I have yet to encounter a novel with a teenage male protagonist that brimmed with affection like this book. Arnold Spirit ("Junior") is adamant in his love for his flawed but adoring parents, revered grandmother, tough sister, and always-angry best friend Rowdy. Later, Junior proclaims love for his classmates-turned-friends, his teammates and his coach. Junior's outlet is cartooning, but his tender pencil sketches reflect caring observation.
Junior is suspended after his first day at Wellpinit High School, when he throws a 30 year-old textbook at his math teacher. Recognizing Junior's rage, his teacher tells him to leave the reservation. Junior, a freakish and picked-on kid, does the unthinkable in enrolling at Reardon High School-- 22 miles away, off the rez. Junior suffers ridicule from community members and classmates alike, but eventually discover supporters and a sense of self-worth.
The illustrations-- sketches and cartoons-- are sometimes sweet, sometimes caricatures, and sometimes dark. The writing is accessible and the themes are plain: rez life is rough, family and friends are important, determination is key. Alexie also does some editorializing about reservations and alcoholism. Things become sad to the point of absurdity-- it feels wrong to say that, but I don't know how one could portray a sequence of senseless deaths more artfully. That said, the more dramatic moments tend to fall flat; I think the best material is in Junior's relationships with his father and Rowdy.
In reviews, teachers fretted about how to use this book in the classroom with the stereotypes of drunk Indians and frank sex talk, but censoring Alexie would be pointless. If anything, I felt that this semi-autobiographical work lacked the poignancy of his more autobiographical work for adults. Diary is good for late reluctant readers, but I would recommend Alexie's truly incredible The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven as a better alternative for high schoolers.
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