have ever felt disinfranchised or those who have left their friend/family/home group for something else. In Jr’s case, it was to a predominately white school 22 miles from the reservation he’s called home. Making friends is a bit hard for him in the new school, and the friends he had at his old school (mainly Rowdie) are not happy he’s left. Especially during basketball season, as the ‘white’ school is a main basketball rival.
Jr navigates through the waters of unfamiliar and familiar places without changing anything about himself and challenges himself to be the best version of himself, no matter what the environment.