The Absolutely True Diary of A Part-time Indian
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Budding cartoonist Junior leaves his troubled school on the Spokane Indian Reservation to attend an all-white farm town school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.
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Add a SummarySherman Alexie’s dark comedy offers up insight about respect, identity and acceptance in unadorned, briskly paced language that will appeal to many teens. Junior Spirit is a Spokane Indian eager to begin high school on his reservation. His hopes of newfound knowledge and opportunities are dashed when he is assigned the same textbook that belonged to his uneducated, impoverished mother thirty years earlier, bringing on a sense of fatalism and despair. Urged by his teacher to respect his dreams and demand more from life than can be expected on the reservation, Junior bravely gathers his dignity and stands up for himself by transferring to a school in a distant town. So begins his search for identity and his place in the world, as “Junior Spirit”, traitor to his people, is ostracized on the rez for consorting with whites, while “Arnold Spirit Junior”, alone, navigates the racism and mystifying cultural rules of an all-white school. “Absolutely True Diary” could easily become a litany of anger, pain and hopelessness; the poverty, alcoholism, violence and incredible death rate chronicled in the novel seems insurmountable. Yet for every tragic event, there is a detail to give us hope or even a laugh, and even the most debauched characters receive understanding and a chance at redemption. Arnold’s cartoon sketches of the people around him, drawn by artist Ellen Forney, amuse and meld seamlessly with the tone of the text. Arnold’s spirit, however, is the most compelling aspect of the book, and his relentless determination to succeed in escaping the fate of his tribe lingers with the reader, making him one of the most inspiring characters in young adult fiction today. Arnold’s quest for a better life proves that acceptance is won by earning respect, and the first step in gaining the respect of others is respecting yourself.
Arnold Spirit is 14 when he makes the life-altering decision to transfer to a school off the Spokane Indian Reservation. The only other Indian at his new school is the mascot.
When Junior announces that he wants to attend the white school off the reservation he is not only ostracized, but tormented by his own people. As he dips one foot into the strange world of white people and keeps the other firmly planted on the reservation he feels torn between the better life he glimpses at his new school and the life he has always known. This novel is simultaneously hopeful and hopeless. Junior is one boy out of an entire reservation who is able to break the pattern that has so firmly gripped his family and friends. At the same time, the reader meets all those who Junior loves and loses. Those who don’t break the cycle, and the reader can see why Junior says “Indians have LOST EVERYTHING. We lost our native land, we lost our languages, we lost our songs and dances. We lost each other. We only know how to lose and be lost.” In the end, Junior receives his best friend Rowdy’s blessing which he needs to head out into the world, but both know it will be a bitter-sweet departure. Alexie brilliantly portrays the whites whom Junior meets as having problems that might be different from his, but are problems none-the-less. A must-read for both teens and adults.
Quotes
Add a QuoteWhen anybody, no matter how old they are, loses a parent, I think it hurts the same as if you were only five years old, you know? I think all of us are always five years old in the presence and absence of our parents.
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Add a CommentLOVED this book - made me laugh out loud. A great story and the drawings are great, too!
Arnold Spirit, or Junior as he is known at home on the rez, is a globe headed, big footed, stuttering geek who is picked-on by everyone except his best friend, the aptly named, Rowdy. Junior is also incredibly intelligent and witty with a love for drawing and an amazing jump shot. When the hope crushing realities of being a poor 9th grader on an Indian reservation lead Junior to attack his teacher with a Geometry book, he is encouraged to leave the reservation school for the rich all-white school in the neighboring farm town. This decision leaves Junior caught between two worlds, one where he is seen as a traitor especially by his best friend, and one where he is the only other Indian, besides the school mascot. Sherman Alexie’s semi autobiographical first young adult novel deals with some very serious and tragic themes, the realities of living in poverty, tragic death and generational struggles with alcoholism. It does so however, with such humor and perseverance that it is not only bearable, but inspiring. The inclusion of Junior’s drawings (drawn by Ellen Forney), add insight into the character and an often light-hearted break from some of the heavier moments that many readers will likely enjoy. One of the strongest elements among many is the respectful and compassionate way that all of the characters, even those with very deep and dark flaws are portrayed throughout the story. This book is is highly recommended for any young person (or adult) who is facing struggles in their life and wants to be inspired to persevere. As it does contain references to masturbation and a few violent scenes that some younger readers and/or their parents may find objectionable it is recommended for ages 12 and up though a younger but mature reader may certainly find it enjoyable.
Heartbreaking but funny... a real page turner. Arnold Spirit is a character that will stick with me.
This book is really funny!
This is a perfect young adult novel. Alexie explores issues of shame, growing out of friendship, self-realization, and moving out of the nest with a gentleness I didn't suspect him capable of.
Alexie's novel is sharply witty while dealing with the difficult issues that surround life for First Nations people. He is unflinching in describing life on the reservation and the culture. But while race is a major issue in the novel and for Junior, the narrative itself focuses on many of the same issues of any other YA novel: navigating social groups, first romances, and the like. What I most enjoyed about the novel was Junior's sarcastic humour which comes out in both the text and his cartoons (illustrations by Ellen Forney). Particularly admirable, is Alexie's decision to occasionally have major plot events occur within a cartoon rather than the text itself, which as an author must be a difficult choice. Funny but also thought-provoking with reflections teen life, race, and the meaning of hope.
With rich, dark humor Sherman Alexie paints life on the Rez. Perfectly capturing the voice of Arnold Spirit Jr. we learn of the trials and tribulations of growing up Indian. Enhanced by the wonderful cartoon drawings of Ellen Forney, this truly is a book that brings both smiles and tears as we read of the life of a contemporary Indian boy trying to improve himself and break away from the sad legacy that so many Native North Americans fall plight to. Every character on these pages rings true. I particularly thought his best friend Rowdy was an exceptional character and his struggle to accept Junior’s decision to break free of the reservation was both poignant and realistic. Wonderfully written, the author uses humor and honesty to tell his quirky story of how one boy forces himself to leave the safe cocoon of the reservation and take that first step into a wider world in hopes of a better future. I highly recommend The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.
Alexie draws on his personal history to tell a story at points hilarious and heartbreaking in the genuine, believable voice of a boy longing for life beyond his reservation. Metaphorical boner achieved!
read this book in fourth grade.
If you have a 13 year old hiding inside you, and let's face it, who doesn't?, then do yourself a favor and read Sherman Alexie's "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" because it's very wise and funny and it's amazingly like everyone's life whether you're a part-time Indian or not. :)