The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Alexie Sherman

Bibliographic Information:
Sherman, Alexie. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Little, Brown Young Readers, 2007. ISBN-10: 0316013684

Book Awards:
2007 National Book Award in Young People's Literature category
2008 Scandiuzzi Children's Book Award for middle grades and young adults
2008 Stranger Genius Award
2008 Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards for Excellence in Children’s Literature in Fiction

Plot Summary:
Junior is a 14 year old Spokane Indian boy who is a misfit. He is a misfit because he is strange looking, due to a childhood condition (water on the brain), and because he is extremely smart. While the Indians on his reservation try to maintain their cultural heritage and family values, the alcoholism, poverty, and lack of education engender an atmosphere of hopelessness. Fighting is the norm, which would leave Junior at a disadvantage if not for his best friend Rowdy, who is one of the toughest boys on the rez. A teacher convinces Junior that his only hope to escape the rez is to go to a white school where education is valued, but, unsurprisingly, he doesn't seem to fit in there either! Although his parents support his decision, his friends feel betrayed. Can basketball, a pretty white girl, a prejudiced senior athlete, and a coach help Junior make peace with both communities?

Critical Evaluation:
This book deals with many serious topics of life and adolescence: friendship, alchoholism, prejudice, the trap of poverty, death, dating, and body consciousness. That said, the 13 year old boy through whose voice the story is told is by turns hysterically funny and achingly vulnerable. Junior's comic-style drawings are scattered throughout the book, lending a separate type of humor to the story. This is a masterful representation of how and what a 13 year old would write if he were a skilled author-- it is literally a wrench to realize that Junior is a fictional character.

Reader's Annotation:
One Spokane Indian boy chooses to go to an all white high school in order to escape the poverty cycle of the Reservation. This book is a funny and poignant description of the most important year of his life.

About the Author:
This book is an autobiographical work of fiction. Sherman was born in 1966, and grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. He attended Washington State University studying American Studies. He is a published and distinguished poet, a featured stand-up comedian, a musician and songwriter, an reknowned author, a screenwriter, and a film director. He lives in Seattle, Washington.

Genre:
fiction

Curriculum Ties:
Art

Booktalking Ideas:
-list all of Junior's problems, then talk about author's accomplishments. This book tells the story of how this happened.
-perceptions about indian reservations

Interest Age:
13+

Challenge Issues:
Crude humor.
Defense: Read the book! Cite awards and reviews. Refer to collection development policy.

Reason Included:
I had to read this for class, and it is one of the most amazing books I've read. I felt it HAD to be included!