Citation
Alexie, S. (2009). The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.
Description
Bestselling author 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 by Ellen Forney 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 was destined to live.
With a forward by Markus Zusak, interviews with Sherman Alexie and Ellen Forney, and four-color interior art throughout, this edition is perfect for fans and collectors alike.
Little, Brown and Company. (n.d.) The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian details. Retrieved from https://www.lbyr.com/titles/sherman-alexie/the-absolutely-true-diary-of-a-part-time-indian/9780316219303/
Realistic Fiction
Scholarly Review
Gr 7-10–Arnold Spirit, aka Junior, a Spokane Indian, is a bright, geeky teen who transfers from the reservation school to a rich, white high school. With honesty, humor, and unfailing optimism, he comes to terms with tragic realities and family frailties, and learns who he really is.
School Library Journal. (2007). SLJ’s best books of 2007. Retrieved from https://www.slj.com/2007/12/reviews/best-of/sljs-best-books-of-2007/
My AnalysisThis is the second time I read this book, and I enjoyed it just as much as I did the first time I read it. I found the main character, Arnold “Junior” Spirit, to be a relatable character because he is so awkward yet genuine. This book has been continually challenged or banned in some places since its publication. The most common reasons behind the challenges are profanity, alcohol, violence, and sexual content. However, compared to many other books on the list, this one is fairly tame. I think the message of the novel outweighs any reasons behind the challenges. This story is funny yet realistic, and readers are drawn to that. It offers a glimpse into another culture and teaches readers that some moments in life are uncomfortable, but you will get through them.
Tags
#ModernNativeAmerican
Description
Bestselling author 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 by Ellen Forney 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 was destined to live.
With a forward by Markus Zusak, interviews with Sherman Alexie and Ellen Forney, and four-color interior art throughout, this edition is perfect for fans and collectors alike.
Little, Brown and Company. (n.d.) The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian details. Retrieved from https://www.lbyr.com/titles/sherman-alexie/the-absolutely-true-diary-of-a-part-time-indian/9780316219303/
Realistic Fiction
Scholarly Review
Gr 7-10–Arnold Spirit, aka Junior, a Spokane Indian, is a bright, geeky teen who transfers from the reservation school to a rich, white high school. With honesty, humor, and unfailing optimism, he comes to terms with tragic realities and family frailties, and learns who he really is.
School Library Journal. (2007). SLJ’s best books of 2007. Retrieved from https://www.slj.com/2007/12/reviews/best-of/sljs-best-books-of-2007/
My AnalysisThis is the second time I read this book, and I enjoyed it just as much as I did the first time I read it. I found the main character, Arnold “Junior” Spirit, to be a relatable character because he is so awkward yet genuine. This book has been continually challenged or banned in some places since its publication. The most common reasons behind the challenges are profanity, alcohol, violence, and sexual content. However, compared to many other books on the list, this one is fairly tame. I think the message of the novel outweighs any reasons behind the challenges. This story is funny yet realistic, and readers are drawn to that. It offers a glimpse into another culture and teaches readers that some moments in life are uncomfortable, but you will get through them.
Tags
#ModernNativeAmerican
#multiculturallit
Usage
I would love to use this book as part of Banned Books week because it has been challenged so much. It could also be used in class or as part of a culture study.
Awards
2007 National Book Award for Young People's Literature
2008 American Indian Youth Literature Awards. American Indian Library Association Best Young Adult Book
2008 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, Fiction and Poetry
2009 Odyssey Award
2010 California Young Reader Medal, Young Adult Book
NAPPA Book Award
PNBA Book Award
Censorship
In 2013, this novel was banned from the Rockaway Park Middle School in Queens, New York as a result of nine parents’ complaints of the book’s “repeated discussion of masturbation.” The book was required reading before the complaints. School Library Journal was unable to get comments from school faculty, but the story made national news and went viral on social media. Sherman Alexie even tweeted a response to the banning of his novel. The publisher of the novel, Little, Brown and Company, released a statement that they fully supported Alexie and were proud of the novel.
https://www.slj.com/2013/08/censorship/alexies-true-diary-removed-from-nyc-schools-summer-reading-list/
References
Little, Brown and Company. (n.d.) The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian details. Retrieved from https://www.lbyr.com/titles/sherman-alexie/the-absolutely-true-diary-of-a-part-time-indian/9780316219303/
School Library Journal. (2013). Alexie’s ‘true diary’ removed from NYC school’s summer reading list. Retrieved from https://www.slj.com/2013/08/censorship/alexies-true-diary-removed-from-nyc-schools-summer-reading-list/
School Library Journal. (2007). SLJ’s best books of 2007. Retrieved from https://www.slj.com/2007/12/reviews/best-of/sljs-best-books-of-2007/
Usage
I would love to use this book as part of Banned Books week because it has been challenged so much. It could also be used in class or as part of a culture study.
Awards
2007 National Book Award for Young People's Literature
2008 American Indian Youth Literature Awards. American Indian Library Association Best Young Adult Book
2008 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, Fiction and Poetry
2009 Odyssey Award
2010 California Young Reader Medal, Young Adult Book
NAPPA Book Award
PNBA Book Award
Censorship
In 2013, this novel was banned from the Rockaway Park Middle School in Queens, New York as a result of nine parents’ complaints of the book’s “repeated discussion of masturbation.” The book was required reading before the complaints. School Library Journal was unable to get comments from school faculty, but the story made national news and went viral on social media. Sherman Alexie even tweeted a response to the banning of his novel. The publisher of the novel, Little, Brown and Company, released a statement that they fully supported Alexie and were proud of the novel.
https://www.slj.com/2013/08/censorship/alexies-true-diary-removed-from-nyc-schools-summer-reading-list/
References
Little, Brown and Company. (n.d.) The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian details. Retrieved from https://www.lbyr.com/titles/sherman-alexie/the-absolutely-true-diary-of-a-part-time-indian/9780316219303/
School Library Journal. (2013). Alexie’s ‘true diary’ removed from NYC school’s summer reading list. Retrieved from https://www.slj.com/2013/08/censorship/alexies-true-diary-removed-from-nyc-schools-summer-reading-list/
School Library Journal. (2007). SLJ’s best books of 2007. Retrieved from https://www.slj.com/2007/12/reviews/best-of/sljs-best-books-of-2007/
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