#5 of 2010: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

I know, I know: what took me so long? I recently went on/am currently engaged in a library binge (I'm sorry, 300 unread books I own, I promise I'll read you eventually!), and this one has been on my radar for ages, so I finally picked it up. It really is as good as everyone says it is. Oddly enough, I didn't actually realize that it includes cartoons, which really adds to it. The book, about a kid from a reservation who decides to go to a small-town, all-white high school, is compelling in its struggle between his two worlds. Alexie really balances his portrayal of both, and although it definitely has a sense of humour ("I get headaches becayse my eyes are, like, enemies, you know, like they used to be married to each other but now hate each other's guts." and "'And no matter how much you learn, you just keep on learning there is so much more you need to learn.' 'Yes, yes, yes, yes,' Gordy said. 'Now doesn't that give you a boner?'"), it also deals with hideously depressing subject matter (like how many funerals this 14-year-old has attended). If you've been tempted to pick it up, I recommend bowing to that urge.

4.5/5