Our April book is The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. From Amazon.com:
Product Description
Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is based on the author's own experiences, coupled with poignant drawings that reflect the character's art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he thought he was destined to live.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Alexie's YA debut, released in hardcover to instant success, recieving seven starred reviews, hitting numerous bestseller lists, and winning the 2007 National Book Award for Young People's Literature.
About the Author
A National Book Award-winning author, poet, and filmmaker, Sherman has been named one of Granta's Best Young American Novelists and has been lauded by The Boston Globe as "an important voice in American literature." He is one of the most well known and beloved literary writers of his generation, with works such as The Long Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven and Reservation Blues and has received numerous awards and citations, including the PEN/Malamud Award for Fiction and the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Award.
Find out more about Sherman Alexie on his Web page: http://www.fallsapart.com/
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ReplyDeleteThis will be fun for those of us with very poor attendance at bookclub. Thanks, Cathy!
ReplyDeleteThanks for typing this up. Following Sue's lead, I wouldn't mind seeing a summary of what book club talked about. Something like "the group really liked...or didn't like...or recommended." I know, I'm just trying to get the benefits without the attendance!
ReplyDeleteOkay, Mary - you can be the secretary at the next meeting! :)
ReplyDeleteWe talked about Native Americans and the way they are often portrayed in main stream literature. We talked about the fact that he didn't sugar coat the poverty and alcoholism and that added to the authenticity of the book.
We all agreed that the humor was pretty typical of teenage boys.
Even though many tragic things happened to Junior, he still had hope.
The rekindling of his friendship with Rowdy at the end of the book was poignant.
I'm sure there was a lot more, so others can add if they want.
This is awesome!! Thanks Cathy for doing this. I am sorry that I had to miss book club. Had a wonderful band concert to attend. I concur with the comments made from my fellow book clubbers about the book.
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