Alexie, S. (2007). The absolutely true diary of a
part-time Indian. NY: Little Brown
Summary of the book:
The protagonist, Arnold Spirit, known as Junior, he is
a Spokane Indian who was born with “water on the brain,” and lives on the
reservation with his alcoholic father, his quiet mother, grandmother and older
sister. Junior has hope, hope for a better and successful life. After his first
day in Wellpinit High School he realizes that if he doesn’t “leave” the
reservation he will end up miserable like all those around him, including his best
friend Rowdy. So he goes out and attends Reardan High School which is outside
of the Rez. Through his journey, he meets Penelope his “somewhat girlfriend,”
Roger his basketball teammate and friend, and Gordy his intellectual friend. In
his first year at Reardan High School he experiences three family deaths, yet
proves to himself and those around him that he has what it takes to become successful
in the world, wherever that may be!
Response:
This book has a very important theme, one of
self-discovery, of becoming who you are meant to be, and dealing with the feeling
of feeling like an outsider. This is a very relevant and inspiring story that
young adults will connect to and with. They can identify with the protagonist’s
struggles of dealing with everyday issues, like self-esteem, bullying, family
problems and friendship. The drawings help add to the text’s meaning. The
targeted audience is 12-17 years of age. I can definitely see high school
students gravitating towards this story. Overall, this story was very
inspirational and was a great read, with its protagonist making the reader feel
like they were there with him! A textbook connection relating to this book
would be “American Born Chinese” by Gene Luan Yang.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It-XG0hLvMU
video analysis.
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