"The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie
1.
Alexie, Sherman. (2007). The Absolutely True
Diary of a Part-Time Indian.” New York, NY: Little, Brown & Company. ISBN:
978-0-316-01368-0
Life is hard for a 14 year-old.
Life is especially hard for the narrator of this novel, Arnold Spirit aka
Junior, who is a resident of the Wellpinit Reservation. Arnold has to learn the
hard way that ambition and intelligence are not always appreciated when he
decides to transfer to a local “white” school where the teachers are there by
choice and not necessity. His
relationships with his old friends are tested while he tries to develop
relationships with strangers who don’t understand him. For a smart kid, he is
terrible at expressing himself socially and instead chooses to draw fun
cartoons to express his frustrations with life. This book could be very relatable for any
person who feels like they don’t quite fit in.
I had a lot of trouble finishing
this book. Not because it is badly written, but because I had trouble
connecting with the story in the beginning. Arthur has a difficult life and yet
he considers it the norm and therefor doesn’t let it get him down. This is a
complicated and difficult position to take for such a young protagonist and I
had trouble giving in to suspension of disbelief for very long. I think a
younger reader, however, would have no such issues with this book and would
actually have a very strong connection to Arthur and his life, even if they
wouldn’t exactly respond to life like he chooses to.
This book, or excerpts from it,
could accompany a history lesson on Indian Reservations, civil rights, or
racism. It would be a great class read with discussion on how the protagonist reacts
to negativity from his peers and community.
Comments
Post a Comment