By: Sherman Alexie
Published: September 12th 2007 by Little, Brown Young Readers
Source: Library
4 Stars- I really liked this book. Go pick it up
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, receiving seven starred reviews, hitting numerous bestseller lists, and winning the 2007 National Book Award for Young People's Literature.
Mundie Moms has asked us to post about or review one of our favorite banned/challenged books. I chose The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian. I chose this book, because it represents exactly why I am against book bans. This is an amazing, award winning book, and it's being pulled off shelves, because a parent didn't like the content of the book.
I get it! Some of the language is offensive, and can be viewed as racist. The main argument is because a parent doesn't want his child to know what "teenage boys do". That doesn't mean every parent feels the same way. It's natural, it's normal; banning it doesn't make it go away.
Had those few parts been left out, I don't think we would have had an honest of character, as we do with Junior. This is his diary; he shares it all, the good, the bad, and the embarrassing.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian is basically a diary of Arnold Spirit (Junior's) decision to leave his life on the reservation behind, in order to excel. Rez life isn't glamorous, you're poor, your school books are the same books your parents, grandparents used- life on the reservation is a cycle, you born there, you go to school there, you are stuck there to raise your family. For Junior, life on the reservation was worse; he was born with a disability.
Junior decides he wants to go to school at the local public school; he refuses to be stuck in the cycle. When he turns his back on the reservation, his home life only gets worse. The local public school isn't that welcoming either, and their mascot is an Indian. He is an outsider, but he doesn't let that stop him. He will go to extraordinary measures to find his place.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian is a tragically beautiful read. Junior has his ups and downs, but it's all told in a humorous way. One minute you will be crying and then in the next breath be laughing. It truly is an emotional roller coaster.