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

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie tells the story of Arnold Spirit, Jr., a fourteen year old Native American boy who lives on an Indian reservation.  Arnold Spirit, Jr, who typically goes by Junior, was born with too cerebrospinal fluid in his cranium.  Surviving against all odds, Junior goes on to live what one could hardly call a “normal” life.  His survival is marked by various physical oddities.  From a susceptibility to seizures to having way too many teeth, Junior is guilty of the early adolescent crime of being different from those around him.  In school, Junior is verbally and physically abused.  To cope with his status as an outcast, Junior draws cartoons which illustrate the book.    After getting suspended from the reservation school, Junior makes the controversial decision to attend the “white school” off the reservation.  Junior quickly discovers that he has simply gone from being an outcast in one community, to being an even bigger outcast at his new school.  However, Junior strives to overcome adversity and gain social acceptance at his new school.  As he becomes more involved in his life off of the reservation, he becomes alienated from his life and his only friend on the reservation.  Will Junior be able to establish his own identity and follow his own path?  Will he be able to mend the ties that have been broken back on the reservation?  Junior strives to understand who he is in this and where he belongs in this coming of age story. 

Despite the amusing cartoons, this novel is far from a light hearted read.  The content of the novel is dark to say the least.  Tragedy seems to strike the characters at every turn.  Poverty, racism, the abuse of alcohol, and gun violence are all present in this young adult novel.  Fortunately, Alexie’s protagonist’s witty narration softens the content of the novel making it palatable for younger audiences.  That said, I would recommend this book only to mature eighth grade students because of the mature content in the novel.