Junior is a teenage boy growing up on the Spokane Reservation, a misfit in his own tribe due to birth defects that left him fragile and smaller than average, but determined to learn and grow past the limitations imposed on him and his tribe. His one friend, a boy named Rowdy, is violent and unstable, but fiercely devoted to Junior.
After discovering just how out of date his school books are, Junior becomes determined to attend school off the reservation at the (all white) farming town nearby. Despite being labeled a traitor to his people, angering Rowdy to the point that they become enemies, and facing hostility and racism from students and teachers at his new school, Junior manages to find acceptance from a few of the students there. Eventually he finds his place and begins to thrive, academically and socially.
Meanwhile, his life on the reservation is harder than ever. Outside of his immediate family, few of the reservation residents are kind to him, and Rowdy ignores him apart from attacking him at one point. A series of tragedies strike his family, simultaneously strengthening his resolve to leave the reservation for good, and making him feel bad about spending so much time away from his family.
The book concludes after the end of Junior's first year of high school, with many of the questions posed still unanswered. Will it be possible for Junior to escape the fate of so many of his fellow Spokane tribesmen, or will he fall back into the pattern of despair and aimless existence? Will he be able to maintain a balance between the White world and the reservation, or will he be forced to choose? These questions are left open because, as the author's own life serves as testament to, there often is no definitive way to answer them.
Like all of Alexie's work, one gets the sense of lived experience from the depictions of life on the reservation, and indeed this book is largely based on the author's own childhood. Some people may criticize his occasionally harsh language regarding his fellow tribesmen, but the words and the emotions behind them are authentic. Furthermore, readers of all ethnicities and cultures can relate to Junior's story. Everyone has felt like an outsider at some point, everyone has dealt with uncertainty and apprehension during transitions, and faced negative consequences of decisions both necessary and good. The readers ability to empathize with Junior will let them understand the realities of modern life for Native Americans in a way nothing else can, and for that reason alone this book would be worth reading. That it also deals so well with the themes of acceptance, identity, death and loss is the hallmark of a truly excellent writer.
While the straightforward, personal writing style, fast pace, and Junior's frequent illustrations may appeal to younger audiences, the mature themes make this book more suitable to high school aged kids. The book is strong enough to appeal to adult readers as well, and it carries my highest recommendation.
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