The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Alexie, S. (2007). The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York: Little, Brown & Company.

 Arnold is a teenager that lives in Spokane Indian Reservation. He is born with cerebral spinal fluid inside his skull which causes him to have seizures. Because of his physical appearance (skinny, has way more teeth than the average human, wears glasses, and stutters), he constantly gets beaten up. To escape his miserable life and to feel important, he draws cartoons. His parents are extremely poor, therefore, they were not able to achieve their dreams even though they had potential. He has only one true friend, Rowdy, which suffers from domestic violence. His home environment causes him to be violent himself. But, he does not mistreat Arnold but protects him from bullies. After an incident with his geometry teacher and seeing that there is no hope in his current school, Mr. P., Arnold decided to change his future by transferring to Reardan High School, a school filled with middle class White students. He had to overcome various obstacles: he struggled to get a ride to get to school and his new classmates treated him as an outsider while his Indian tribe treated him as a traitor. Arnold experiences internal conflicts since he is torn between his dreams of success and his people. As the story progresses, he is able to make friends at Reardan but loses Rowdy. He also suffered emotional loss after experiencing the death of a good friend, his sister, and his grandmother.  As a matter of fact, all deaths were caused by alcohol which the author uses to ensure that the reader is cognizant about how Spokane Indians are predestined to fail in every aspect of their lives. Arnold’s life changes when he becomes a basketball star. He did have an opportunity to play against his old school, Wellpinit. Rowdy was so hurt that he elbows Arnold. The injury required stitches. Arnold did have an opportunity to savor revenge and played against Rowdy again. The outcome of the game was quite different, for Reardan beats Wellpinit High School by forty points. After winning, Arnold realizes that he misses his friend. Towards the end of the book, the archenemies become friends once again. Arnold invites Rowdy to join him in Reardan, but he refuses. He does give him credit for being like the “old time Indians” that used to be nomadic. The book ends with a reconciliation and a game of basketball.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is similar to the Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Both main characters are cartoonists, are portrayed as weak, and are unpopular in their schools. Both books are extremely entertaining, but the Diary of a Wimpy Kid is geared more towards middle grade and tweens.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian can give the teacher an opportunity to expose the students to the Spokane culture. With the help of the librarian, students can research the Spokane culture and can report their findings via podcasts.