On the HahaFiction shelf
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Junior draws cartoons and wants more from school than his Spokane reservation can offer. At fourteen, he transfers to a white farm-town high school. The move opens possibilities while leaving him to face other people’s stereotypes and questions about where he belongs.
From the publisher’s blurb
“Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation.”Read the full description at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, publisher description
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What makes it funny?
Junior describes his unusually large head as though it has its own orbiting skulls. His account of childhood medical problems keeps veering into extravagant, undignified images. Ellen Forney’s cartoons add jokes about the differences between Native and white appearances.
The comedy at work
Junior speaks directly to the reader, turning humiliations into exaggerated self-portraits. The jokes preserve his frankness about prejudice and pain, with the drawings adding another way to express what he sees.
Try this if…
The combination of a blunt teenage voice and cartoons suits a reader who likes a coming-of-age story told with visual wit. The humor stays close to grief and anger.
Good to know
Racism, bullying, alcoholism and bereavement are substantial parts of the story. This is a young adult novel with illustrations by Ellen Forney throughout.
A few distinguishing details
- A cartoonist’s diary of moving between two schools and communities
- Ellen Forney’s drawings alongside Junior’s narration
More funny coming of age
Sources & further reading
- Publishers Weekly review
Review
- Publisher description and illustrated edition
Publisher
- Publisher hardcover edition
Publisher
- Authorized opening excerpt
Reading sample
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