Critic Reviews

Praised Reviews

"[TRUE DIARY] is Alexie's first foray into the young adult genre, and it took him only one book to master the form . . . This is a gem of a book . . . For fifteen years, Sherman Alexie has explored the struggle to survive between the grinding plates of the Indian and white worlds. He's done it through various characters and genres, but [TRUE DIARY] may be his best work yet." 
- NEW YORK TIMES

"The National Book Award-nominated DIARY is a remarkable tale that is sure to resonate and life spirits for all ages for years to come." 
- USA TODAY

"Excellent in every way, poignant and really funny and heartwarming and honest and wise and smart.... I have no doubt that in a year or so it'll both be winning awards and being banned." 
- Bestselling author Neil Gaiman

"A Native American equivalent of ANGELA'S ASHES, a coming-of-age story so well observed that its very rootedness in one specific culture is also what lends it universality, and so emotionally honest that the humor almost always proves painful.... Jazzy syntax and [Ellen] Forney's witty cartoons ... transmute despair into dark humor; Alexie's no-holds-barred jokes have the effect of throwing the seriousness of his themes into high relief." 
- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

"Breathtakingly honest, funny, profane, and sad . . . Alexie has a unique story to tell, and he tells it with raw emotion leavened with humor." 
- KLIATT

"Alexie's portrayal of reservation life, with the help of a great lineup of supporting characters, is realistic and fantastical and funny and tragic-all at the same time. Forney's drawings, appearing throughout the book, enhance the story and could nearly stand alone." 
- VOYA

"What emerges most strongly is Junior's uncompromising determination to press on while leaving nothing important behind." 
- BCCB

"Alexie's humor and prose are easygoing and well suited to his young audience, and he doesn't pull many punches as he levels his eye at stereotypes both warranted and inapt . . . This ultimately affirms the incredible power of best friends to hurt and heal in equal measure. [Readers] looking for the strength to life themselves out of rough situations would do well to start here." 
- BOOKLIST

"Fierce observations and sharp sense of humor . . . hilarious language." 
- NEWSDAY

"It is filled with hope to its brim even as hope is something that Indians are not supposed to have." 
- Ana on Booksmugglers.com

Negative Reviews

In response to Neil Gaiman's Review - "I can't imagine why this book would win any awards or garner enough attention from anyone to be deemed worth banning. But what do I know?

- Reading in Taiwan