Young Adult Literature-The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

 Young Adult Literature-The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Bibliography:

Sherman A. (2007). The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

Plot Summary:

Junior (Arnold) lives in an Indian Reservation where alcohol is more important than life.  Junior wanted a better life so he transfers to Reardan High School.  There he is known as Arnold, he is now split between his reservation and his new school.  He has to deal with his best friend from the reservation, Rowdy being upset because of his decision.  At Reardan High School Arnold is treated like an outcast as well.  In order for Arnold to have a better social standing he decides to join the basketball team.  He is surprised to find out he makes the varsity team and he is a starting player.  He is confronted with playing against his best friend.  This became a struggle to find out who he really is and after beating his best friend Arnold discovers there isn't much glory defeating his own tribe.  Arnold and Rowdy settle their differences and in the end Arnold decides to continue at Reardan High School the next school year.

Strengths:

This book is culturally diverse and is intended for 12-17 year olds.  It is an easy read and the plot is simple to follow.  It does have a lot of vulgar words, but at the same time this book discusses many topics teens may be encountering such as sexual awareness, family importance, and drug abuse.  Even though it does have some extreme language it is something that young adults can relate to.  Junior is facing many issues that young adults are facing today which many young adults, especially males will relate to. It is also ideal for a young adult that is feeling like an outcast to cultural differences in his/her school or neighborhood.  Sherman Alexie is a great writer and this is a great read!

Connections:

Other books written by Sherman Alexie are the following:

 *Compare and Contrast The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian to another great book written by Sherman Alexie.

Connections to the textbook:

This book was a great read!  Not only did I read the book, but my 16 year old daughter read it as well.  We talked about the connections we each made while reading the book.   It took me back to my adolescent years and I thought about the insecurities I had as a young adult.  I thought about all the fears I had and could not face them,  It sparked conversation with my daughter, we conversed about facing our fears and how fear holds us back from living life to the fullest. Her older brother, my son, and her older sister also joined in the conversation.   They all said it taught them to face their fear even if it is difficult to do, it is best.