The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

ISBN: 978-0-316-01368-0
Little, Brown & Co., NY
2007
230 pages

Plot Summary

Junior, born with a host of medical problems, asks to attend the "white" high school 22 miles away from his home on the Spokane Indian reservation. Going to a good school will give him the opportunity to attend college and escape the poverty of the reservation, but he doesn't fit in at the new school and his best friend considers him a traitor.

Critical Evaluation

Cartoons are interspersed throughout this book giving it a very cool vibe. It's a fast read and another good choice for reluctant readers. Some critics felt the book was unrealistic in its portrayal of multiple tragedies in Junior's home town and his unlikely basketball stardom but it's not supposed to be realistic - the book is sad and funny almost at the same time and very well-written.

Reader's Annotation

Junior, a budding cartoonist, is a Native American who lives on a reservation in the Northwest. As the best student at his poor reservation school, he decides to leave the reservation and attend the good "white" school that will give him the chance for a college education.

Author Information

Author Sherman Alexie lives in Seattle and has been named one of GRANTA's Best YA Novelists. The Boston Globe calls him "an important voice in American literature." This book was his first book for YA and is loosely based on his own experiences.

Genre

Native American coming-of-age story told with a cartoonist's twist

Curriculum Ties

on some high school reading lists

Booktalking Ideas

1. Junior takes Penelope to the Winter Formal with $5 in his pocket.

2. Junior befriends Gordy, the genius white boy at his new school.

Reading/ Interest Level

High school

Challenge Issues and Defense

masturbation scene, lots of alcohol

While there have been some challenges (the book was pulled from a high school required reading list in Crook County, Oregon), the author feels that the book is positive about the world we live in and shows people from different politics and groups becoming friends.

National Book Award winner

Why I Included This Book

award-winning book and a NY Times bestseller