I finished this book a couple weeks ago, and was waiting for my book club meeting before finishing the review/post. buuuuut…. that was also over a week ago.. oops! I’m going to blame the fact that I was sick. And addicted to Skin Wars (so cool, some people are so damn talented!). And that I’m now in Florida, and was pretty focused on attempting a tan and hanging out with Dobby at Harry Potter world in Orlando.
That said, I did start the review way back when I’d just read the book, so I’m confident that the information below is still relevant.
**NOTE: If you haven’t read the book, I recommend not reading further than the overall review, to avoid spoilers**
Initial Impressions
The book was ok. It was a really quick read, which was nice, but it seemed very young. I sort of knew this going in, as it is technically a ‘young adult’ book, but it was also removed from some schools for adult content, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I didn’t notice any especially adult content while reading, but others in my book club pointed out that there was some pretty strong language, along with alcohol use, death, abuse… so I guess it depends on what you consider to be young adult. As I don’t have children, I can’t really comment. However, as I was at one time (so very long ago, it seems!) a young adult, I’m obliged to point out that it’s always good to have a new point of view, especially concerning topics such as acceptance and diversity. I feel like I’m starting to inch into dangerous territory here, so I’m just going to leave it at that.
I’m not sure I would recommend it to others my age, but I can see how it would be valuable to a younger demographic.
Overall Review
The story is pretty much covered in the blurb, so there aren’t really any spoilers I have to worry about. Yes, of course there are details that were unexpected, but I didn’t consider them to be part of the plot, per se. I’m not explaining myself very well, and I’m blaming it on the fact that I have no idea how to be politically correct when talking about this book. For the better part of my adult life, I’ve tried to avoid racial slurs and derogatory terms, usually successfully, and I was under the impression that Native Americans should be called Native Americans (or tribe specific, or indigenous, or, really, not Indian). So here we have a novel, written by a Native American, about Native Americans, in which he refers to them, and himself, as Indian. I’m trying really hard not to be too awkward here, but, honestly, it was the main thing I kept thinking while reading the book.
One of our book club members, Shawna, pointed out that if a white person had written the same book, they’d have likely been called out on using the term ‘Indian’. This is something I find quite interesting. When you look at great authors and their works from the past, you often find they write about people, cultures, etc. of which they have no first hand knowledge. I’m struggling to think of an example, and all I can come up with is Shakespeare writing about Antony and Cleopatra (or any number of his plays, really!). Now, when we all have to tread so carefully around these issues, will writers be limited to subjects within their race, religion, culture? I’m just thinking out loud as I type, and maybe I’m completely off base, but I’d love to hear other thoughts on the subject!
Ok, back to the review! Our main character, Junior, is an Indian (I’m just going with it. For the rest of this post, please assume I mean Native American when I say Indian!), who has spent all his life on the reserve, and decides to take a risk and attend the ‘white’ school in the next town. The book covers his experiences both on the reserve and at his new school, and looks at the differences between the two, and how they both shape his perspective and affect his life.
I found the overall effect to be fairly flat, as though we were reading from the perspective of a uninterested third party, rather than someone who is actually living the events. Everything Junior said seemed very matter of fact and detached, even when expressing emotions.
Writing
As I stated above, I found the writing to be very… indifferent. Which surprised me, given the subject matter and the author’s personal connection to the story. It’s said to be based on his life! That said, there were some very poignant moments, which really stood out to me.
I suddenly understood that if every moment of a book should be taken seriously, then every moment of a life should be taken seriously as well.
I think this is so relevant to today’s culture, not specifically to books, but movies, TV shows, sports, etc. Some people get so into these things (myself included, Harry Potter, HIMYM, ANTM…the list goes on), and at the same time ignore life around them, potentially missing out on beautiful experiences and relationships while instead they’re worrying about something which has little to no impact on their own lives. Don’t get me wrong, nobody was madder than I was when Barney and Robin got divorced like 27 minutes after they got married, but I guess what I mean is that you need to balance that with real life. You have to take the time to appreciate the little things, because why should your life be built around fiction? Surely you’re more important than that!
Wow, I’m feeling especially cheesy and sentimental today, clearly! I blame the cold. The illness that is, the weather is not cold at all, it’s beautiful out today. Also, it might be a good time to implement the ‘how many tangents can someone take in a single book review?’ game. I bet I’ll win..
Characters
I have to say, I didn’t really care about any of the characters. Please don’t label me a horrible person. Maybe it’s because I find it hard to relate to 14 year olds anymore, or boys, or Indians, or, for what it’s worth, Americans.. I feel like I should have felt more sympathy for the characters, but alas, I did not. Anyway, I’ll leave them here for you to decide for yourself:
Junior (Arnold Spirit Jr)
- Our protagonist, who describes himself as unattractive and unpopular, though events in the book seem to discredit at least the first claim
- Loves to draw as a way to express his emotions and deal with the more difficult aspects of his life (I’ll admit, the drawings were a little difficult to see when I was reading on my Kindle, so maybe it was a little lost on me; it’s also possible that this is why I felt very detached from the story and characters)
- A pretty damn brave kid who decides to leave the reserve as a teenager and attend the ‘white’ school in the next town. By doing this he’s seen as an outsider by both his ‘family’ on the reserve (family being the entire community; his family is actually pretty cool about it) AND by the people in his new school. But he pushed on and was rewarded for it.
Junior’s Family (immediate, not community)
- His mother is a recovering alcoholic (no longer drinks at all), while his father is an active alcoholic. They question Junior’s decisions, but are very supportive of him. Unfortunately, his father often spends all their money on booze, though he does occasionally save some money for Junior, which is sweet, I guess
- Junior’s sister is a fair bit older and has locked herself away in the basement of the family house. They’re not close, but he does love her and wishes she would be happy. There’s a bit of a storyline related to his sister than I won’t spoil, but it’s frustrating and sad.
- His grandmother is the one person that Junior really looks up to. She’s one of the few people on the reserve who still respects the old traditions, and Junior is in awe of her, and loves her very much.
Rowdy
- Junior’s best friend, and his only friend, for most of his life
- Rowdy is regularly beaten by his father, and is angry at the world as a result, however he has always stood up for Junior and protected him against bullies
- Unfortunately, Rowdy doesn’t have the same desire to leave the reserve as Junior does, and sees his decision as a personal abandonment. As a result, Junior loses the one true friend he had at home
Penelope
- Penelope is the epitome of everything Junior wants and wants to be
- She’s pale, blonde and wealthy, and has everything
- Junior is in love with her and believes her life to be perfect, though he does find out through her that nobody’s life is perfect
Plot (Spoilers!)
Instead of the plot, per se, I’m going to write about a couple themes that stood out to me. As I mentioned earlier, it’s not a mystery novel with twists and turns, and I believe that the the words are more important than the actions, if that makes sense.
I wrote earlier about the politically correct (or incorrect) nature of the book, so I won’t go over it again, but I wanted to mention it again as it really did stick with me, and it does tie in with the other main themes of the novel.
It sucks to be poor, and it sucks to feel that you somehow deserve to be poor. You start believing that you’re poor because you’re stupid and ugly. And then you start believing that you’re stupid and ugly because you’re Indian. And because you’re Indian, you start believing that you’re destined to be poor. It’s an ugly circle and there’s nothing you can do about it. Poverty doesn’t give you strength or teach you lessons about perseverance. No, poverty only teaches you how to be poor.
The vicious cycle is seen in so many aspects of life on the reservation. Rowdy’s father beats him, so Rowdy beats up everyone else. Parents are alcoholics, so children think it’s normal to be drinking. Death becomes almost commonplace, with Junior having attended 42 funerals in his 14 years.
Everyone complains about how horrible life is on the reservation, but when Junior tries to do something about his life and go to a better school, he is shunned by his community. It gives the impression that the Indians are at fault for their own situations, which is so different than what we’ve been taught to think.
Junior’s sister also leaves the reservation, but instead of finding a better life she ends up at another reservation in exactly the same situation (albeit married and apparently happy). She passes away when she and her new husband get drunk and their trailer burns down. So, in the end, she died as a result of her situation, and of alcohol, like so many others in Junior’s acquaintance.
In my view, it’s a combination of faults. Sure, white people may be at fault for their social and racial prejudices, but are the Indians not also at fault for shaming anyone who tries to escape the poverty.
I truly hope that I haven’t offended anyone with this review, as it was not at all my intention, and I deeply apologize if I have!
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