Sherman Alexie and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

I've read several reviews and news stories about the author Sherman Alexie. I first heard of him in the '90s when he was an up-and-coming young Native American writer who had published a book of stories with the truly fabulous title of "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven." He later wrote the screenplay to the film "Smoke Signals," a novel, and another collection of well-reviewed short stories. But Alexie was sadly on my list of Writers I Just Haven't Gotten Around to Reading Yet, Even Though I Would Like To. (I should formalize this list and post it.)
He has a young adult novel out now that is getting stellar reviews, and this week when I was at the university library, a copy was sitting on the new books table, so I snagged it.
What a great book! Hearkening back to my MLK post from last week, it's a living blend of sharply marked opposites. Funny and uplifting, sad and bleak and depressing. It's about Arnold Spirit, Jr., a teenager who decides to leave the reservation to attend the all-white high school, in hopes of improving his education and his fortunes. He also draws cartoons: "Who My Parents Would Have Been if Somebody Had Paid Attention to Their Dreams," for example, and "How to Pretend You're Not Poor."
Like many good YA (Young Adult) novels, "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" dwells a lot on budding sexuality and the body. In the above video clip, you'll hear how Arnold and his new friend Gordy talk about boners, in the context of getting excited about books. (It's worth listening to Alexie's reading.)
But Alexie's above reading ends before my favorite part. The scene goes on:

"I don't think you should run through life with a real erect penis. But you should approach each book -- you should approach life -- with the real possibility that you might get a metaphorical boner at any point."
"A metaphorical boner!" I shouted. "What the heck is a metaphorical boner?"
Gordy laughed.
"When I say boner, I really mean joy," he said.
"Then why didn't you say joy? You didn't have to say boner. Whenever I think about boners, I get confused."
"Boner is funnier. And more joyful."
Gordy and I laughed.
He was an extremely weird dude. But he was the smartest person I'd ever known. He would always be the smartest person I'd ever known.