The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Alexie, S. (2007). The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian. NY: Little Brown.

Summary: Junior is a fourteen year old boy that lives on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Washington state. Junior was born with a condition called hydrocephalus that makes him have seizures, eyesight problems, and stuttering. Although his family is poor, they allow him to attend Reardan High School after an incident with a teacher at his reservation school. Throughout the year Junior gains the respect of athletes and popular kids alike. Junior suffers many tragedies throughout this year with most of them being alcohol related. By the end of the year, Junior has reconciled his life as an Indian and an American.
Commentary: The style of this book is quite striking. Sherman Alexie was as poet before he ventured into short stories and novels. The narrator of the book is quite descriptive throughout the novel. The combination of voice and comical drawings interspersed among the narrative create an engaging and memorable story. The setting of the story also creates a memorable juxtoposition. On the reservation, Junior is very poor and his surroundings reflect that. In Reardan High School, Junior experiences many luxuries like current and up to date textbooks that he would never get in his school on the reservation.
Connections:Sherman Alexie Speaks, Teaching Resources, Book Trailer, Book Review
Similar books: If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth; American Born Chinese by Gene Yang
Textbook Connections: When I was reading The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Junior has to learn to get along with his new white classmates as well as his Indian peers. Learning to get along with peers is one of Havighurst's Developmental Tasks.