The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

"My curiosity for reading "Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie, was piqued by the brilliant novel, the Round House, by Eldrich.  Both novels Nat'l Book winning novels are centrally a coming of age novel of a 13 year old boy growing up on an Indian Reservation.  "Part-Time Indian," falls into the genre of a young adult novel.  Although, both deal with serious & disturbing topics that plaque American Indians. The most troubling issue is lack within the confines of the reservation.  Our protagonist Artnold is a beacon of courage. He is a big hearted cartoonist, with numerous physical shortcomings.  Still, he has  aspirations for a better life.  Arnold realizes to obtain his dreams they must stem from being educated off the reservation; at the nearest, all-white school.  The straddling of both the reservation & white community makes him an outsider to both.  However, he is emblazened to forge ahead & make a place for himself in the world.  There are many epiphanies uncovered.  "Life is a constant struggle between being an inividual and being a member of the community."   The empathy Arnold feels is profound.  The jubuliation Arnold feels after his team's victory over his old school is short lived.  He realize no one from the reservation is headed to college, several had not eaten that day, others had fathers in prison or fathers who beat them regularly.  His glory brought Arnold "tears of shame."  Truth:  this "Diary" is filled with great heart, humor, wisdom & empathy.  It's a Diary that should be uncovered and read by all ages.

The KISSING LIST - refreshingly new

I will compare Reent's novel to Egan's Pulitzer Prize, ground-breaking novel, the Goon Squad.   Reents emulates Egan's use of intertwining lives & non-linear timelines.  The Kissing List contains, quirky, fragile characters, intermittent poetry, business models, memos, test questionnaires, and so forth  that all add up to an entertaining & baffling read.  There are several female lead characters whose lives have meshed & intertwined through college, roommate configurations after graduation & the social network that entails daily lives.  Men are secondary to the women in this novel.  This does not by any means empower women over men.  Males remain sought after knights leading to "happily ever after," while the women provide each other's safety nets. The exuberance & confusion of "just getting into the real world," is felt as their over educated degrees prove ineffectual for self-sufficiency.  It is not crucial to maintain a clear notion of the relationships amongst these women, or be precise on plots.  The central quanday is the folly with which we end up with our partners. This novel proves puzzling in its storytelling. This advances the pioneering writing styles keeping abreast with our constantly evolving world.  It was a pleasant surprise how much fun I had going along for the ride.  Put The Kissing List on your must read list.

The FLAMETHROWERS: R. Kushner, merely smolders

Rachel Kushner is an exceptionally gifted, literary award winning novelist.  She received the Guggenheim Fellowship Award '13 & previously been nominated for the Nat'l Book Award.  I've read several of her novels and anticipated a complex sequence of enigmatic events.  There are two main characters, both artists, whose lives merge in NYC '75, at an iconic period of revolution in the contemporary art world.  Reno, a young female heroine, is a free spirited, motorcycle racing, filmmaker who falls for Sandro, a much older, established artist of Italian aristocracy.  Kushner has many burning observations on both the precarious powers of love & the alchemy of art.  "The desire for love is universal but that has never meant it's worthy of respect.  It's not admirable to want love, it just is."  Despite moving to NYC on her own to establish herself as an artist, Reno is feckless in relationships & maleable to a fault.  She is easily led by galvanizing men while acknowledging her actions are without resolution and self-destructive.  Sandro, the older, but no wiser, controlling lover, is so self-absorbed he becomes a caricature of the egomaniacal artist.  The droll observations on the art scene at the time are scornfully prescient.  "Only a killjoy would claim neon wasn't beautiful."  Despite her literary talents and humorous insights, I'm going to be a killjoy.  The FLAMETHROWERS sputters out.

Nat'l Book Award for The Round House by L. Eldrich

THE ROUND HOUSE refers to the communal meeting place for the Indian community living on a reservation in ND, in '88.   Our young Native Amer. hero, Joe, is just 13 and his serene & naive world is about to crumble like a house made of sand.  Joe, the only child of a loving, duo-working couple is wise beyond his years.  His father is a highly respected lawyer/judge in their community.  When Joe's father discovers his wife missing, they set out in search for her.  What they find will horrify the family & lead Joe on a life altering quest.  This poignant Nat'l Book Award winning novel is much more than a coming of age story.  It is also a mystery, a story of friendhship, a tragedy mixed with love & caring.  There are many colorful & unforgettable characters.  Grandpa Mooshum, is a centenarian whose storytelling comes in the guise of sleep talking.  More importantly, it is a social commentary on the oppression of our Native Amer. Indians whose justice has been built on quicksand.  It also profers a piercing view of religion.   THE ROUND HOUSE is a revolving story, wrapped within deeper layer.  It is a gut wrenching tale that is hard to pur down.  Not only is this a MUST read, it should continously be handed down.