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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
Some
Reservation violence; a fight; some deaths of people Junior loves
Language
A lot
Strong teen language throughout; some racial slurs in context
Sexual Content
Barely any
Brief teen romantic interest; nothing explicit
Substance Use
Some
Alcoholism on the reservation depicted honestly; Junior's family members drink heavily
Emotional Intensity
A lot
Poverty and its psychological weight; racial identity and belonging; grief for multiple losses in quick succession
What this book is about
Arnold Spirit Jr., known as Junior, has a brain condition, huge hands and feet, and a talent for drawing. When he transfers to the white high school off the Spokane reservation, he's called a traitor by his community and a curiosity by his new classmates. Alexie's National Book Award winner is a funny, heartbreaking, honest novel about poverty, racism, and the peculiar purgatory of being between two worlds. The cartoons Junior draws—bleak, hilarious—are an essential part of the book's voice.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Alcoholism on the reservation depicted honestly
Racial slurs used in context
Multiple deaths of loved ones in the second half
Reader Verification
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