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

Read for: YA Challenge; Dewey's Books Challenge

Another book that seems to have been subject to all the hype recently, although less so on this side of the pond. I picked it up in the States, after spending some time with a Navajo woman and driving through Flathead and Spokane land.

The Absolutely True Diary is exactly that, narrated by our part-time Indian, Junior, who grows up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. After a disastrous start to high school, Junior requests a transfer to a different school, in a rich, predominantly white town, miles away from his home. He soon discovers that change brings numerous challenges, both at home and at school.

Rather than being a story about an Indian boy suffering the trials and tribulations of life and leaving the rez in order to have a better education, it is more the story of a teenage boy suffering the typical trials and tribulations of life. Two things make Junior stand out from the average American boy. One being that he suffered brain damage as an infant, which affects his speech and has caused some physical problems. The other is that he is Native American, growing up in poverty on the Spokane reservation. Although perhaps it is the latter reason that the book has been so hyped, it is not the only reason to pick up and enjoy this book. In fact, quite the opposite. Sherman Alexie has written a touching tale about a boy trying to find his way in the world, surviving his health problems, bullying and his family's poverty, to obtain himself a good education and possibly a bright future. Yes it is made all the poignant by his ethnicity, but much of the humour comes from the typical teenage mishaps and discoveries.

Having said that, Sherman Alexie has obviously drawn on his deep intimate knowledge of life on a reservation to write a wonderfully humourous and often sad tale which gives us some insight into a world that most Americans know little about. Regardless, this is an amusing and touching tale that will strike a chord with any teenager (or anyone who remembers being a teenager) who has felt like an outsider.

Other blog reviews:
Bold.Blue.Adventure
Becky's Books
You Can Never Have Too Many Books

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