The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Summary:

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian follows the story of 14 year old boy, Junior, who lives with his family on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Washington State.  Junior suffers from hydrocephalus, which is the reason for his short stature, seizures, poor eye-sight, stuttering, and lisping.  Because of this condition, Junior has been picked on for most of his life.  The story is written in a diary form which starts at the beginning of the school year and ends at the beginning of summer.  The main plot of the story is that Junior is frustrated with poor conditions his school is; which comes to light when Junior receives a geometry textbook which his mother had used when she was in school.  Angry and upset, Junior lashes out by throwing the book at his teacher, which breaks his nose.  When his teacher, Mr. P. visits Junior at his home; he convinces Junior to transfer to a high school that is 22 miles away, which is wealthier than his own school.  The majority of the story deals with how Junior interacts and deals with his new classmates where Junior; which have different rules and values compared to the those he had witnessed in the reservation.  The book also examines the family struggles that Junior faced during his year in school; which include the death of his grandmother by a drunk driver and a family friend being shot in the face after a fight over alcohol.  

Commentary on the strengths:

The book is written in an episodic diary format.  It is told through Juniors written account of what occurred along with cartoon drawings that comically depict on his situations and other illustrations that are more serious in nature depicting important people in his life.  The story is a modern realistic novel that is contemporary and uses humor to convey its message.  This book is a great example for students to explore a different culture, other than one that they are familiar with.  They can also experience consequences vicariously through Juniors decisions.  This is a great book that helps transmit culture; and Sherman Alexie does an excellent job in portraying Native American life.  

Readers also enjoyed If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth; After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson; A Step from Heaven by An Na; American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang; and Claudette Calvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillp M. Hoose

Additional books written by Sherman Alexie include Reservation Blues; Flight; War Dances; Indian Killer; and The Toughest Indian in the World. 

Teachers can find ideas to incorporate this book into their lesson plans at the following website:  https://www.varsitytutors.com/englishteacher/absolutely-true-diary-of-a-part-time-indian-lesson-plans

       Alexie, S., & Forney, E. (2015). The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian. London: Andersen Press.

     Book trailer