Sherman Alexie’s foray into young adult literature, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, is the story of 14-year-old Arnold Spirit, known as Junior to his friends and family on the rez. As a high school freshman, Arnold throws a textbook at his math teacher, accidentally hitting him in the face. (Arnold loves math, and he’s furious when he discovers that his math text is so old that his mother once used this exact copy.) Rather than becoming angry with Arnold, the teacher encourages him to strive for better things in his life.
Inspired by the teacher’s comments, Arnold decides to leave the reservation school so that he can attend the (slightly better funded) ”white” school twenty miles away from his home. This means struggling to find a ride to school each day, facing a school full of unfamiliar (and unfriendly) faces, and confronting his ex-best friend on the basketball court.
Alexie creates a warm, humorous, wise voice for his protagonist, and Ellen Forney adds frequent cartoons and sketches throughout the novel. (Arnold aspires to be an artist and cartoonist, so the drawings represent Arnold’s take on his life, his family, and his friends.) This was a book that I was eager to return to each evening, and it’s a worthy addition to young adult literature (especially for male readers).
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