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

Alexie, S., & Forney, E. (2007). The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian. New York: Little, Brown.

Arnold (Junior), is a young boy living on an Indian reservation with his very poor family. He was born with water on the brain, and because of this he has abnormalities. Arnold decides to leave the “rez” if he ever has hope of becoming anything, which makes his best friend, Rowdy, very upset. Arnold decides to attend Reardan, which is a small high school twenty-two miles from the “rez”, and consists of rich white kids. At first, Arnold is made fun of because he’s an Indian, and has to tolerate bullying because of his skin color. Eventually, he earns his peer’s respect. Arnold not only has a love interest, Penelope, but also joins the basketball team. Arnold has to endure many deaths that occur, including his grandma, sister, and dad’s best friend. At the end, Arnold and Rowdy patch up their friendship, and Arnold isn’t as lonely anymore. A major theme that comes into play in this realistic fiction book is the loss of loved ones. Arnold loses his grandmother to a drunk driver, his dad’s best friend to a shooting, and his sister to a house fire. Two key motifs portrayed are racism and alcohol. Since Arnold is an Indian who attends a “white” school, he is bullied not only at school, but by the people on the “rez”. Most of the people in Arnold’s life are alcoholics, which plays a factor in him leaving the “rez” to attend Reardan. Sherman Alexie adds cartoon drawings to help the reader understand Arnold’s emotions and the struggles he endures. The book is also told through the perspective of Arnold in a diary format. I would recommend this book to middle school students, and social studies teachers teaching about social issues such as racism. Here is a book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uy7BLTcRKgo