![]() ![]() P, his geometry teacher, passes him his textbook, he sees his mother's name in it and realizes how old the book must be. Junior's first day of high school is pivotal to the plot of the novel. ![]() Despite his intimidating role, Rowdy often stands up for Junior and they bond by enjoying kids' comics. Junior's only friend is his best friend Rowdy, who is abused at home and is known as a bully on the reservation. ![]() When Junior's dog Oscar gets a heat stroke, his father must put him down (tragically, by shooting him) because they cannot afford to take him to a veterinarian. Junior's family is extremely poor and has limited access to opportunities. As a result, Junior has always been picked on by other people on the reservation. The Absolutely True Diary begins by introducing Junior's birth defects: he was born with hydrocephalus and therefore is small for his age and suffers from seizures, poor eyesight, stuttering, and a lisp. It includes both Junior's written record of his life and his cartoon drawings, some of them comically commenting on his situations, and others more seriously depicting important people in his life. It is told in diary style, moving from the start of the school year to the beginning of summer. The book follows a fourteen-year-old Arnold Spirit Jr., also known as "Junior," living with his family on the Spokane Indian Reservation near Wellpinit, Washington. As a result, a small collective of schools have challenged it, and some schools have blocked the book from distribution in school libraries or inclusion in the curricula. Controversy stems from how the novel describes alcohol, poverty, bullying, violence, sexuality. Īlthough critically acclaimed, The Absolutely True Diary has also been the subject of controversy and has consistently appeared on the annual list of frequently challenged books since 2008, becoming the most frequently challenged book from 2010 to 2019. The graphic novel includes 65 comic illustrations that help further the plot. The book is about Junior's life on the Spokane Indian Reservation and his decision to go to a nearly all- white public high school away from the reservation. But I'm glad that Alexie laid it all out there and didn't pull any punches with respect to language and the graphic details to show how difficult life was for the adolescent part-time Indian.The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a first-person narrative novel by Sherman Alexie, from the perspective of a Native American teenager, Arnold Spirit Jr., also known as "Junior," a 14-year-old promising cartoonist. You Don't Have to Say You Love Me was probably the best book I read in 2017 and I liked it better than Part-Time Indian as I'm not big on YA and don't feel the need to see life through any teen's eyes. I wish I would've read this book before You Don't Have to Say You Love Me, as it felt like sort of a prequel. Real life is not always duckies and bunnies. ![]() Apparently, this book was banned in places for it's graphic nature. You've got your funny moments, profane moments, sad moments (many, many sad moments) - Alexie throws it all out there in detail and doesn't mince words. This is considered his YA book and Alexie doesn't hold back with regard of describing what life is like for an adolescent boy, and how hard it was growing up Indian, on and off the "rez". An accompanying PDF contains all of the author's cartoons featured in the paper book. There is also and hour-long interview with the author at the end full of all sorts of interesting stories and thoughts of future plans, many of which didn't come to fruition due to the author's well-publicized personal issues. Additionally, I listened to the 10th anniversary edition of Part-Time Indian which contained some excellent bonus content such as a chapter about best friend Rowdy (real name Randy) which was as emotional, and I thought as good, as anything in the main text of the book. I feel like reading a paper copy of the book would give one only half the experience. The audio versions were read by the author himself which to me really made the experience as he holds back no emotions, happy or sad, and really makes the stories come to life. He Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is the second Sherman Alexie book I listened to after You Don't Have to Say You Love Me. ![]()
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