Note: There are two posts for this book. I posted one a while back after reading the book, then posted this one after reading it recently for school.
Plot: a coming of age story from the perspective of a fourteen-year-old boy growing up on a Spokane Indian reservation. Junior looks around him and decides he doesn't want to be like everyone else; he doesn't want to give up all hope and live on the "rez" all his life, dirt poor and pathetically alcoholic. His parents tell him white people are the ones with the most hope, but Junior is determined to make it in the world despite his race.
Comments: this is a book commonly assigned for reading in high school, and I can understand why. It's a poetic and eye-opening story about life on a (relatively) modern day Indian reservation (yes, those still exist) and the efforts of a young Indian boy as he struggles against racism, poverty, and a depressing environment. The main character, Junior, is funny and painfully honest as he tells his story. He's just an average kid with major obstacles. Somehow it's easy to relate to him, even though his experiences are so different from most of the readers'.
His story is kind of depressing, but that makes it all the more important to hear. This book sends good messages to lots of different kinds of people, and I think anyone could learn something from reading this. There were tear-jerkingly sad parts and gut-wrenchingly hilarious ones, so I recommend you brace yourself. I also prefer reading it all at once, and it's a short book and easy to read, so that shouldn't be too much of a problem.
Rating: I give this book an eight out of ten. It's very simple, but when you're telling the truth, simple is the best way to go.
Plot: a coming of age story from the perspective of a fourteen-year-old boy growing up on a Spokane Indian reservation. Junior looks around him and decides he doesn't want to be like everyone else; he doesn't want to give up all hope and live on the "rez" all his life, dirt poor and pathetically alcoholic. His parents tell him white people are the ones with the most hope, but Junior is determined to make it in the world despite his race.
Comments: this is a book commonly assigned for reading in high school, and I can understand why. It's a poetic and eye-opening story about life on a (relatively) modern day Indian reservation (yes, those still exist) and the efforts of a young Indian boy as he struggles against racism, poverty, and a depressing environment. The main character, Junior, is funny and painfully honest as he tells his story. He's just an average kid with major obstacles. Somehow it's easy to relate to him, even though his experiences are so different from most of the readers'.
His story is kind of depressing, but that makes it all the more important to hear. This book sends good messages to lots of different kinds of people, and I think anyone could learn something from reading this. There were tear-jerkingly sad parts and gut-wrenchingly hilarious ones, so I recommend you brace yourself. I also prefer reading it all at once, and it's a short book and easy to read, so that shouldn't be too much of a problem.
Rating: I give this book an eight out of ten. It's very simple, but when you're telling the truth, simple is the best way to go.
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