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

Goodreads Summary:

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.


My Thoughts:
First I would like to say that the drawings for this story are awesome and really add to the story. It has been a long time since reading a book with any kind of illustration and this book has made me think I should read more. I know that the same artist drew all the illustrations but there is such a difference in the styles that it helps with moments in the story where you feel raw emotion and growing up moments. The art really added to the storytelling.


Recently, I took a class in college about inequality in a democracy specifically in terms of economic inequality. A fellow student wrote her 20 page research paper on reservation life here in Utah. I heard about her experiences of first feeling Native and secondarily feeling like an American. I found it interesting that Junior also had those feelings. He had to come to terms with life on the rez and what he experienced when he dared to go to a public school not on the rez. The extreme poverty was something I expected to hear about. But from the point of view of a child is vastly different than the scholarly views I am used to.


***SPOILER***
The second or maybe third story in the book is about Junior watching his Father kill his dog because they didn't have the money to take the dog to the veterinarian. I got choked up thinking about what an experience like that will do to an adult let alone a child.
It was sweet though the way that Junior found friends who accepted him for who he was and didn't hold his poverty against him. So often in high school I saw how the poor kids were treated, or anyone who was even slightly different was treated. That isn't to say that Junior was accepted right away, he wasn't, but eventually he won some people over. I never saw that for the kids I went to school with who were picked on.


Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was a fast read, even with the heavy parts of the story you don't really need a break from the book. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a clear picture of Indian reservation life, but expect your heart to break a little. Additionally, I think anyone could benefit from reading this book.


While writing this review I was watching a rerun of Castle, the one where Alexis is kidnapped and taken to Paris.