National Book Awards -- Young People's Literature

I'm not usually impressed by ethnic books. You know the scene from “Walk Two Moons,” the part that goes, “That night we stayed in Injun Joe's Peace Palace Motel. On a sign in the lobby someone had crossed out “Injun” and written “Native American” so the whole sign read: “Native American Joe's Peace Palace Motel.” In our room, the “Injun Joe's” embroidered on the towels had been changed with black marker to “Indian Joe's.”” I love how Creech shows the idiocy of political correctness. Such writing is a rarity when ethnic issues are involved. So even though "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" has generated lots of buzz, I haven't read it. Sherman Alexie did spark my interest, though, with this comment on his protagonist: "I suppose Arnold would think that literacy is a form of self-defense. If one reads enough books one has a fighting chance. Or better, one's chances of survival increase with each book one reads." I guess I'll be giving the book a try. I just hope Alexie didn’t use any black markers on his MS.