Alexie, S. & Forney, E. (2007). The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian. New York, NY: Little, Brown, and Company.
Summary:
Told from the point of view of fourteen year old Arnold, or Junior as he’s called, this story details his experiences living on a Spokane Indian reservation. Due to alcoholic parents, he was born with brain damage and his chances of leaving the reservation were small. With poverty and alcohol getting in the way of most people living on the reservation, Arnold dreams of attending Reardan High, an all white high school, off of the reservation. Despite initially encountering bullying and fearing he wouldn’t fit in, he finds himself on the varsity basketball team. While trying to find his way with all of these new changes, his best friend Rowdy starts ignoring him and his sister leaves home. Arnold is forced to face his best friend Rowdy on the basketball court, which ends with a victory. Even though things seem to fall apart around him after that, Junior finds that his and Rowdy’s friendship is stronger that adversity.
Connections:
This story was heart wrenching as you can’t help but feel the pain that Junior experiences. I think it was smart of Sherman to use first person point of view because it makes the reader feel as if they are right there watching the events unfold. Even though this book is considered YA, some of the undertones, language, and situations in the book are more adult in nature. For example, Junior is forced to deal with the tragic deaths of family members along with his alcoholic parents. In the textbook, it mentioned a New Adult category being from ages 18-30. In a perfect world, this book would be more appropriate for the low end of this age range. However, these are issues that many young adults have faced, making this book a good pick for YA (13-18.) A strong theme of perseverance is evident and the main character, Junior, is easy to connect with as he keeps trying to get ahead despite his world falling apart around him.
**Required YA novel
**Required YA novel
Book Trailer:
Other titles by Sherman Alexie:
Ten Little Indians
Reservation Blues
The Toughest Indian in the World
Teaching Ideas:
https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plans/teaching-content/absolutely-true-diary-part-time-indian-storia-teaching-guide/ (Educator’s Guide)
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