The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
How to describe Junior -aka Arnold Spirit? Skinny, huge feet, big head, ugly glasses, myriad medical problems, and the lousiest fighter on the Indian reservation where he lives. Or as he describes it "...a poor-ass reservation kid living with his poor-ass family on the poor-ass Spokane Indian Reservation." He is also funny, intelligent, and a gifted comic artist. When he accidentally (kind of) breaks his teacher's nose, a discussion with said teacher makes him realize that the only way that he is going to survive and thrive is if he leaves the reservation. And so, as a first step, he enrolls in the all-white high school in a nearby town where other than the school mascot, he is the only Indian. But his decision is seen on the reservation as an act of betrayal and in the school he is shunned as an outsider and oddball.
"True Diary" should be a terribly sad read and sometimes is. Junior suffers more tragedy and disappointment in one year than many people do in a lifetime. But he springs off the pages with his acerbic comments, his insightful, funny cartoons and his determination, so that ultimately the tone of the book is one of joy rather than tragedy.