The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a title that has been rattling around in my head for a few years. I went to a Boys and Books conference with colleagues from my previous school, and this was a featured book. However, what always stuck out was a colleague sitting next to me saying that she saw the author Sherman Alexie speak, and she was not impressed. Without remembering her exact words, I know she said he was very crude. This was not necessarily the reason that I hadn't picked the book up since first hearing about it, but it definitely always popped into my head whenever I heard his name or the book mentioned. 


I was excited when I saw it was one of the required readings for my YA literature class because then I would have a reason to finally read it and decide for myself what I think. I was not that far in when I chuckled to myself and thought, I can see why he might be crude as a speaker. Yet, for me it was not an off-putting crude - it was hilarious. I was frequently laughing out loud and having to share excerpts with my teaching partner, my husband, and over the phone with my sister in Massachusetts. 


Set on a Washington reservation, Junior the main character makes the decision early on in the book to go to a school off the reservation, and he immediately receives a lot of flack for it. Yet, he sticks with his decision, knowing he has to go forward with his plan since everyone has already heard of his intention. Instead he ends up going through the year with a foot in both worlds. There was plenty of reflecting as he navigated through feelings and observations of lifestyles and relationships. 


Narrative mixed with illustrations made for an enjoyable read. It was fun to see how Junior was capturing the events of this significant and life-changing period in his life. Despite the huge percentage of humor, there were also some very deep and serious themes, which surprised me at first. There was a good balance between light and heavy. Just when I was on the verge of crying at certain scenes, a humorous one liner would be thrown in, serving as comic relief. 


When we go back to school in the fall, I look forward to book talking this to my 8th graders. I have a hunch that my students who enjoy the format of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books will devour this book. I love that there are so many layers leading to a wealth of of discussion prompts.


Before my next class meeting I need to do an alternate book report for the text. I am still thinking about what I will end up doing... As another side note, I had never made the connection until tonight that Alexie also wrote the Smoke Signals screen play. I watched it while I was in college at a special event, and noticing that he wrote it makes me want to view it again.