If I Ever Get Out of Here

A bit of a slow start, but otherwise this was an enjoyable story of two friends on seemingly planets–one being the reservation and the other being the white world/army base. I liked the insights into life in the 1970's and the depiction of life on the rez, being poor, and what it means to be friends with someone.

“Friends are always worth the moments of joy you share, even if they don't last.”

I enjoyed it up until the ending which I felt kind of fell flat compared to the rest of the book.

Not sure the teen audience for this is huge, but it will certainly resonate with the right kids. Interesting realistic fiction from the 70s. Lewis feels so real. The drama is born from the day to day of being a teen, compounded by military families and poverty, but it's all very authentic drama. Really enjoyed the portrayal of secondary characters, especially how Albert was voices on audio (read by author).

This has already been compared to [b:The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian 693208 The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Sherman Alexie https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327908992s/693208.jpg 829330] a whole bunch and like, I get it, they're both stories about young American Indian boys going to largely white schools. This one's set across the country, in New York, and in the 1970s. And it's less... cynical, maybe, than Alexie's.Lately there's been a whole wave of “historical” YA set in the 80s but I haven't read much in the 70s, and I really appreciated all the talk of 70s music–specifically how they were all kind of still in shock about the Beatles breaking up, but also really into Wings. I liked how sweet Lewis was, and a very frank narrator about not being sure how to make new friends. I also appreciated its frankness about bullying and the realistic closure from that arc.