The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
In his first book for young adults, bestselling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is based on the author's own experiences, coupled with poignant drawings by acclaimed artist Ellen Forney, that reflect the character's art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he was destined to live.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Accessories
 Flight: A Novel
The Arrival
The Wednesday Wars
The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
American Born Chinese
The Book Thief
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village
Elijah of Buxton
The Mysterious Benedict Society
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Reviews
If he continues where he is he'll never have hope for a better life than his parents.but if he leaves he risks being labeled a traitor to his heritage. The author gives us a look into the struggles of a young man in a non-caucasian culture. This book was just a fun read. The main character recognizes the major difficulties in his life but doesn't feel sorry for himself, instead he draws cartoons as an outlet and finds the humor in every situation. Yet all this is conveyed with wit and humor. The characters are believable and the story conveys the triumph of hope over experience.
He's da man. You'll want to laugh and cry at the same time. There aren't any f-bombs though. He is tough and full of heart. You will fall in love with Arnold Spirit.
She also made us watch "Smoke Signals." By the way, it is an outstanding movie. If you are interested in Native American culture and you have a sense of humor - You have GOT to read or watch anything by Sherman Alexie. P.S. My only complaint is the language. He is so good at what he does. I have been a Sherman Alexie fan ever since my English professor made me read some of his short stories in my Multicultural American Lit class. Alexie's style of writing is insane. There's a little something for everyone who picks up this book: friendship, romance (kinda), embracing differences, and dealing with death.
:-) I just wanted to warn parents who are hesitant about foul language. This is a great coming of age book. I don't know if the story would seem as realistic without it, but I don't like it because I don't cuss like a sailor. Alexie gives the reader insight into the life of a Native American.
He captured the tone, age, angst, life of his main character, Arnold "Junior" Spirit, perfectly. Amazing author. A friend keeps recommending Reservation Blues, so that will be my next Alexie read. Junior's perceptions about life on the "rez" as well as life in the "white world" were dead-on descriptions of reality without being too politically motivated and "in your face." Some teenage humor, which, for an adult reading it, you sometimes have to remember that that's the way 14-year old boys ARE. I enjoyed this book alot. This is my first Sherman Alexie book, and I have to say I was very impressed. It was a very satisfying story.
He was a math teacher. Arnold takes refuge in his skill as a cartoonist and his self-knowledge that somehow he will survive. Alexie's writing is the kind I'd like to actually crawl inside, it's so good. Six stars. Arnold (also known as Junior), lives on the Spokane Native American Reservation where drinking and dysfunction are imprinted on the genes of its inhabitants. The sort of book like the young adult novel The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie that just makes you immediately realize this book deserves way more than just five stars. My clothes and hair were soaked with her tears. I wish it was possible to give a book six stars on Amazon.
It was, like, my mother had given me a grief shower, you know. When you finish some books and close them, you may know you've enjoyed them by the way you're left feeling. Held onto me like I was a baby. The story is told with liberal humor and lots of tragedy, and Arnold is a typical self-deprecating teen. Whatever.
But as Arnold looks around and sees how everyone, including his older sister, has given up, something is sparked within and he becomes determined to make something of his life. One hundred stars. An example is when Arnold's math teacher convinces him that he can better himself: "I was starting to understand. So many tears.
And she kept crying. Not for just any book, mind you; only for those that pack such emotional wallop, humor, and writing into them that the usual scale just doesn't do them justice. Arnold's faced a lot in his life, including being born as a hydroencephalic to well-meaning but disappointing parents. Or a hundred stars. Maybe you're smiling over a happy ending, or you're breathing hard because you've survived an action-filled climax. With The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, there will be so much more; Arnold is going to live with you in his heart-warming, hopeful manner forever.
But Arnold's not a quitter, even when he's forced to walk the distance to school because his father is either too drunk or too broke to take him; not even when his former schoolmates and their parents turn out en masse to boo and throw things when he plays basketball against the rez school. Or ten stars. Life at Reardon is difficult, too; as the only Indian at the school, Arnold's got to somehow forge friendships from people very different than himself. This book is simply one of the best I've read. From the moment Arnold steps into Reardon, his life changes, as he knew it would, and a lesser person would have been brought down immediately in the face of becoming an outcast on the reservation for having the nerve to think he could be "better". I had to multiply hope by hope." Later, while clinging to his mother following a devastating tragedy, Arnold says: ".she held on to me for hours.
I cannot recommend it highly enough for people of all ages. Like she'd baptized me with her pain.". One very large star that supersedes all others. I had to add my hope to somebody else's hope. So with lots of courage, Arnold talks his parents into letting him attend Reardon High School, the "white" school outside the reservation that will give him the contacts and advantages the rez school cannot.
It's a great underdog type story. If it wasn't for that, it would have been five stars. An Indian boy named Junior grows up on an Indian Reservation in Spokane. Even with that, it's a great book to read. He is born with defects that stand out in a way he's bullied in school. He leaves behind his only friend, Rowdy.
After a fight with his teacher, he moves to an all white school off the reservation. This touching book is based on parts of the author's life, really making the book more meaningful. The problem I had was the author keeps repeating the same sentence in several paragraphs. At his new school, he ends up making new friends, but in the end, he'll connect with Rowdy again.
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