Book 9: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Finished: February 11
Pages: 230

I've loved Sherman Alexie for a long time, and I don't know what has taken me so long to read his young adult stuff. I can totally understand why this novel won the National Book Award, much less the other 22 awards and honors. It is excellently written, with heartbreaking tragedy and an inside look at the world of our young people and their interactions with the world around them. It also has that insider's honesty about the ramifications of growing up on an Indian Reservation, the kind of people who work there, and the politics of that kind of life.
The story is narrated by Arnold Spirit Jr. Called Junior on the reservation, Arnold at the white school he attends, and illustrated by him as well. He communicates some of his best ideas through pictures, and they are at times both heartbreaking and hilarious.

The life of an Indian living on the reservation is a life that I would not want for myself. Arnold leaves the reservation school because a teacher asks him to find hope, to not let

When his grandmother dies, Arnold's mother reacts by sobbing violently, a reaction that is familiar to us all, and Arnold's poignant observation that "When anybody, not mater how old they are, loses a parent, I think it hurts the same as if you were only five years old, you know? I think all of us are always five years old in the presence and absence of our parents" shows how mature the narrator is.

As a white person, I am occasionally guilty of some of the things that are brought to light in this book, no matter the intentions. The misrepresentation of Indians in mainstream culture can have a pretty powerful impact on how we interact with one another. The novel is full of wonderful cartoons and illustrations that go a long way to put into words (1,00 to every picture) the things that Arnold tries to express about his life, and the lives of everyone on his reservation.

Good reading,
Caitlin

Book 8: Light Boxes

Finished: February 2
Pages: 147

Here is the deal with this book. I am apparently not cool enough or smart enough or something, because I just do not get it. The premise seemed simple: the month of February is never ending, causing all sorts of issues: flight stops working, the sun never shines, the snow, winter, are never ending, despair reaches all the citizens.

But then the weirdness started, and it never stopped. February became a person, then was someone else; people died, but didn't die; every character was an archetype rather than a character; the font changed sizes, and took up little room on some of the pages.

I felt crazy by the time I finished, which I suppose was the author's intention. However, all the different font sizes, and empty pages just made me feel like I wasn't getting it. I hate not getting it.

I did like the opening quotation:
"The most serious charge which can be brought against New England is not Puritanism but February." With all our crazy weather we have had lately, I could only imagine how awful it would be to have all that snow and grey and cold all winter long, all February long.

All in all, I'm glad that, unlike February in the story, the book was short.

Good Reading,
Caitlin

Book 7: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

Finished: January 31
Pages: 373

I suppose, for a man in his 70's publishing his first mystery novel, this one isn't bad. And to be perfectly honest, I don't read mystery novels.
My issues are few but inescapable. The heroine is both precocious and naive, sometimes in a way that is well done, sometimes in a way that makes me want to punch her in the face. The overwhelming British-ness makes me think that the author was trying too hard to be British, and in light of discovering his Canadian roots, is slightly forgivable.
The thing that bothered me the most is the reason why I don't like mystery novels. I need to know what the hell is going on, and in this particular book, it took me two-thirds of the book to figure out who and what and huh? I'd rather just watch Hercule Poirot reruns on PBS.
The dialogue and character development was good, with the minor exception of the protagonist, sometimes.

Good Reading,
Caitlin