Sherman Alexis's book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian was a different read for me. I'm used to actual fiction, romance, and dystopian writings more than anything, so having a fictionalization of a true account was kind of different for me. The connections I tied from this book to other true stories of Native American tales made me see this book as less fictional. I am almost curious to know if this book is considered fictional because of how he writes the book instead of what he actually says within the book. This would be a book that I would love to do a Q&A with the author.
On a completely separate note, the contextualization within the book was awesome. I strongly believe in added context and realia to everything. I love the little comics included and the further connection it added to what was being said. It reminds me of metafiction, where you just keep dumping your thoughts. When you are writing and this random thought of a comic or how a character looks or anything that relates to what you just wrote pops into your head and you decide to write it down. It was a great view of the subconscious thought process of the author and I loved it. Giving context or realia to the words you are providing and also help provide a better understanding of what is being said. Students can draw better connections to words that are given context and can relate more to them.
The book, in general, I don't think I would include in a curriculum, but instead might use as an example of something or a couple pages as an example piece. This book has some intense topics that I would not recommend for a grade level below 11. You would also have to think about your students and your environment around the school before even thinking about having this book in the classroom.
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