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

When a high school freshman living on the Spokane Indian Reservation opens his geometry book on the first day of school, he discovers it’s the same book his mom used 30 years ago! That’s the last straw for Junior, a charter member of the Black-Eye-of-the-Month-Club. He’s tired of getting beat up, and getting a substandard education, so he tells his parents he wants to go to the all-white high school in town. Junior survives being called “Apple” by his Indian peers, and “Tonto” or “Chief” by his new classmates because he has a useful skill: he can play basketball. Junior’s own cartoons illustrate this fast-paced story about a kid who refuses to do what’s expected of him.