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Chapter 1Junior, a Spokane Indian teenager in Wellpinit, Washington, introduces himself by telling his birth story of having water on the brain, which is an excess cerebral spinal fluid. He survived a surgery at six months that was expected to kill him. He emerged with several physical problems, such as 10 extra teeth. Since the Indian Health Service only funds dental surgery once a year, Junior had all 10 teeth pulled in a day, without enough painkillers.Junior also wears thick Indian Health Service-provided glasses. Besides having lopsided vision, a skinny body, and a large skull, Junior stutters, lisps, and has frequent seizures at age 14. He's mocked by everyone "on the rez" and beat up at least once a month; this is why he considers himself a member of the Black-Eye-of-the-Month Club.To avoid others Junior stays inside frequently, reads, and draws cartoons. He shares a drawing of himself shaking and lisping. Junior draws everyone he knows; he thinks everyone, regardless of language, can understand a picture. When Junior draws, he feels he can talk to the world and be heard. He's also hoping to become an artist—he sees art as his only chance to escape the reservation.Chapter 2Junior?knows cartoons don't bring the food or money his family needs. Hunger, he says, isn't the worst thing about being poor—although the occasional bucket of chicken tastes even better after long periods of hunger. The worst thing about poverty is something else. Junior tells the reader how his adopted dog and dependable best friend, Oscar, became ill.?Mom?reluctantly told him the family had no money to take Oscar to the vet. Despairing, Junior realized "a reservation Indian boy" can't get a job to pay Oscar's vet bills.?Dad?came home and took Oscar outside for a mercy killing as Junior screamed in protest.Though Junior wants to hate his parents for their poverty, he knows how much he needs them, and he realizes they were born into a cycle of hopelessness. His intelligent, well-read mother would have gone to college given the chance. His father, who sings and plays guitar, piano, and saxophone, would have been a musician. Junior's drawing shows his parents dressed for their dream jobs: what they'd look like "if somebody had paid attention to their dreams." Instead, they're poor reservation Native Americans. Junior sometimes questions whether he deserves to be poor, and he knows poverty has no redeeming qualities.Understanding his family's limitations, Junior carried Oscar outside and ran away from his dad's shot. A bullet, he reflects, is always affordable.Chapter 3Junior's friend?Rowdy?talks him out of his depression after Oscar's death. Rowdy is tough, with a heart "as strong and mean as a snake." Rowdy calls the bloody face wounds from his abusive, alcoholic father "war paint." He is Junior's best human friend.Rowdy asks Junior if he wants to go to the Spokane Tribe's annual Labor Day weekend powwow. Though Junior enjoys the dancing and singing at the powwow, he'd rather not go: any Native Americans who aren't singing will likely get drunk and beat him up. Rowdy offers to protect him, an offer Junior takes seriously because of Rowdy's constant rage. Rowdy will fight anyone and anything, even the weather. Junior agrees to go to the powwow.The dancers don't disappoint Junior; he draws a cartoon of a "chicken dancer" beside a chicken to show the similarities. When Rowdy trips, Junior laughs at him, triggering Rowdy's anger. Since Rowdy won't hurt his best friend, he destroys a nearby car. Junior runs away into the camp of the bullying Andruss triplets. The adult triplets push Junior back and forth and mock his brain disorder. Rowdy avenges Junior by cutting off the triplets' hair, which Native American men take great pride in and shaving their eyebrows while they sleep.Junior knows Rowdy's got a soft side: he's a "big, goofy dreamer." Junior shares his dreams only with Rowdy, who likes to escape to the life inside children's comic books. Junior draws a cartoon of reading Rowdy, who is angry and reluctant to be drawn.Chapter 4It's?Junior's first day of high school, and he's excited about his first geometry class. He loves the right angles of buildings even more than he loves the curves on women. He admits he masturbates and that he's good at it. Junior likes walls and angles so much that he used to sleep in the closet until his sister?Mary?teased him. She moved into their parents' basement after leaving high school and is still there, jobless. Her nickname is "Mary Runs Away" due to her drifting nature. Junior admires her; she's "beautiful and strong and funny." His cartoon of Mary shows shoplifted clothing, acne scars, and a lightning bolt tattoo.Though Junior wants to start school, he's nervous he won't perform well on the basketball team and that?Rowdy?will abandon him for older kids. On the first day Junior's teacher, Mr. P, brings in geometry textbooks. Like most of the white teachers on the reservation, he's strange; he sometimes forgets to come to school, or he teaches in pajamas and slippers. Unlike the other teachers, he has no liberal or Christian agenda he pushes on the students. Mr. P just seems lonely.Junior's so thrilled to get his geometry book that he tries to kiss it, confessing shyly and proudly that he's a "book kisser." Then he sees the name on the inside front cover. It's Agnes Adams, Junior's mother's maiden name. The book is at least 30 years older than its students; that's how poor and apathetic the school is. "My hopes and dreams floated up in a mushroom cloud," Junior says, and a cartoon shows him throwing the book in Mr. P's face.Chapter 5After hitting Mr. P with the textbook,?Junior?has been suspended. His parents and grandmother are disappointed, which crushes Junior. Mr. P comes to visit him a week later and asks why Junior hit him with the book. Junior says he didn't mean to hit him, but Mr. P thinks otherwise. Even though breaking an old man's nose is "almost unforgivable," Mr. P says he can forgive Junior because he himself hit Native American kids in his early days of teaching.Mr. P mentions Junior's sister?Mary, the smartest student he'd ever had, wanted to write romance novels. Junior's surprised because he didn't know Mary wrote or even read novels. He and Mr. P both wonder why Mary didn't hang on to her dream. Maybe it was because she was depressed. Junior thinks the rest of his family is depressed, too. His dad is usually either drinking or watching basketball. Though Junior wants to believe Mary has time to change her life, he fears people can't really change their lives. Mr. P tells Junior he deserves better, and Junior begins to cry.They discuss Junior's bullying at school. He says?Rowdy?protects him, but Mr. P believes Rowdy will only get more aggressive due to the cycle of abuse in his family. Then Mr. P tells Junior to leave the reservation. Mr. P is just as angry at the Native Americans in Wellpinit as he is at the white people. He says the kids are only being taught "how to give up." Junior threw the book, Mr. P says, because he doesn't want to give up. Instead, he's been a fighter since he was born. To survive, Junior needs to go where other people have hope.Chapter 6Junior?sits on the porch and thinks after Mr. P's visit. When his parents come home, he asks them who has the most hope. They say white people do.Junior, who expected this answer, tells them he wants to transfer schools. He wants to go to Reardan, a wealthy white farm town with one of the best schools in the state. His parents are surprised, but since they want the best for him they agree.?Mom?warns Junior that the people on the reservation will be angry with him for leaving.Chapter 7Junior?tells?Rowdy?about his plans to transfer to Reardan. Rowdy becomes angry, and when Junior invites him to come along he declines with disgust. The reservation school's competitive teams have lost to Reardan regularly. Junior admires the intelligence and hope of the Reardan students, but Rowdy considers them rivals.When Junior tries to touch Rowdy, Rowdy pulls away. Both boys start crying. Junior asks for Rowdy's forgiveness. Rowdy insists Junior thinks he's better than everyone else and punches him. Junior then realizes Rowdy has become his enemy.Chapter 8Junior's dad drives him to his first day at Reardan. Junior's terrified, but his dad admires his courage and reminds him white people aren't better than he is. As the other Reardan students file in, Junior feels them staring. He still has the black eye?Rowdy?gave him. He's the only Native American there besides the stereotyped school mascot. Junior's cartoon shows a student who is half white and half Native American. The white half is dressed in designer clothes, looking forward to a bright future; the Native American half wears cheap clothes and has a "vanishing past."Feeling worthless, Junior considers walking away. Instead, he goes to his first class. A gorgeous blonde girl named Penelope catches his attention, but she laughs when he tells her his name is Junior—a common name on reservations. When Junior's teacher calls him by his given name, Arnold Spirit, he's caught off guard. He tells the teacher his name is both Junior and Arnold, feeling like "two different people inside of one body."His accent and lisp make him self-conscious, and he doesn't speak for six days. On the seventh day Junior gets into a fistfight. He's used to the Spokane Indian Rules of Fisticuffs, which require fighting anyone who insults you or your family. Though Junior has lived by these unwritten rules, he's a terrible fighter. Kids at Reardan don't punch him—they fear him because he's Native American and "a potential killer." Instead, they call him racist names.Scared of their strength, Junior doesn't challenge them until the seventh day. A large football player named Roger tells Junior the most racist joke he's heard in his life. When Roger and his friends laugh, Junior knows he has to defend himself and his people, so he punches Roger. Instead of fighting back, Roger stands still, stunned and offended. Junior says they'll finish the fight after school. Roger calls him crazy and walks away. Bewildered, Junior asks Roger what the rules are. As Roger leaves without answering, Junior's left feeling like he's stranded on an alien planet.Chapter 9At home that night,?Junior?anticipates Roger is plotting revenge, like a Native American would. He realizes how much his own safety depended on?Rowdy?before. Junior goes to his grandmother for advice. She tells Junior that Roger was only testing his boundaries. Since Junior challenged the "alpha dog," Grandmother says, he's earned the respect of his classmates. Junior doesn't believe her. He then adds a detailed cartoon of his grandmother. She wears an old housedress, basketball sneakers, and her grandfather's belt.The next day Junior's dad doesn't have enough gas to drive him to school. So he gets a ride on the bike of his dad's best friend Eugene, who is a "funny and kind drunk." He's like an uncle to Junior, but Junior senses he's sad. At Reardan Eugene commends Junior for his bravery. Roger sees Junior and admires Eugene's bike. Junior's surprised at Roger's kindness after their altercation. He doesn't get the same kindness from Penelope, who sniffs at him and mocks his two names again.Chapter 10Junior?reflects on his first crush at 12—a Native American girl named Dawn. She was a tall, gifted, powwow dancer with legendary braids. Dawn didn't return his affections; she made fun of him instead. Junior figures he'll always fall in love with uninterested girls.Junior confessed his love for Dawn to?Rowdy?one night. Rowdy said Dawn didn't care about him, and Junior cried—Rowdy thinks Junior's always cried too easily, which makes him weak. Junior makes Rowdy promise not to tell anyone he cried about Dawn. Rowdy never did.Chapter 11On Halloween?Junior?doesn't go to school in costume. He jokes he's dressed as a homeless man in his usual clothes. Penelope dresses as a homeless woman to protest the treatment of the homeless in America. She plans to collect spare change instead of candy while out trick-or-treating that night. Junior offers to do the same on the reservation.When Junior collects change in his neighborhood, several people, including his parents, give change gladly. But even more slam the door in his face. Three kids in masks kick him, spit on him, and steal his money. Junior wonders if?Rowdy?is one of the people that beat him up.Junior tells Penelope about the attack the next day. She's horrified and offers to put Junior's name on her own collection. Junior tells her it feels good to help people, and she agrees. But the brief connection with Penelope doesn't make him more popular with her or anyone else.Chapter 12At school?Junior?walks through the halls feeling invisible. When he leaves the reservation he feels less than Native American, and at school he feels less than human. The other kids don't talk to him. But things aren't all bad. Junior discovers he's smarter than most Reardan students. He even corrects a teacher in geology class. The teacher, Mr. Dodge, angrily mocks both Junior and the reservation school. Gordy, the class genius, tells Mr. Dodge that Junior's right. Mr. Dodge thanks Gordy for the correction but ignores Junior. After class Junior thanks Gordy, and Gordy says he only did it for science.Junior takes the bus to the reservation border that night and waits for his dad, who doesn't show up.?Dad?sometimes doesn't have gas money, or stops to play the slot machines. So Junior either walks the 22 miles home or gets a ride from someone going to the reservation. He shares a cartoon of how he gets to school five days in a row (usually either walking or hitchhiking).He arrives home to find his mother crying. She tells Junior that?Mary?left home and married a man she met at the casino. This is unusual, since Junior's family, like most Native American families, sticks close together. Junior's surprised and impressed Mary made a change. She and her husband, a Flathead Indian, have moved to Montana. Junior thinks his leaving may have encouraged Mary. Her risk-taking and courage indicate to Junior that Mary's trying to live out the plot of the romance novels she wants to write.Inspired by his sister to face his fears, Junior confronts Gordy the next day. Gordy draws him into a discussion about computers, then asks Junior about tautologies, a word Junior doesn't understand. Junior doesn't want to be an "illiterate Indian idiot." So he gets to his point—he wants to be Gordy's friend. He realizes Gordy, who uses big words and unusual phrases, is a fellow outsider.Junior and Gordy begin to study together. Gordy is more enthusiastic about books than Junior. He tells Junior to read books three times to grasp their true meaning and to take words seriously. When Junior shares the importance of cartoons in his life, Gordy understands. In fact, Gordy says books and cartoons should produce excitement and joy, a "metaphorical boner." Books are a mystery, Gordy says, and they reveal parts of the world people don't know yet. Junior's intrigued by the idea that even familiar places can have hidden information and mysteries. He decides that in Reardan he's a "joyous freak."Chapter 13Mary?sends?Junior?a long e-mail, where she shares she's looking for a restaurant job. Some of the Montana reservations are filled with white people who dislike Native Americans. But she likes most of the Montanans she's met, regardless of their skin color. She loves the hotel where she and her husband stayed on their honeymoon. There was Indian fry bread on the hotel menu, which Junior and Mary's grandmother used to make. Mary imagines a Flathead Indian grandmother making fry bread in the hotel kitchen. She seems happy with her marriage and her new life.Chapter 14Junior's family has a Thanksgiving feast with turkey. Junior acknowledges it's strange for Native Americans to celebrate Thanksgiving. When he brings this up to?Dad, he jokes they should be grateful to white people for not killing all of them.Junior misses?Rowdy?and draws a cartoon of the two boys as superheroes. He takes the cartoon to Rowdy's house and gives it to Rowdy's dad, who says the cartoon is "a little gay." Junior wants to defend his desire to rekindle the friendship, but he thanks Rowdy's dad and leaves instead. He looks up and sees Rowdy in his bedroom, looking sadly at the cartoon. He waves at Rowdy, who gives him the finger. Though Rowdy still hates him, Junior can tell Rowdy respects his drawing ability and the insights of his cartoons.Chapter 15Back at school,?Junior?takes a bathroom break and hears someone vomiting violently in the girls' bathroom. He asks if the person in the bathroom is OK and is told to go away. Instead, Junior waits outside. Penelope comes out, chewing cinnamon gum to cover up the smell of vomit. Junior confronts her about her eating disorder. Penelope says she's bulimic, not anorexic, and she's only bulimic when she's throwing up. This excuse reminds Junior of his dad saying he's only an alcoholic when he's drunk. Junior figures everyone deals with pain in different ways. He tells Penelope not to give up; the same advice he often gives his dad.Penelope confesses to Junior she's lonely and scared, despite her beauty and popularity. Junior notices she thinks highly of herself, and he's even more attracted to her. The two become friends and start dating casually. Junior meets Penelope's father, Earl, who threatens him with violence if he gets Penelope pregnant. Junior knows Earl's animosity is fueled by racism. He senses Penelope only likes him because he's new and different. But he doesn't mind; they're both using each other, in a way, to get what they want.As the two get to know each other, Penelope tells Junior she wants to leave home and travel the world. Everyone in Reardan, she says, has "small dreams." Junior thinks Penelope's dreams of world travel are too dramatic and asks her what she'd really like to do. Penelope wants to be an architect, build something beautiful, and be remembered. Junior realizes they both feel restrained by their surroundings. He draws a cartoon of a bird suited for flying long distances—an "Arnelope," combining his name and hers. He draws another of Penelope in her dad's old hat.Chapter 16Junior?watches Penelope play volleyball. He marvels at both her beauty and how white she is—blonde and pale in her white uniform.He e-mails?Rowdy?to tell him he's in love with a white girl. Rowdy writes back that he's sick of Native Americans "who treat white women like bowling trophies." Frustrated, Junior asks Gordy for advice on getting a white girl to love him. Gordy does research and discovers the case of a missing white girl in Mexico who received lots of media coverage. Gordy learns that over 200 Mexican girls also went missing in the same place and no one paid attention. Junior's love for a beautiful white girl, Gordy says, means he's "a racist asshole like everybody else." Junior realizes his new friend is just as tough as his old one.Chapter 17Junior's commute makes him feel "half Indian in one place and half white in another." He enjoys spending time with Penelope, and he appreciates the effort his parents put into helping him go to school. But he's still poor. A cartoon describes the ways Junior explains away or dismisses his poverty to others.When Junior has a chance to take Penelope to the Winter Formal in December, he's nervous he doesn't have enough spending money. But the dance is a big deal, and he wants to attend. He has to wear his dad's 1970s polyester disco suit, which he illustrates in a cartoon. Fortunately for Junior, Penelope loves the suit, earning him the approval of the other students. The two dance every dance together. Then they're invited to eat at a diner with Roger and other upperclassmen and Junior panics. He won't be able to pay for anything.They head to the diner, where Junior orders plenty of food to enjoy a last meal before "execution." In the bathroom he talks to Roger about trying out for the basketball team. Roger's encouraging, but Junior thinks he'll only be good enough for junior varsity. Seeing no way out, Junior says he forgot his wallet at home, and Roger gives him money to cover the meal.When they arrive back at the school, Junior—who plans to walk or hitchhike home—says he's waiting for a ride from his dad. Penelope asks if he's poor. Junior reluctantly says yes. Penelope kisses him on the cheek, and Junior realizes she's concerned about him as a friend. Penelope insists he ride home with Roger instead of hitchhiking. Junior says Roger would drive him home from school many nights in the future. He's glad he told his friends the truth.Chapter 18In the school computer lab,?Junior?and?Rowdy?exchange e-mails. Junior laughs, missing Rowdy's juvenile humor in a world of repressed Reardan students. Gordy notices the e-mail, and the two talk about Rowdy. Junior says some Native Americans think if you become white, you'll be successful. Gordy counters not all white people are successful. Still trying to explain his dilemma, Junior says Native Americans at home call him an apple because he's red on the outside and white on the inside. Gordy says life is a struggle between individual and group identity.Junior's confused, so Gordy explains "weird people" with no survival skills threatened the safety of ancient tribes. Now, he says, weird people are still cast out. Junior thinks he and Gordy, the school weirdos, are a tribe of two.Chapter 19Mary?writes a brief letter to?Junior. She's still job hunting. In the meantime she's decided to write her life story—about leaving her house and finding her home. She misses her family and asks Junior to send her love. Mary encloses a picture of her new house, a trailer, which she calls "the most gorgeous place in the world." Junior sketches the trailer with bumper stickers and a beer can.Chapter 20Junior's considering skipping the Reardan basketball team tryouts. He fears he won't be good enough. His dad encourages Junior by talking about when he met his mother—he was a small child, and Junior's mother was a teenager. It was an improbable match, but it worked.Junior signs up for the team. He's intimidated by the skill of the upperclassmen and by the authoritative Coach, who plans to cut 16 players that day. The players do several drills and then full-court one-on-one. Junior's shocked. One-on-one during tryouts? Tired and sweaty, he goes up against Roger. When Roger makes a shot, Coach goes up to Junior and says he knows him from the reservation team. In the next one-on-one round, Junior scores a shot against Roger. A newly confident Junior is picked for the varsity team.Two weeks later he learns the team's first game will be against Wellpinit High School—a coincidence that Junior says "was like something out of Shakespeare." Despite his fear, he joins the team for their game at Wellpinit, where the Native Americans immediately express contempt. Small kids throw rocks at the team bus, and reservation fans chant "Arnold sucks," using Junior's Reardan name. Only the presence of his family keeps Junior in the stadium.As Junior enters, each member of the reservation turns their back. He laughs at this unusual show of organization from his community. Then he sees?Rowdy, who hasn't turned his back but instead is angry and ready to play. Coach encourages Junior to use his anger on the court. He doesn't get much chance at first, since a quarter thrown by an audience member gashes his head. Eugene, an EMT, fixes the cut. Eugene tells Junior he doesn't hate him and wants to see him play. As soon as Junior returns to the game, Rowdy, who's been playing more aggressively than usual, slams his elbow into Junior's head. Junior is taken by ambulance to the hospital. Meanwhile, the Wellpinit team wins by 30 points, aided by two frightened white referees.Junior suffers a mild concussion, but the doctor says he'll be fine despite his brain condition. Later that night, Coach comes to visit him. Coach regrets having him play at all and says winning isn't the most important thing. Junior disagrees, thinking "Every game is important." Coach admires his commitment. The two talk late into the night. Junior doesn't share what they talked about, saying that night is between him and his coach.Chapter 21As Christmas approaches,?Junior's family doesn't have much money for presents. The stress causes?Dad?to take the money they do have and get drunk, as he's done before around the holidays.Dad returns after New Year's Day. He apologizes to Junior, who says it's OK, even though it isn't. Junior realizes he's protecting the man who keeps breaking his heart. Dad tells Junior he has something for him in his boot—five dollars. Junior considers how badly Dad must have wanted to spend that money on alcohol. He thanks Dad and wishes him a Merry Christmas.Chapter 22Junior?tells the reader he hasn't "fallen in love with white people" as they might think—he still admires Native Americans. His sister, for instance, is working hard on her book: a book about hope. His parents have their faults, but they sacrifice for him and listen to him. Junior has learned a parent who ignores their children is the worst kind. Many of Junior's Reardan classmates, for instance, have fathers with whom they rarely interact. In Junior's Wellpinit community, not only are the parents closer to their children, but everyone knows everyone else. In Reardan, a small community itself, people can be strangers to each other. And plenty of Reardan kids and adults still think Junior doesn't belong at the paring Reardan and Wellpinit, Junior thinks the best thing about Wellpinit was his grandmother. He praises her tolerance. Native Americans used to celebrate difference—epileptics and gay people, for instance, were revered community members. Though the spread of Christianity and colonialism has made Native Americans more judgmental, Junior's grandmother kept "that old-time Indian spirit." For instance, she'd talk to homeless people on the street and even to the invisible people the homeless imagined. She was the only one on the reservation who fully supported Junior going to Reardan. Grandmother's open mind and heart made her a beloved Native American community member.Grandmother was on her way home from a powwow when she was hit by a drunk driver and killed. In the hospital before she died, she asked her family to forgive the driver who killed her. The driver was a fellow Spokane Indian, an alcoholic.?Dad?respects Grandmother's wishes and doesn't hurt the driver, even when he gets out of prison. Junior is devastated by the injustice of Grandmother's death since she was one of the few Native Americans on the reservation who stayed sober to experience the world more fully.Chapter 23Almost 2,000 Native Americans attend?Junior's grandmother's wake. So many people attend that the wake is moved to a football field. Though they still view Junior as a traitor, they recognize his grief and don't give him any trouble.?Mary?can't make it to the funeral, but she promises to sing 100 mourning songs. Junior reflects we all grieve in different ways. Ten hours into the wake, a white man stands up and introduces himself as Ted. Junior recognizes him—he's a famous billionaire. Junior's drawing of Ted shows him in expensive, inauthentic, Native American clothing. When Ted says, "I feel Indian in my bones," the Native American mourners groan. They've heard this before from white people.Ted talks about how he collects Native American art. This is another familiar story, and the Native Americans don't pay attention until he mentions having a powwow dance outfit. Ted tells a story about a Native American stranger who showed up at his cabin with the beautiful, intricate, woman's outfit. Though Ted suspected the stranger of being a liar, he bought the outfit anyway for a thousand dollars. Junior grows exasperated at several points during the story, including Ted's reference to his mansion as a "cabin" and Ted's claim that he always opens his door to Native Americans.Ted researched the outfit's origin and determined it belonged to Junior's grandmother. He felt guilty and decided to return it to her, only to learn she'd passed away. The mourners are taken aback by this confession. Junior's mother approaches the man to examine the outfit. She says that while Grandmother loved going to powwows, she never danced and wouldn't own a dance outfit. She also points out that the beadwork isn't from the Spokane tribe. Embarrassed, Ted takes the outfit and leaves.After a brief silence, all 2,000 mourners begin to laugh. They laugh for a while. Junior says that in death, "Laughter and tears are pretty much the same thing." The crowd continues to laugh, each mourning their own grandmothers and even themselves, since one funeral in the community is a funeral for them all. Junior draws a cartoon of the doors of Heaven, complete with graffiti and balloons, waiting to welcome Grandmother.Chapter 24For Valentine's Day?Junior?gives Penelope a homemade valentine. A few days afterward Eugene is shot and killed by a good friend in Spokane. The two had been arguing, drunk, possibly fighting over the last drink in a bottle of wine. Junior shares a five-paneled cartoon about different ways for two Native Americans to get the last sip of wine from the bottom of a bottle. Eugene's friend hangs himself in jail.Each member of the Spirit family grieves differently.?Dad?drinks.?Mom?goes to church. Junior reads and draws cartoons. Several of his cartoons mock Jesus and religion, since he believes they've failed him. He looks up the word?grief?and searches for more cartoons and stories. Gordy shows him a book by Euripides with a quotation from Medea, "What greater grief than the loss of one's native land?" Junior relates to the quote's sense of loss and homelessness. He becomes depressed and considers dropping out of school. He feels his leaving has cursed the family.After several missed days Junior returns to school. His social studies teacher, Mrs. Jeremy, mocks Junior for his many absences. His classmates, who know about Junior's family struggles, are stunned. Junior draws a five-paneled cartoon illustrating the reasons he missed school, including funerals, lack of money and transportation, and taking care of his parents. Mrs. Jeremy's comments cause Gordy to throw his book to the floor in protest. Every other student does the same. They all walk out of the classroom, leaving Junior behind. To regain joy in his life Junior lists his favorite people, musicians, foods, books, and basketball players. He describes the process of writing and rewriting as his "grieving ceremony."Chapter 25Junior?is turning out to be a great player and shooter on the Reardan basketball team, to his surprise. Coach even suggests he play college ball. The thought of college intrigues Junior, since no one in his family or tribe has ever attended. The team has a winning streak, and other players get compared to famous athletes, but Junior doesn't. He wonders if a Native American can have a legacy in a white town.When the time comes for the rematch with Wellpinit, Junior knows the white players will cheer him on. He draws two cartoons of himself: one in the Wellpinit gym, branded as a "white lover," and the other in the Reardan gym, being cheered to victory. Both cartoons wonder, "Who am I?" Nevertheless, Junior is determined to beat?Rowdy.A local news crew interviews Junior before the match and asks how he feels playing against his old teammates. Junior can only describe the situation as weird. After the interviewer prods him, Junior says he's had to grow up too fast and that he's learned every moment and choice in his life is important. When Junior refuses to share his resolutions on camera, the interviewer gets angry. Junior finally tells him he's nervous, especially about confronting Rowdy, and that he wants to "destroy" Rowdy on the court.Junior tries to address the camera again. He says this is the most important night of his life, and he needs to prove he'll never give up—not just in basketball, but in life. In the locker room the players all encourage Junior. Coach goes over the game plan and says he wants Junior to start and guard Rowdy for the whole game. Junior doesn't think he can do it, but Coach tells him he can. Junior thinks the words, "You can do it" are the most amazing words anyone can say to him.He runs onto the court with the rest of the team. The crowd cheers Reardan and boos Wellpinit. When Rowdy and Junior face off, Rowdy says Junior won't be able to stop him. As the game begins Rowdy races toward the basket with the ball. Junior jumps higher than Rowdy, for the first time in his life, and takes the ball out of his hands. Then Junior sticks his tongue out at Rowdy and shoots a three pointer. The gym cheers.Junior doesn't make another shot in the game, but his first victory sets the tone, and Reardan wins by 40 points. Junior's cheering teammates hoist him on their shoulders. Junior's thrilled, until he looks at his dad quietly watching the defeated Wellpinit team. Junior remembers that most of the Wellpinit kids have rough home lives and no promise in their future, and some face abuse at home. Meanwhile, the Reardan team is hopeful and headed for college. Junior feels ashamed at his own rage and pain. He goes to the locker room and cries.Later in the year the Reardan team loses in the playoffs after an undefeated season. All the players weep, even Coach.Chapter 26Junior?e-mails?Rowdy?apologizing for the game. They trade insults. Junior realizes the tone is friendly, and they're talking for the first time since he left the reservation. He's glad.Chapter 27Junior?reflects on the 42 funerals he's been to at age 14. The deaths are "really the biggest difference between Indians and white people." The saddest part, he thinks, is how most of the deaths have been alcohol related. He disagrees with Leo Tolstoy's quote, "Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." Native American families, he believes, are all unhappy because of the booze.That morning Junior is called to the guidance office. The guidance counselor, Miss Warren, starts crying and hugs Junior. She tells him his sister's dead. At first Junior doesn't believe her. He's put off by her kindness.While Junior waits for his dad in the snow, he fears his dad has been in an accident. He laughs with hysterical relief when?Dad?arrives safely and tells him how?Mary?died. She was drunk after a party in her trailer and fell asleep. A guest left a hot plate on, and the trailer burned down. Junior laughs again when he learns Mary was too drunk to feel pain. He then falls asleep and dreams about cantaloupe, which his sister loved.Junior and his dad cry and express their love for each other. At their house, where several relatives are gathered,?Mom?slaps Junior and tells him never to drink or to leave her. Junior goes through Mary's wake and funeral numb with grief. As he runs away from her coffin, he runs into?Rowdy, who had been watching the burial. Rowdy tries to punch Junior and misses, and Junior laughs. An angry Rowdy then blames Junior for Mary's death, and Junior realizes he's responsible for Mary leaving the reservation, which led to her death. Rowdy screams that he hates Junior and runs off.The next day Junior goes back to school. His family is still gathered at the house, but he knows they'll be drinking, and he doesn't want to watch or participate. At Reardan his classmates are sympathetic to his loss. Junior's struck by how much they care. But his world has exploded, and he doesn't know what to say or how to act.Chapter 28Junior?shares an illustration of his report card. He's drawn the school's Native American mascot and renamed the school "Rear dumb (& high) School." His grades are mostly A's with a few B's. Stars surround the report card.Chapter 29Junior?goes with his parents to the graveyard to clean the graves of Eugene, Grandmother, and?Mary. Junior's parents kiss, to his chagrin. The family has a moment of bonding. Junior reflects that he'll always love his sister and be proud of her for moving to Montana.He cries because he knows more members of his tribe will die alcohol-related deaths, though he wants them to get sober and leave the reservation. He's the only one, so far, with enough arrogance to leave. Though he's lonely, Junior doesn't regret his choice. He thinks about all the many tribes and groups he belongs to. Junior knows he'll be OK. But he wants to find?Rowdy?and ask his forgiveness.Chapter 30Junior?praises the beauty of the reservation, especially its pine trees. One pine tree in particular, over 100 feet tall, grows beside Turtle Lake. Junior recalls climbing the tree with?Rowdy?when they were 10.It was a hot day, and they'd decided to go swimming. There are lots of myths and legends about the lake, stories invoking ghosts and monsters. In a story that especially scares Junior, the lake caught on fire and the body of Stupid Horse, a horse that had drowned in the lake, resurfaced.Rowdy and Junior scaled the tree almost to the top. From there the reservation looked "green and golden and perfect." Now, Junior can't believe they climbed to that height. He also can't believe he survived his first year at Reardan. He misses Penelope, Roger, and his other friends. He feels good about the future.As Junior is killing time in the house that summer, Rowdy comes in, saying he's bored. Surprised to see his friend, Junior considers making Rowdy apologize. Instead, he asks Rowdy if he wants to shoot some hoops. The two play basketball for a while before Junior again asks Rowdy to come to Reardan. Rowdy says he's been reading a book about nomadic Native American tribes. He says the tribes reminded him of Junior, moving around constantly, and that he always knew Junior would leave to travel the world. Junior thinks about the people he'll always love on the reservation, alive and dead. He hopes they'll forgive him for leaving. He and Rowdy play basketball long into the night, without keeping score. ................
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