The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Good book. Controversial. It was assigned to my 9th grader, so I read it too, to help her. Many things were discussed that I think might have been “above her”, as far as what she should be reading, and also, male vs. female perspective. Touched on some things that she's probably seen/heard on social media (masterbation, drinking, etc.). Some of the things touched on were what I would consider negative stereo-types. I'd like to do more research. Was this a true autobiography, or was it fiction? Also, is Sherman Alexie a Native American? It was read by him, if I'm not mistaken, so I believe it was autobiographical, and truly written by a Native American, but I would like to know for certain.