"The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian" by Sherman Alexie
Through this novel, you will follow Junior, a highschooler growing up on the Spokane Reservation. Junior, born to be different, fights to write his own narrative in this coming-of-age novel that also explores racism. Junior’s character is based on Alexie’s own experiences, and the heartfelt, cut-to-the-chase writing style reinforces this and builds a complex novel despite the undemanding vocabulary and sentence structure. It should come with a controversy warning, as it includes some sexual references and mentions of alcoholic behavior. It also includes some foul language, and the humor is very "teenage boy." This is, however, the perfect book to get you back into reading if you’ve been feeling unmotivated, and lucky for you, you should have free access to four copies; the county library has three and the school library has one.
The Parkway West Pathfinder rates this title 8.2/10.
If you have already read this book and want a similar read, I suggest “A Short History of the Girl Next Door” by Jared Reck. This book does come with a warning: if you are hoarding your Kleenex, steer clear– this one is a tear-jerker.
"American Panda" by Gloria Chao
A slight romance mixed with some coming-of-age sentiments, the reader explores what it means to put contemporary spins on social expectations in “American Panda.” Mei, a Taiwanese-American, heads off to college at MIT at seventeen to try to fill her parent’s expectations of becoming a doctor despite her germophobia. Whether you come from a strict household or not, this novel will deepen your understanding of what that might be like, while also awakening your inner romantic. It’s short and sweet and realistic, the only thing it wants for is some complexity in language and sentence structure. The county library has one copy of this book.
The Parkway West Pathfinder gives this title a 9.7/10.
If you want a similar(ish) read, check out “When Dimple Met Rishi” by Sandhya Menon. This one is a little less perfect; even though some of the cultural references are inaccurate, it’s still dreamy and loveable.
"The Omnivore’s Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
A nonfiction read highlighting whole foods, Pollan carefully takes you all the way from the origins of human diet to how we can make a meaningful impact on the food industry through the choices we make today. Pollan masterfully supports his claims with just enough research to leave you to make up your own mind, keeping you engaged throughout the book. However, there are times where Pollan does make unnecessarily biased statements. The county library has two copies of it, as well as three copies of the Young Reader Edition. This edition does not compromise on the hard facts, it just makes the information a little more easily digestible.
The Parkway West Pathfinder gives this title an 9.3/10.
If you like this book, or are looking for something else like it, try “Forks Over Knives,” edited by Gene Stone. The county library has three copies, and Netflix features a complementary documentary by the same title.
Credits:
Created with an image by Susan Yin - "untitled image"