The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian - Sherman Alexie

02/28/18

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

The layout of Sherman Alexie's story is very much like a journal or diary. The character recounts events, and the story continues along in an everyday manner. The themes of this YA novel are overcoming adversity/struggles, and loneliness. The main character, Junior, has to overcome the effects of hydrocephalus, having been born with excess spinal fluid on his brain. The struggles include having a lisp and a stutter, as well as having ten extra teeth. additionally, he faces bullying from white kids at his school that he attends, and he faces bullying on the reservation because he attends a public school for white kids. He doesn't fit in in either place. This causes loneliness and isolation. When he does make friends at the white school, they struggle to understand his struggles as a Native American.

This novel contains a lot of tragedies in the second half. Junior's grandmother is killed by a drunk driver, Bobby shoots Eugine in the face over a bottle of wine, and Mary, Junior's sister, dies in a fire. She was passed out from excessive drinking.  Junior promises his mother that he will never drink. The occurrence of these tragedies, and Junior's ability to continue on with life despite the events, show that Junior is strong. He manages to pull decent grades despite everything. The story ends with Rowdy making amends with Junior, asking him to hang out. This shows that Junior is forgiving. I don't know if I would be able to forgive Rowdy for the things he had done.

The text shows the negative side of Native American life on Reservations. Junior's parents are alcoholics, as are the other families. In fact, the three deaths that occurred (Junior's grandmother, Eugine, and Mary) all involved drinking. There may be a truth about Native Americans on Reservations being alcoholics, but this particular point was really driven home throughout the book. It seems a tad stereotypical.

Adolescents in this story take front and center. The main character (and narrator) is an adolescent. Junior often has to fend for himself. The adults are less involved, as is the norm for most YA novels. The story would appeal to adolescents for a few reasons. One, the story is fast-paced. It will catch the attention of the reader, and keep them interested. Two, the story is from the perspective of an adolescent. When a novel is from the perspective of an adolescent, students are more likely to give the story a chance.  Three, the adults are not as involved. Adolescents are front and center, which makes them more important (maybe more important than adults).

Grade: B-