Review 4 The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

 

Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2007. Print.

Annotation:

Life is hard for Arnold Spirit.  He lives on the Spokane Indian Reservation and attends an all white school outside of the reservation.  Trying to get out of the trap that is life on the reservation Arnold finds that he stuck between two worlds: his Indian family world and the outside white world that offers him a chance to break free from the hardships and limitations of the reservation.  Both worlds treat him with mistrust and Arnold seeks to find a way to balance the both.  Based on the life of the author Sherman Alexie.

Justification for Nomination:

Sherman Alexie has written a book that will appeal to readers of all ages but one that will definitely appeal to YA readers, especially the male readers.  His story is both humorous and poignant and his voice is acthentic.  The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is the semi-biographical story of Alexie’s own youth fictionalized to a degree.  His protagonist is named Arnold Spirit but he goes by Junior.  Caught between the worlds of the “rez” and the outside white world Arnold is trying to find himself.  Along the way the reader gets a very frank and honest take on a young boy’s feelings and thoughts on everyday issues and the greater issues of life.  Racked with a need to belong YA readers will relate to Arnold as he tries to define himself in a world that cannot accurately define him, and is hostile to defining him in any other way that Indian/Non-Indian.  Young male readers will especially relate to Arnold’s frank and open discussions about sports, pimples, masturbation, and girls.  Woven throughout is an eye opening lesson on the hardships of reservation life. I believe that The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a book that might actually engage some of the more uncommitted and even the unmotivated YA readers to take interest.  Alexie writes in the true voice of young boy, not in a voice that is meant to sound like an older man looking back.  This authenticity makes this book even more relatable and helps the reader get a grasp on the views of Arnold.  The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is worthy of not only the Printz award, but any other award that it might qualify for.  All the YA books I have read so far in my opinion qualify for this award, but The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is the book that exemplifies what a great YA read should be: real, relatable, and very readable.

Genre:

Autobiography, Memoir