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

Alexie, Sherman. (2007). The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. NY: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
ISBN: 978-0316013680
Awards: American Indian Youth Literature Award (2008)
Cybils Finalist (Young Adult Fiction, 2007)
Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist (Young Adult Literature, 2007)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2008)
National Book Award (Young People's Literature, 2007
Book Sense Book of the Year Honor Book (2008)
A Horn Book Fanfare Best Book (2007)
Boston Globe–Horn Book Award (Fiction and Poetry, 2008)
Michigan Library Association's Thumbs Up! Award (2008.1|Honor, 2008)
BCCB Blue Ribbon Book (2007)
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2010.02|Hard Knock Life, 2010)
ALA Outstanding Books for the College Bound (2009.2|History & Cultures, 2009)
Odyssey Award (2009|Recorded Books, Narrated by Sherman Alexie)
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2007)
Peter Pan Award (2009.01|Winner, 2009)
Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award (2008)
Kansas City Star's Top 100 Books of the Year
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Winner
Barnes & Noble 2007 Best for Teens
National Parenting Publication Gold Winner 2007
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Poverty, Racism, Alcoholism, Family, Fitting In, Cultural Identity, Death, Loss, Grief, Violence
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: Arnold Spirit, angry at the poverty and cruelty around him is encouraged by a teacher to leave the reservation. However, at his new all white school, Arnold faces a whole new set of challenges.
Summary: Arnold Spirit, or Junior, lives on a poverty stricken reservation run rampant by alcoholism, ignorance, and lost hope. A single violent event puts in motion a new life for Arnold. In class one day Arnold notices that his textbook is so old that it still has his mother's name in it. In a rage, he throws the book across the room hitting and hurting the teacher. While Arnold is suspended for the act, the teacher comes to him later encouraging him to leave the reservation for a better education. Arnold is the only Indian in the sea of white faces at his new school, except of course for the school mascot. This move causes a whole new set of problems for Arnold. The people on the reservation are angry that he is trying to leave and the white kids at his new school treat him like an outcast. As time passes, Arnold falls for a white girl and joins the basketball team. Tensions reach an all time high when Arnold's new school is set to play basketball against his old school, and his ex-best friend Rowdy.
Evaluation: I had heard so many good things about this book and have waited a long time to finally read it! Now, I can't believe I waited so long. This story is full of honest moments and emotions; some extremely funny and others extremely sad, violent, and horrifying.