The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Born with several medical conditions, fourteen year-old Arnold Spirit (Junior), has always been picked on and bullied for being different. He lives in the Spokane Indian Reservation and is tired of seeing the same cycle eat up every Indian in the rez: alcohol and no hope of a future. Things change for him when he realizes that his geometry textbook was outdated by about thirty years. He gets so upset that he accidentally hits his math teacher, Mr. P. with the book. He gets suspended and Mr. P. encourages Junior to get out of the rez and attend a school where he might have a chance at a better life. Junior enrolls at Reardon High School , twenty-two miles away from the rez and an all white student population. At first, he gets picked on for being an Indian, but he decides to stand up for himself and he decks the biggest, white kid in school, Roger. The next day, Roger shows respect towards Junior and they become good friends. Junior catches the eye of Penelope, a popular girl, and they start dating. While all of this is going on, Junior is feeling more confident of himself and the decision he has made since all the Indians at the rez see him as a traitor. He tries out for basketball and is surprised he gets picked for the varsity team. He gets so much encouragement by his coach and teammates that his game gets better. For their first game, they lose to his old school at the rez. He got three stitches and a concussion courtesy of an angry Indian and his best friend, Rowdy. Before the season was over, he played them again and Junior showed them no fear. With the help of Junior, they crushed his old school. When the game ended, Junior felt awful that he had taken away this small victory away from them. During the school year, both his grandmother and sister died due to alcohol related accidents and his classmates showed love and concern for him. In the end, Junior realizes that he not only belongs to the Spokane Tribe, but also to the tribe of the American immigrant. He knew he was going to be ok and be able to coexist in both worlds. This is a wonderful and funny story on how one can change their destiny for the better, by not being afraid of the unknown. Junior was the underdog, the one that no one thought would make it and he proved them that with hope anything can be achieved. I highly recommend this book to middle and upper grade students as well as reluctant readers. It could also be used in a book talk. The book was easy to read and follow. What I mostly liked were the illustrations depicting how Junior perceived things. This is a must read for all students, especially those underdogs.
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