Dennis

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
By Sherman Alexie

 

"I think the world is a series of broken dams and floods, and my cartoons are tiny little lifeboats."

Alexie's first young adult novel is a semiautobiographical chronicle of Arnold Spirit, aka Junior, a Spokane Indian. Born with water on the brain and being in the top of his class , Arnold is regularly the target of bullies. His love for drawing is his only outlet for escape from his bleak surrounding.

The artwork of Ellen Forney is a perfect match to the endearing and heartbreaking writing of Alexie. Told with the wit, humor and raw truthfulness of a 14 year old there are times when you are bursting laughing one page then sobbing the next.

A tour de force for Alexie's first jump into young adult writing. I highly suggest this read for teens who feel they are on the fringe and adults who grew up there.

Alvin

Sleeping Father

by Matthew Sharpe
 

This isn't just another quirky, witty book about a dysfunctional family (and yes, I realize that term is probably redundant), this is a tour de force dissection of several psychological types prominent in our hyper-neurotic age. Sharpe is finely attuned to the secret machinations of the human mind and can write about them with an economical lucidity that makes one want to stand up and cheer: Lets hear it for articulateness! Sharpe has enough psychological insight that I'd hire him as my analyst in a heartbeat. (Unfortunately, he's not available as he's busy teaching creative writing in the Bronx.) But here's the thing: when he wants to be (which is about every thirty pages or so) Sharpe is way funnier than my current shrink... or just about anyone writing in the English language today. He's laugh-out-loud hysterically hilarious - and never in a tasteless or a contrived way, either. His humor is always compassionate and wise. And though the plot meanders a bit, it never bogs because the believable, lovable characters keep the reader so deeply engaged. If you're looking for comparisons, I'd say he's a bit like J.D. Salinger or Dave Eggers and the equal of either. High praise? You bet, but I'll stand by it!