Alexie, Sherman. The absolutely true diary of a part, time Indian.

ALEXIE, Sherman. The absolutely true diary of a part, time Indian. Little, Brown. 256p. illus, c2007. 0-316-01368-4. $16.99. S *

Poet and writer Sherman Alexie, based this, his first YA novel, on his experiences growing up on a Spokane reservation, and it's breathtakingly honest, funny, profane and sad. Illustrated with cartoon drawings by Ellen Forney, it's the story of "zitty and lonely" Junior, a skinny, smart 14-year-old brave enough and crazy enough to dare to go to a white school off the reservation for a better education. Of course, at first he's roundly hated by all for his decision, accused by those on the rez of being an "apple" (red on the outside, white on the inside) and tormented by kids at his new school (one asks, "Did you know that Indians are living proof that niggers fuck buffalo?") Even getting to the far-off school poses a major problem, as his dad is often too drunk to drive him, or lacks money for gas, or the car breaks down. Junior perseveres, even taking a white girl to a dance and earning a place on the basketball team, which leads to a whole new set of problems. In the end, though, it's the deaths of people he loves that almost undoes Junior (he's attended 42 funerals so far in his young life), but this also helps him realize that people both on and off the reservation care for him and share his grief.

Alexie has a unique story to tell, and he tells it with raw emotion leavened with humor. The b/w cartoons add a good deal to the tale (Junior dreams of becoming an artist), but it's Junior's voice that will stay with readers and help them understand the reservation experience, haunted by alcohol abuse but rich in family love, and know something about what it feels like to be Native American in a white world. Paula Rohrlick, KLIATT

S--Recommended for senior high school students.

*--The asterisk highlights exceptional books.