The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a novel written by Sherman Alexie. The protagonist of the book is a part-time Indian named Arnold "Junior" Spirit. He is a feeble cartoonist who lives in the Spokane Indian reservation. Arnold faces several problems everyday because of his misfortunate luck and his parents' poverty. Arnold sometimes can't go to school because his parents run out of money to buy gasoline, so he hitchhikes or walks for a long time. His problems deepen when he throws his geometry book unintentionally at his own geometry teacher's face, Mr. P. His geometry teacher doesn't get angry at Arnold, but persuades him to not stay in the same school anymore and move to another school.
I appreciated and enjoyed reading this book. My opinions are that this book was written by a very heavily influenced author and this book's fantastic story makes a great fictional diary. This book was also a National Book Award winner, which makes sense because the book was incredible. Sherman Alexie has made chronicles of a teenager who faces difficulties as a part time Indian that lives in America.
-Reviewed by Elliott, grade 9.
Friday, November 26, 2010
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a novel written by Sherman Alexie. The protagonist of the book is a part-time Indian named Arnold "Junior" Spirit. He is a feeble cartoonist who lives in the Spokane Indian reservation. Arnold faces several problems everyday because of his misfortunate luck and his parents' poverty. Arnold sometimes can't go to school because his parents run out of money to buy gasoline, so he hitchhikes or walks for a long time. His problems deepen when he throws his geometry book unintentionally at his own geometry teacher's face, Mr. P. His geometry teacher doesn't get angry at Arnold, but persuades him to not stay in the same school anymore and move to another school.
I appreciated and enjoyed reading this book. My opinions are that this book was written by a very heavily influenced author and this book's fantastic story makes a great fictional diary. This book was also a National Book Award winner, which makes sense because the book was incredible. Sherman Alexie has made chronicles of a teenager who faces difficulties as a part time Indian that lives in America.
-Reviewed by Elliott, grade 9.
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Fourteen year old Junior is an Indian boy who explains what his life was like from when he was little to his present-time. He is best friends with Rowdy, a teenage boy who is somehow considered a troublemaker by getting into many fights and leaving bruises on others as a result. Things seem to change between these two boys when Junior moves away to Reardan in order to try out a somewhat better and new life for himself by trying to fit in the world of being a regular typical white boy going to school on a daily basis. However, Rowdy gets mad and clearly he doesn't approve or like this situation because stereotypically Indians and Caucasian people generally don’t get along. Will this friendship have a long lasting streak or is it going to end right here?
The novel’s content looked pretty childish in a cool mature way at least. I liked how there were some graphics in the book. It reminded me of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series I used to read consistently when I was little. The cover of the book also looked pretty cool too except I started to wonder why some of the icons look like those typical green military action figures you'd see from Toy Story. And the font was bold in blue which is also a good thing. What's also better is since this is only a fictional diary, it wasn't so detailed because the story only lasted about 230 pages. Even though I didn't like the part where some of the scenes were a bit inappropriate, I thought it was still kind of funny based on how I looked at the tone. In fact, this was a banned book in the past because of the sexual innuendo content and the intense foul language being used. Also, another reason why this book was banned is because there are some racial offenses here that can be made towards a certain reader. I wouldn't recommend this book to everyone because it can look offensive and inappropriate depending on how an individual would look at it since everyone has different perspectives when it comes to literature on controversial things. So maybe starting around 14 years of age like Junior, you can probably begin reading this book as long as you know there is sensitive content here.
Reviewed by Hannah R., Grade 10
Downtown Central Library
The book is about an Indian boy (Arnold/Junior) who was living in a Spokane Indian reservation. He was born with "water on the brain" and also his body was small but his head was huge and he got bullied for. He had only one friend Rowdy. Rowdy was strong and he would lose control easy, but he always protected Junior. Later on Junior realizes how poor his reservation is by seeing his mom's name on the book which meant that the book was about 30 years old and Junior gets angry and throws the book at the teacher and gets suspended from the school. The next day the teacher comes to his house and tells him to go to school out of the reservation (which was "all-white" school) because he was smart and deserved a better future. Junior decides to move school but that causes him to lose his only friend Rowdy.
My opinion about the book is positive the book was very funny and I liked the positivity of Junior, he was positive about the bad and good things that happened in his life. I think a lot of people probably mostly teenagers would like the book because of the way the characters react to the problems. The book made me feel bad for Junior because how others treated him and I thought if the same would happen to him if Rowdy was still with him and protected him.
Reviewed by A.T., Grade 9
Central Library
In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, it follows the main character, Arnold Spirit, Jr., also known as Junior, who is a fourteen-year-old. Junior is interested in cartooning and is actively pursuing it. Though the story starts off with his life on a Native American reservation, he eventually makes the decision to go to a white-dominated high school because the education there is better than most.
Junior's life is hard -- at school and at home -- but he overcomes it all, regardless of all the hindrances that come with high school life.
I think this book was extremely touching and covered many taboo topics like alcohol abuse, bullying, and violence with grace. Sherman Alexie does an excellent job showcasing the story of a Native American in an all-white environment and how he handles that extreme culture shock that comes with it.
I recommend this book to everyone who enjoys non-fiction and high school stories. Even if you think you wouldn't enjoy it, you should give it a try. You never know! This was a great read and I'll definitely read it again in the future.
Reviewed by Melody S., Grade 10
Montrose Library
Junior is a 14 year old who was born with excess cerebral spinal fluid in his brain. He stutters and he has a lisp. He gets bullied for his disabilities by the people on the reservation. Luckily for Junior, he has his family and his best friend Rowdy. Although Junior's family lives in poverty, they try their best to support Junior. Rowdy protects Junior from all the bullies. In his free time, he likes to draw cartoons. He dreams of being a cartoonist when he grows up. One day, he gets a chance to leave his reservation and go to an all white school named Reardan. If he leaves, he will be known as a traitor but if he doesn't he will have no hope to achieve his goals.
I liked this because this book shows me what the people that have disabilities are going through. I think everyone will love this book because it is a very fun book to read. This book has a very interesting story line and this book was also based on a true story. This book made me think about things I could've done to help people with disabilities. I really recommend you to read this book because it shows you what the people with disabilities go through every day and how they go through living with disabilities.
Reviewed by First Name, Grade 9
Casa Verdugo Library
Arnold Spirit, Jr., called Junior by everyone, and Rowdy are best friends on a Native American reservation in Wellpinit, Washington. Junior is born with a disease leaving him with an abnormal amount of liquid in his brain. He is very poor and gets picked on by everyone for his disease. On a very hot day, Junior's dog, Oscar, gets really sick and his father has no choice but to kill Oscar. On the first day of school, Junior gets his textbook and sees his mother's name on it. Frustrated because the school has had the same textbooks for 30 years, Junior throws the textbook at the teacher, Mr. P. During Junior's suspension, Mr. P visits him and tells him that he apologizes for always crushing Indians' dreams and aspirations. Mr. P tells Junior that he is the only one with hope and needs to leave the reservation. Junior decides to go to Reardan High School in search of hope. His family is supporting but the rest of the reservation, including Rowdy, hates him now. Junior falls in love with the most popular girl, Penelope, and befriends the school nerd, Gordy. The senior jock, Roger, and his friends bully and tease Junior and he punches him in the face. He gains their respect for doing so. Junior tries out for the basketball team and makes the varsity team. In the first game of the season vs. Wellpinit, Junior gets a concussion when Rowdy elbows him. In the next month, he learns of the death of 3 close family members that shape his final decision.
This is a hilarious book. There are many insulting and racist jokes. Junior is a great protagonist that gets through the many obstacles of his life. The story is partly true along with the setting. There are many symbols and themes that, when understood, make the story better. You feel true sorrow for Junior. Another great character in Grandmother Spirit. She is very wise and meets a sad end. A 9/10 book with funny illustrations and dialogue.
Reviewed by Anonymous, Grade 9
Glendale Central Library
In Sherman Alexie's novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, the main character, Arnold Spirit, who is commonly referred to as, Junior, is a Native American teen born into poverty. With this, he also has a disability which he calls "water in the brain." However Junior does everything in his power to prove that this condition doesn't restrict him from being "normal." In order to fulfill this desire, he leaves his school on the reservation and transfers to an all-white school. Eventually, he makes friends and works against the odds to do so. Through it all, Junior surpassed numerous obstacles but continued to push. All in all, Junior proves that different did not mean bad after all.
Personally, I truly enjoyed this read. Sherman Alexie captures the reality of the hardships a teen faces throughout their life. He gets a unique perspective of how it feels to be different in a world that is not excepting. With this, Alexie inspires his readers to embrace their diverse qualities in a positive manner or live up to what they believe. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for some motivation, inspiration, and merely a good laugh.
Reviewed by Anonymous, Grade 8
Glendale Central Library
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