The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian
15 Jul 2009 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: alcoholism, American Indians, comics, Native Amerians, Outstanding Books for the College Bound, realistic fiction, reservation
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Published by Litter Brown and Company, New York: 2007
240 pages
Recommended reading age: 16 and up
VOYA rating: 4P, 4W, JS
This is a realistic fiction books that feels very much like an actual memoir. It is technically fiction but based on Sherman Alexie’s very real experiences growing up. It is fun, witty, humorous and authentic in the language and teen issues presented. It uses sexual references, talks about masturbation and deals with bullying and friendship issues from the perspective of an intelligent adolescent boy growing up on a reservation.
Junior lives on the reservation with his sister and parents. Growing up on the “rez” means growing up in near poverty with a poor educational system. Alcoholism and other drug addictions are part of Junior’s every day life. Aside from the normal struggles that Native Americans typically deal with growing up on a reservation, Junior has the extra added bonus of being gifted with “water on the brain”. In other words, Junior was born with too much cerebral spinal fluid which now results in occasional seizures. He has to be extra careful not to injure himself and any head injury might prove fatal. This is all bad news for a boy growing up in an environment where fighting and bullying is a part of every day life. At least Junior has his strong, loyal and scary best friend Rowdy to help him get through each day.
One day, after “accidentally” acting out and throwing a text book at one of his teachers, Junior is convinced of his potential and is motivated to leave the rez for a better school system. He takes the advice of his teacher and convinces his parents to allow him to attend Reardan, much to the chagrin of Rowdy and his other fellow classmates. Rowdy and Junior have a huge falling out which results in Junior getting decked. Junior becomes the “white lover” of his peers.
Junior goes off the Reardan and sees what life is like off the reservation in a fancy private school. Although he does well in school he finds that it is hard to fit in. Without Rowdy to help him bully his way into the social scene he starts to try and bully himself in on his own. Junior quickly learns that although adolescence has its challenges no matter where you are from, the same social rules from the rez aren’t the same at Reardan. After trying to pick a fight with a kid for cracking a racist joke Junior learns that fighting isn’t as important or as necessary around here as it is back home. He even manages to get himself a spot on the basketball team, something that he and Rowdy used to spend much of their time playing while they were still friends. Junior meets a girl named Penny and eventually they even start dating. He makes a few friends and manages to make a decent name for himself on the basketball team. Things start to look up for Junior.
This frail peace doesn’t last for Junior. Not only does he deal with normal high school issues like girl trouble and school work. He has plenty other things to deal with like the fact that his alcoholic father can’t remember to pick him up from school half the time. He is from a different socioeconomic class than the other students and fights to keep the fact that he is poor a secret. On the other hand, he now is not accepted by his own people on the reservation. Above all, he misses his old best friend Rowdy a great deal. Junior is stuck in-between two worlds and feels like he can’t quite fit into either one. Also, Junior’s sister dies after leaving home in search of her own hope. She dies one night in her trailer where she lives with her husband after a drunken party. Junior blames himself citing that she only ever left home to begin with because he left first.
For Junior there is always death on the reservation due to the lifestyle that many of his people live which is fueled by crime and alcohol. For someone who grows up in such a dark place he seems to be able to remain incredibly well-adjusted by using his humor and his doodling to make it through each day.
Junior eventually finds a type of balance between his two worlds after going head to head with Rowdy and his other old classmates as the their two schools play each other in basketball. Junior learns hat even if it isn’t easy, sometimes you have to take your life into your own hands go out in search of a new and better one. This book shows teens that using humor, your friends, and finding some type of positive outlet, even the direst of circumstances can become manageable. It is a very hopeful book that doesn’t come across as preachy and it would be very entertaining for the older teenaged reader. It also has lots of great illustrations which are meant to symbolize the comics and drawings that Junior does as a means of coping and dealing with his stress. I would suggest it for ages 15 and up because of the language but younger teens would be able to understand these themes and issues discussed in the book.
The cover is funny too because it depicts a stereotypical little Indian and Cowboy toy flying through space. It reminds the reader how Junior is stuck in space between these two worlds trying to find a way to exist in both.
