THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN

Alexie, Sherman. (2009). The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.

Fourteen year old Arnold Spirit, Jr. is a teenage Indian and an aspiring artist, whose parents are alcoholics, his sister avoids people, and his best friend Rowdy is being abused by his father.  The problem is that he is often picked on and beaten for having a stutter problem and a lisp and to top it off he is also a hydrocephalic (born with water in his brain).  He leaves the reservation in Wellpinit to attend an all-white school in Reardan and is labeled a traitor, even Rowdy is upset.   He is caught between his home on the reservation and the white high school he attends and soon he starts to become like a part time Indian.

Illustration in the book
 that made me
 laugh out loud.

People of all ages can relate to this amazing coming of age novel, through so much pain, there is still humor.    Arnold starts a new school and one of the first things he does is get the courage to stand up for himself by punching a bully and getting his respect in return.  He finds a girl he likes (Penelope) and becomes friends with Gordy who teaches him the joys of not only reading a book, but of learning. 

 Teen males will see themselves in this story, school awkwardness, first loves, bulling, searching for their identity, and being persistent.  The theme of this book is that through so much pain, there is hope and joy.  Arnold’s grandmother is hit by a drunk driver, his dad’s best friend is shot in the face, his sister Mary dies in a fire; 

“grief – when you feel so helpless and stupid that you think nothing will ever be right again, and your macaroni and cheese tastes like sawdust, and you can’t even jerk off because it seems like too much trouble,” made me laugh out loud.

Yet, despite all this grief, this teen shows us that you have a choice on whether you let it get you down or no.  Arnold copes by making lists of people that give him joy, musicians, favorite foods, books and basketball players.  This novel helps teens from different backgrounds have hope that they too will get through their bad situations.  One of my favorite parts is when he makes up with his friend Rowdy and he calls Arnold, “Nomadic,”  a compliment, meaning that he’s  moved on to greener pastures or a better place, making him a true Indian.  This makes Arnold realize he did the right thing and is actually happy for himself.  This novel is from the YA required list.

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