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

Arnold Spirit Jr., known as Junior, is having one heck of a life. He was born 14 years ago with hydrocephalus (water on the brain) and a mouth that eventually grew 10 more teeth than the norm. As a result of his brain problems and the surgery that he had at 6 months of age to correct them, he has serious vision problems, a huge head, seizures, a stutter, and a lisp. His family is dirt poor, his father is an alcoholic, .

But he is also a budding cartoonist, a Spokane Indian, a passionate, loving soul, and despite everything, an optimist.

In a whirlwind chain of events that starts when he realizes that his geometry text is 30 years old, loses his temper, and throws the book across the room, Junior enrolls the previously all-white high school in the town 22 miles away, loses and makes friends, becomes a basketball star, lands in the hospital, and experiences tragedy after tragedy among those he loves. And he still hangs onto his hopes through it all.

It sounds as though this should be a tragic, touching book - and it is. But it is also hilariously funny. It's illustrated throughout with drawings by Ellen Forney, which represent Junior's cartoons and drawings and add to the the book's charm and wit.

(Read more ... with spoilers!)

I liked this a lot: after I finished it, I went back and read all my favorite bits, and then started the whole book over again.