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

Arnold Spirit, Junior is not your typical reservation Indian boy.  He was born with excessive spinal fluid in his brain which has lead to several different physical problems that leave him the target of jokes and taunts on his reservation.  However, he is extremely smart and encouraged to go outside of the reservation for his education at Reardan.  Although this task is difficult at first, Junior now must deal with his two different lives and the struggles of life along the way.  He has to deal with loss of several people in his live, his growing feelings for a girl of a different race and the problems he faces from his teachers as well as his own friends.  

The story begins with the details about Junior and his life on the "rez" as everyone calls.  He has struggled with several different physical problems and deformities.  Not only that, but with his parents being "poor Indians" like everyone else, it makes getting the medical care he needs a bit difficult.  Several different themes that teens can relate to run rampt in the book:  fitting in, growing up, being an outcast, love, death and friendship.  I don't want to give away too much of the plot because this is so much going on and I think that it really needs to be read in order to have the full effect.  Junior seems to live two different lives after he transfers schools.  He is the Junior that is the smart, quiet basketball player Reardan that doesn't discuss his home life, and then he is the Junior that everyone knows about back on the rez.  This is particular tricky once he develops a crush on a white girl.  While feeling he is less that his classmates because he is poor and an Indian, he still develops a great friendship with her.  But just as he is dealing with his two different lives, three tragedies in a row knock Junior down.  He must deal with the deaths of his grandmother, Eugene (who is his father's best friend, but gave him rides to school) and finally his sister.  Arnold goes through a terribly rough time, but he has the support of both his friends at school and his family and friends on the rez.  The book is really about overcoming the different obstancles and downturns in your life, in order to make it better.  Some teens, especially those from different ethnic groups may relate complete to feeling like an outsider like Junior or those with disabilities will understand his struggles.  The audio version of the book is read by the author who seems to have based the story on his own experiences.  He has a very "story-telling" quality about his narration.  He manages to bring out emotion and a sense of comedy in his reading.  No matter what teen reads the book, they will get a great understanding of hardships and how to overcome from the story.