ANNOTATION: Alexie started writing his memoir about growing up on the Spokane Native American Reservation, but ended up writing a fiction novel instead. Arnold, called Jr., lives daily with Parental Alcoholism, abuse, bullying, death and tragedy. To top it all off, he was born with several disabilities. Throughout Jr.'s obstacles and societies low expectations of his population, he still manages to become the hero in his predisposed community.
JUSTIFICATION FOR NOMINATION: Jr. is not only poor, he is dirty poor. Jr. lives on the 'rez' and many nights goes to bed hungry. His Daddy does a good job drinking up any money the family could have. When Jr. saw his mothers maiden name in his geometry book, when school started that Fall, he was angry and threw the book and broke Mr. P's nose. Jr. was tired of poverty and the low expectations that the white culture had on the Native American population.
Jr. decides to go to an all-white, rich kids school in Reardon. He takes up basketball and gets a white girlfriend, Penelope. Rowdy, Jr.'s best friend on the 'rez' becomes distant and their friendship is strained. Jr.'s Grandma, his confidant, get run over and killed by a drunk driver, his Dad shoots his dog, Oscar, because they can't afford the Vets bill, and his Dad's best friend gets shot and killed in a drunken bar fight.
Jr. deals with his pain and struggles through humor and drawing cartoons. Somehow, living in poverty and racial discrimination and all the physical disabilities, they become stepping stones for Jr., as a way out. Jr. is adamant to become more than just a statistic as a stereo-type. There are challenging issues in this book: poverty, bullying, alcohol, violence, profanity, and references to masturbation. WE live in an imperfect world with imperfect people. Alexie shows an awesome depiction of the societal injustices and the reality of just how cruel people can be. He demonstrates just how one Native American teenager did not give up and would not believe the oppressing stereo-types about his culture. Alexie states he used to believe the world was broken down into tribes, now he knows there are only two tribes: people who are assholes and the ones who are not. I would highly recommend this encouraging story of one brave boy who wouldn't let anything hold him back.
GENRE: Fiction, Coming of Age, Searching for Identity, Multicultural, Awards, Banned.
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