Community. Community is part of what shapes you, community makes you. In this book community is a very important subject and really affects how Junior has become who he is.     

In the beginning of the book, the reader is introduced to the characters Junior and Rowdy. Junior was a clumsy kid born on an Indian Reservation they call the Rez for short. He and his family had very little money so Junior tried to make the most of it. When Junior was born the doctors found out he had this condition that meant he had too much cerebrospinal fluid so because he had too much his brain worked at a slower pace. And with all of this and the people surrounded by him he had little hope. Meanwhile, Rowdy, Junior’s best friend, is another kid born on the Rez. His childhood is much different although he was a regular kid he didn’t have the stones to leave the Rez like Junior. We soon find out that everyone on the Rez thinks they’ll never get out, like once on the Rez always on the Rez. Then, with the support of one of his teachers he decides to defy the laws of the rez and make it out of there, by starting off with going to a school called Reardan. 

Throughout the book, I saw the character of Junior change from a helpless kid with no hope or future to a brave kid with lots of hope and a future. In the beginning, he said things like “I wish I were magical, but I am really just a poor-ass reservation kid with his poor-ass family on the poor-ass Spokane Indian Reservation.” However, by the end, he wouldn’t say that because after taking his leap of faith to go to Reardan he feels more confident that he’ll make it out of the Rez one day. This makes me think the writer was trying to show that you shouldn’t give up on life no matter the circumstances you’re dealt with. 

As I read this book I felt intrigued. I even started to feel a little fortunate that I was blessed with a better life than Junior and realized that it’s not easy where he’s coming from. As the conflict progressed and Junior went to Reardan. I learned that the people you’re surrounded by shape who you are. When he went to Reardan people would say things like “you can do it” of “I believe in you”. Because of this he felt he actually had a chance to really do something or make a statement.  When he was on the reservation people would make fun of him and call him a r*t*rd. Because of the this, he felt he had no hope of making it out. But then his teacher gave him a chance and he took his ticket out of there. I think anyone who is privileged should read this book so that they can become better informed about how lucky they are to have their privilege and what they have.

Before I read this book, I had some knowledge about the topics of privilege and how your surroundings affect you. I knew some about this from when my parents talked to me about this kind of stuff. However, this book showed me a unique perspective on privilege, from the point of view of someone who doesn’t have the privilege. There are people in the world who are going through similar experiences as Junior, and who also feel stuck where they are. Having read this book, readers might be able to understand and connect to Junior or they might feel that they would like to help people in need like Junior.