Through his fictional alter ego Junior Spirit, author Sherman Alexie tells a story that draws heavily on his own adolescence on the Spokane Indian Reservation in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.
The novel focuses on Junior's experiences during his first year at Reardan High School, an off-reservation school at which he is the only Native American student. Junior's decision to attend Reardan is met with resistance from both the people of Reardan and Junior's friends and family on the reservation. By the novel's close, Junior has developed confidence and a greater sense of belonging, not only at his school in Reardan but in his reservation life as well.
The book also...
