The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
by Sherman Alexie
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Book Summary Information
Author: Sherman AlexieEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-04-01
ISBN: 0316013692
Number of pages: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780316013697
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Book Review: Live in What Seems Like a Hard World
Summary: 5 Stars
Live in What Seems Like a Hard World
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie is about an Indian boy, Arnold "Junior" Spirit, who lives on Spokane Indian Reservation. Junior faces so many struggles as he grows up: he was born with a huge problem on his brain, he always get beat up by bullies, and his surroundings are horrible because everybody on the reservation is poor and alcoholic including Junior's family. People on the reservation even think that alcohols are more important than an education. In this circumstance, however, Junior is somehow different than others. In fact, he dreams to be a famous cartoon artist because he knows that "If you speak and write in English, or Spanish, or Chinese, or any other language, then only a certain percentage of human beings will get your meaning. But when you draw a picture, everybody can understand it" (5). Fortunately, Junior has an opportunity to make a change for his life as getting out of the reservation. His experiences of his effort, struggle, passion, friendship, family-love, discernment, poverty, and death of the relatives may inspire, motivate, and tell you that there is nothing that is impossible in meaningful element of human life.
One of the big issues that Junior faces is being poor. Everybody on Spokane Indian Reservation is in poverty and so is Junior's family: Dad, Mom, Sister, Grandmother, and Junior. He believes that "[p]overty doesn't give you strength or teach you lessons about perseverance," (13) but I disagree with his opinion because I believe that every little thing in the world always has meaning, and they always give you some helpful and useful tips to your life. I believe that Junior, at the time, just didn't realize how much his experience was capable of in his future. Thanks to my parents, I've never felt the poorness until now because my mom and dad had worked so hard since I was in kindergarten: they were gone for their jobs when I woke up in the morning, and they came back home when I was asleep at the night. For that reason, I've never struggled with the wealth, but I have only a few memories of my family-time that I can recall from my childhood. Eventually, being poor may be worse than feeling unfortunate, but either way of lives bring perseverance because life is a repetitive cycle of conflicts and solutions, and I believe that life is sweeter for the struggling.
Even though Junior always make all sorts of complaints about being poor: "sometimes, my family misses a meal, and sleep is the only thing we have for dinner" (8), I think that he is a determined and courageous person. When Junior becomes a Wellpint High School student on Spokane Indian Reservation for the first day, he meets a white teacher, Mr. P, who gives Junior foresight to become a better person as leaving the sad reservation where the drugs and alcohol addicts are. Junior knew that he is going to face tons of struggles once he leaves the reservation, but he decides to transfer to Reardan High School where the rich white kids attend and is 22 miles away from Junior's home. As I have also decided to leave my hometown for studying when I was a teenager, I know exactly how Junior felt when Mr. P and Junior were talking about it: mixture of expectation and anxiety for what's coming next. To leave your hometown where you grow up and where your family and friends are is a far from easy task. Moreover, because Junior decides to go to a white school, he gets bashing from other Indians, even from his only one best friend on the reservation, Rowdy, who always protected Junior from bullies. I think that the action that Indians took was just a sign of an inferiority complex, which means an obstinate feeling of being mediocre to others in some way. It is normally associated with an actual or imaginary shortcoming in physical appearance, intelligence, personality, education, social status, or economic status.
Once Junior becomes a Reardan High School student, Junior faces severe discrimination by the white students: "Everybody, all of the students and the teacher, stopped to stare at me. They stared hard. Like I was bad weather" (58-59). Why? Because Junior is the only Indian student in Reardan High, and his outlook is way different than others (57). It is not Junior's fault or anything that he encounters discrimination, but some big jocks of Reardan High call Junior as "Chief, Tonto, or Squaw Boy". When things turn into racism, it's so hard to get rid of the people's minds because the reason why racists discriminate others who have different skin colors is that the racists don't know anything about them. And it's so hard to get racists know the culture because racists hate the people or the culture. However, Junior gets rid of those big jocks thanks to his grandma, uncle, and Spokane Indian culture itself. Grandmother advices Junior to believe in him (68-70), Uncle `Eugene' cheers Junior up as saying how brave Junior is (70-72), and the Spoken Indian culture of fisticuffs rules made Junior mentally tough person (61-62).
Even if there is no racist in the surrounding, to get closer with someone who comes from a different world is really hard action to make. For example, in Reardan culture, people always dressed up to go out, always live up to others' expectations, and always have an air of dignity and elegance. This world may seem fancy to live in, but at the same time, I think it is very superficial world to get through. Furthermore, I believe that this type of world often hides the natural human state too. On the other hand, the Indian Reservation culture, people don't care about what others wear or what others do: the importance is what is inside. Junior even mentions that, "we're really close to each other. We KNOW each other. Everybody knows everybody. But despite the fact that Reardan is a tiny town, people can still be strangers to each other" (153). As you can see, Junior has lived in a world where others always care about others, and wonderfully, Junior has cultivated his relationship skills. I think that this is the one of the reasons why Junior was able to overcome the difficulties of getting into a new world.
After Junior breaks the barriers, people at Reardan High start to pay attention to him in good way because of his actions. Junior shows his respect to others who put him down in the first place and tries to know them; therefore, he establishes closer ties with Gordy, Rodger, and Penelope: the smartest kid, the strongest guy, and the prettiest girl at Reardan High School. Moreover, because of Junior's well-rounded character, not only those three friends, but also he becomes closer with other students and teacher as time goes by.
Junior is the one who restores humanity to the white school. That's why he becomes a legend of Native American history, and that's why Alexie wrote this book to claim that we all can make our lives shinning from a life of struggle no matter who we are or where we are from through Junior's life story. I believe that The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie is not only for those young adults who are going to face the realities, but also for those adults who need resurrect their desire to succeed. A poor boy, lives on Spokane Indian Reservation, who has no hope to the world obtain his place in the spotlight with effort and struggle for his life.
Summary of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is based on the author's own experiences, coupled with poignant drawings that reflect the character's art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he thought he was destined to live.The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Alexie's YA debut, released in hardcover to instant success, recieving seven starred reviews, hitting numerous bestseller lists, and winning the 2007 National Book Award for Young People's Literature.
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