The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Alexie, S., & Forney, E. (2007). The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York: Little, Brown.

Readability lexile: 600L

Summary:

The narrator introduces himself to us that he has hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus means that he was born with water on the brain. He also is an artist who enjoys drawing cartoons and hopes to use his words to connect with people. 

The narrator then tells us the story of Oscar, his best canine friend. His family is too poor to afford the proper veterinary care, so the narrator's father shoots him. The kid is, of course, devastated. Poverty does indeed, in this case, suck. 

We then meet the narrator's best friend, a tough-guy named Rowdy. Rowdy spends quite a bit of his time with the narrator's family, since his own is abusive. The two go to a powwow together when Junior (one of our narrator's names) gets roughed up a bit, and Rowdy intervenes. We see that Rowdy is Junior's protector.

Moving on, Junior is at school one day and finds his mother's name written in a geometry textbook. Absolutely appalled, he throws the book at his teacher, Mr. P. After he is suspended from school, Mr. P comes to visit and tells Arnold to never give up. He encourages Arnold to leave the reservation. 

Arnold takes Mr. P's advice to heart and tells his parents that he would like to transfer to the white school in Reardan. Junior's parents agree with the idea, but Rowdy is totally peeved. He is so upset that he punches Junior right in the face. The two become more like enemies than friends. The reservation Indians also shun Junior for his decision to switch to Reardan.

Junior starts Reardan High School, where he meets Penelope, a beautiful blonde, and gets picked on by the jock named Roger. Around this time we also learn that our narrator's full name is Arnold Spirit, Jr. Eventually, Arnold stands up to Roger and punches him right in the nose. Roger does not fight back, but begins to show respect for Arnold. 

Arnold hears Penelope vomiting in the school bathroom one day, and learns that she is an anorexic. The two become close, even going together to the winter dance. Though he has been passing as middle-class, Penelope soon discovers that Arnold is poor and feels sorry for him. They become semi-girlfriend and boyfriend and Arnold absolutely adores her.  

Arnold also becomes friends with a kid named Gordy who is the school's whiz. A total brain, Gordy teaches Arnold how to really read a book and about the true joys of learning. 

Shuttling between Wellpinit and Reardan, Arnold begins feeling like a part-time Indian. The "rez" refer to him like an "apple". He is red on the outside and white on the inside. He is Junior on the "rez", where he is an outcast, and at school in Reardan he is Arnold. 

After a conversation with his father, Arnold decides to try out for basketball. With a little encouragement from the Coach, he makes the team. During the first match against his old school, Arnold is booed, hit with a quarter, and the crowd turns their back on him. Rowdy, his "former friend", then knocks him in the head and Arnold falls unconscious.

During the last bits of the book, Arnold undergoes a series of losses: first his grandmother is hit by a drunk driver, then his dad's best friend Eugene is shot in the face at a 7-11. These are all alcohol-related accidents. The death of his sister Mary is also caused by alcohol. She died in a trailer fire. The only way Arnold can cope with the pain is by learning to embrace his joy, which he does by making lists. 

The ending of the book is a reconciliation between Rowdy and Arnold. They play a one-on-one game of basketball. Rowdy tells Arnold that Arnold is a nomad and accepts the fact that Arnold has left the reservation. Meanwhile, Arnold has decided that he is multi-tribal. He has found a way of looking at himself that is not solely based on "white" or "Indian." He belongs to many different tribes. 

Evaluation of the text based on Donna Norton's characteristics of high quality literature (Norton, D. (2011):

This book could be used as high quality literature, because it serves for multiple avenues of learning. For example, the back of the book contains a discussion guide, which has some great questions that would conduct some quite thought-provoking conversations. This book could also be used to talk about several themes that were apparent throughout, such as identity, poverty, isolation, friendship, mortality, and hope. 

In the Ten Steps for Reviewing Children's Literature by Norton, I think this book addresses the hero the best. The hero in this book is Junior from the rez/Arnold from Reardan. I believe this book really captures what it means to believe in yourself and take charge for what you believe to be true. That takes an incredible amount of courage and confidence, which is only a small part of what it means to be a hero. 

Literary Elements:

1. Setting: The reservation in Willpinit and Reardan High School in Reardan.

2. Conflict: The narrator has to choose whether or not he wants to give up the life of a Part-Time Indian. He struggles with trying to identify himself and where he fits in.

3. Tone: Poignant; fierce observations; sharp sense of humor and wit; hilarious language; harsh; devastating. 

Mini-Lesson:

The lesson I would teach is about a hero. I would have a classroom discussion about what they believe a hero is and write their thoughts on the board. I would welcome a student to share who their hero is and why they think of them as their hero. I would bring closure to this lesson by having the students write about their hero. 

Target Audience:

Young Adult, Colonial Literature 

The approach allows him to speak to a teenage audience by touching on themes resonant with younger readers, such as the search for identity, the awkwardness of being a teen, and the desire to leave home. 

My personal reaction to this book was pure humor. I laughed almost consistently from the very beginning to the very end. I believe this book has remarkable value and I would use it in my classroom if I had the opportunity to do so. 

My only criticism is some of the language, but the reality of our youth is that this is their norm. It is driven for attention and thought-provoking ideas.