The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

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

Published in 2007 by Little, Brown and Company

230 pages

Warning: This novel contains sexual references, language and violence.

Genre: Self and Body Image, Friends and Society, Death, Family

Alexie tells the story of Junior, a young man growing up on a distressed Indian reservation. Junior attends a run down school and is determined to make something better of himself. Despite mocking and ridicule from fellow tribe members, Junior leaves the reservation to attend a white school. There he finds trouble, but soon finds a place on the basketball team. Yet, his friends from the reservation will not let him forget the choice he has made.

This is a good book; it is not my favorite of the books I have read, but I did enjoy it. The main character is witty and friendly; I felt invited to read the book because of him. What makes this book even more entertaining are the sporadic cartoons, drawings from Junior, who is a budding cartoon artist. I enjoyed the novel also because Junior experiences loss that people of any race will and do feel, and we see how this unites him with his white school mates, and barriers this breaks down.

My favorite line of the novel is the very last line, but I can't give it away! Without that short five word line, the novel would not be the same. It speaks volumes.

Wintergirls

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Published in 2009 by Viking Juvenile
288 pages (7 hours audio)
Warning: This novel is NOT for the faint of heart. It contains extremely disturbing images and explicit narration throughout of self harm and negative feelings. Anderson does not hide anything. There is also explicit language in the novel.
Genre: Body Image, Friends and Society, Family, Death

Wintergirls tells the chilling details of Leah, a teenage girl dealing with the death of her friend. After her friend's death, Leah claims she is being visited by her ghostly friend who just died. The two shared one thing in common. Both had eating disorders.

Cassie called Leah over 30 times the night she died, and Leah never picked up the telephone. Full of regret, Leah leads a life of destruction and harms herself, as well as those around her.

Rather then reading the novel, I listened to it. The novel, which is already shocking, was even more intense to listen to. For those who can handle the detailed and descriptive narrated scenes, I highly recommend it. I would not have gotten the same reading if I had simply read the novel.

Girl Coming in for a Landing

Girl Coming in for a Landing written by April Halprin Wayland
This novel was published in 2004 by Yearling.
128 pages
Warning: This book contains mild sensual content and language, as well as one nude photo of a woman from the waist up.
Genre: Poetry, Friends and Society, Family, Body Image

This is a novel told in poems. This book of poems is narrated by a budding teen girl during her freshman year of high school. She talks about love, kissing games, dating, her period and even having her own poetry published.

My favorite poem is the final poem of the book:

COMING IN FOR A LANDING

My heart

is coming in

for a landing

Carrying a suitcase

packed with hope.

I stuffed it,

sat on it to snap the clasps.

And as my heart dips from the cloud high

and slowly descends,

finally taxiing to the gate,

someone will unload my suitcase.

I am holding its tag tightly.

I have come to reclaim it.

Taking care...

taking it

home.

It is easy to assume the poetry is written from the perspective of a young 14-15 year old girl discovering the world. Wayland captures the spirit and mood of teenage frustration and triumph in day to day life. I also enjoyed the illustrations accompanying the poems. They were captivating and relative to the subjects of the poetry.