How does Junior's language make his story relatable to readers that come from different backgrounds? How does this compare to other young adult...

While Junior's story is about the poverty and racism that affect the Spokane Indians on their reservation, he uses universal emotions and ways of speaking that appeal to young adult readers. For example, in speaking about his tooth extraction, Junior says,"And what's more, our white dentist believed that Indians only felt half as much pain as white people did, so he only gave us half the Novocain. What a bastard, huh?" While this passage is...

While Junior's story is about the poverty and racism that affect the Spokane Indians on their reservation, he uses universal emotions and ways of speaking that appeal to young adult readers. For example, in speaking about his tooth extraction, Junior says,"And what's more, our white dentist believed that Indians only felt half as much pain as white people did, so he only gave us half the Novocain. What a bastard, huh?" While this passage is about the racism of the Indian Health Service, which requires Junior to have all ten of his extra teeth removed in one day, it's also a story that other young adult readers can relate to, both because many people hate dentist appointments and because Junior uses the word "bastard." His anti-authoritarianism is something that appeals to many readers of this age group. The vulgarities Junior uses in describing his friend Rowdy are something many young adults can relate to and might use or hear.

In addition, many of Junior's dilemmas are universal. For example, he says, "And, oh, I was skinny. I would turn sideways and disappear... And my skull was enormous. Epic." He speaks about feeling insecure about this appearance and about fitting into his new school. Although his dilemma is in part specific to his situation, as he is an Indian going to school in a white community, readers can relate to his difficulty dating girls and finding acceptance from his peers.

Other young adult novels seem less psychologically real than this one does. They tend to stay away from vulgarity and real human emotions, or they veer into the world of fantasy. This novel is unusual for its portrayal of universal emotions such as insecurity and anger.