The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian



Alexie, Sherman. 2007.  The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian ISBN:  978-0-316-01368-0  $2.99 Paperback Age 13+

From the very start of life, Junior has struggled. He was born with “water on the brain” and, after a dangerous surgery that he wasn’t supposed to live through, was left with a stutter and a lisp, both near-sighted AND farsighted, and “shaped like a giant L”. Needless to say, there’s not a lot going for him. Nothing, except of course, his fantastic ability to draw. In fact, Junior is a budding cartoonist who “draws to talk to the world”. But a kid living on the Spokane Indian Reservation doesn’t have a lot of prospects for their future, as he is reminded of all the time. When a twist of fate allows him to leave his school on the reservation to join a local high school, Junior learns what it’s like to be an Indian minority. Facing both ignorance from his new classmates and rejection from his friends at home, he doodles his way through his heartbreaks and breakthroughs. (White vs. Indian doodle page) Through his new adventures, he wonders what it means to be a part-time Indian.

A great novel that really depicts what its like for minority children. Definitely a valuable lesson into ignorance and prejudice.

Images

This is the image described in the booktalk. It demonstrates Junior's conflicting feelings of being a Native American in a predominantly white school.

Awards Won

National Book Award for Young People's Literature

Resources

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