I've never been a teenage boy, and I've never been a reservation Indian. That didn't stop me from relating to this Alexie novel. 
 The story of junior/Arnold takes place over a school year, much like our previous book club read, Eleanor and Park. This time readers are allowed into the life of Junior (as he's known on the rez) who decides he can't handle the poverty, alcoholism, violence, and overall sadness that rez life has for him. He begins his journey toward, perhaps, a newer and better life by attending school in a nearby (22 miles away!) rural white farming community school, where he learns to navigate two worlds. 
 The narrator's voice in this novel is genuine; he really did sound like the teenage boys that populate my classroom from time to time. That is one of the most charming aspect of the novel. Another interesting inclusion are the comics that Junior draws when worlds just won't do. While parts of the plot left me wanting more, I suppose that's the point. It requires me to think of junior long after the story is over, which is a good thing. 
 As I mentioned previously, one the surface it seems that I would have nothing in common with this book, but that isn't the case. I've been poor, though not as poor as Junior's family, and I've straddled two worlds in my own way. The book left me thinking about how far I've come and how far Junior might go.