Recently, I read a poignant, powerful book called The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, written by Sherman Alexie. It blew me away. It possesses a blend of both gravity and true-to-life humor, and that’s good! because one does not get closest to life’s truth (whatever that is) by just being serious all the time.
The book is about Junior, a Native American high school boy who makes a hard decision to leave his reservation to commute to an all-white school. His immediate family is happy and cautiously hopeful for him, but his community and best friend scorn and ostracize him for the “betrayal.” Over time, he finds acceptance among several white friends in his new school, but for him the differences in living standards and the amount of internal hope and ambition for the future between people in his two worlds are stark. (more…)
The Medford Pact 