The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

I liked this book that shows the daily struggles of a young man who is determined to succeed. He was given grief from everyone. It would have been easy for him to give up and give in, but his determination and grit led him to success.

I purchased this book because it was under fire by some sad book-burning conservative in Chicago. This mother pre-reads her children's books and uses a black marker to "cover-up" the words in books that she feels in not appropriate. That is wacky enough, but then she attempted to have the book BANNED because she felt it needed her closed-minded political actions to protect us from the "dirty" literature being circulated. This book is pure delight, with a message that might do this lady and her family some good, but sadly they aren't allowed to read it. For the rest of us, enjoy a great and heartfelt book about a group of people who faces challenges in their lives that we will never encounter. Enjoy!

I read it after browsing at the local bookstore, and have given it to my nephew, niece and great-nephew when they were in their early teens, and they all loved it. I thank Sherman Alexie, who has received various awards and been published in The New Yorker, for writing a book that teens and adults can both enjoy. Entertaining and touching.

Short book. Huge story about potential: finding it, surviving the lack of it, pushing through it and overcoming it, told in the very realistic voice of Junior. The smell of poverty, whiskey and disparity jumps off the pages in vivid imagery. I would read more by Sherman Alexie.

The author tells some stories (many of which are probably true) of a childhood lived between an Indian Reservation and a small white town. The white people hated him because he was an Indian. His own people hated him as a traitor because he left to go to school in the town. His family was a bunch of drunks and would often forget to pick him up from school. This is the story of his struggles, his failures, his friendships, and his victories. This book is probably best for readers aged 10 to 16, but fun and informative for all ages.

Wow! What a coming of age novel! Having recently relocated to the Pacific Northwest from the desert southwest, I was looking for novels to help me understand the area. And I found this gem! Love the voice of the book.....it is honest and authentic. The pace is lively. It illuminated life on the Rez for me. Best book I have read in quite a while!

This story written from a young teenagers view point was very convincing that it was written by a teen. I have had quite a few friends including a first husband that was of Native American heritage, but it resounds so much of my one friend who grew up on a reservation, left to go to college and came back as a guidance counselor. One of the funniest, inappropriate, kind heated people I have ever known.

Not just for young adults, the storytelling in this book is personal, vivid and witty. It feels like you are watching Junior (especially with the integrated cartoons) as he describes his trials and tribulations growing up on the reservation, loving the culture of his native people, but also yearning for and pursuing the education and some of the culture of the white people outside the reservation.

I found this book poignant, stirring, and hilarious. Mr. Alexi hurled me right back to those awkward early teen years when I wasn't sure who I was or what I was meant to be. It was great to be able to relate to the main character in that way even though I wasn't teased half as much as he was, nor was I beaten up. Despite some of the crude content, I loved this book and find myself going back to read a snippet or two whenever I need a good laugh.

This book definitely quite unlike anything I've ever read. Due to some language and subject matter, I can see why this is controversial. However, for those broad-minded enough to accept the adventure, this an enjoyable, memorable read. I laughed and cried with Junior. I'm glad I read this.

Not just for young adults, the storytelling in this book is personal, vivid and witty. It feels like you are watching Junior (especially with the integrated cartoons) as he describes his trials and tribulations growing up on the reservation, loving the culture of his native people, but also yearning for and pursuing the education and some of the culture of the white people outside the reservation.

I found this book poignant, stirring, and hilarious. Mr. Alexi hurled me right back to those awkward early teen years when I wasn't sure who I was or what I was meant to be. It was great to be able to relate to the main character in that way even though I wasn't teased half as much as he was, nor was I beaten up. Despite some of the crude content, I loved this book and find myself going back to read a snippet or two whenever I need a good laugh.

This book definitely quite unlike anything I've ever read. Due to some language and subject matter, I can see why this is controversial. However, for those broad-minded enough to accept the adventure, this an enjoyable, memorable read. I laughed and cried with Junior. I'm glad I read this.

As a fan of Sherman Alexie (Smoke Signals, Flight) when I read about this book I really wanted to read it. I was not disappointed. Told in the first person and illustrated The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a fast enojoyable read. I would also let my 13 year old read this novel.

This novel is about 14 year old Arnold Spirit, his family, his best friend, life on his reservation, and his decision to attend a non-reservation, non-Indian school.

The novel is humorous, but also has its serious moments. While reading this book I was able to take my mind off of everyday things for a few moments at a time.

Arnold Spirit (Junior) is a very intelligent teenage boy living on the Spokane Indian Reservation. He hopes to one day be able to leave the reservation and so something big with his life and so he begins attending an all-white school 22 miles away from his home. He has to deal with the whites not accepting him because he is an Indian and the Indians not accepting him because he is spending his time with white people. He has to deal with intense poverty and alcoholism all around him. He has to deal with the deaths, usually alcohol-related, of way too many people that he loves. He feels caught between the world where he grew up and his new world outside the reservation and must figure out who he really is (always Indian? Indian part of the time, white the rest? always white?)

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is one of those books that has been challenged and even banned from schools and libraries. I understand why some parents would object to it. There is occasional language and it talks openly about things like masturbation and erections (it is, after all, told from the point of view of a teenage boy). The problem, though, is focusing on those things misses all the good about this book. It addresses things like racism (Indian vs. white, white vs. Indian, Indian vs. Indian), not being accepted by your (literal) tribe because you are a being an “apple” (red on the outside, white on the inside), the difficulty in leaving the reservation, the extreme poverty among Natives, the rampant alcoholism and how that affects everyone, and all the different parts of what makes you you. It’s a book that really makes you think. I recommend The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian to older teens and adults.

Absolutely a must read.
A very honest and convincing portrait of life in an Indian reservation: idiosyncrasies, alcoholism and all. I loved it so much that I bought it for my son - he is 3 now but this book will need to be part of his library once a teen.

Read the whole thing in one sitting, very easy to read. Nice story about a Native living in two worlds, something many Native people deal with. Not only did it make me laugh, I may have teared up a few times as well. I enjoyed it.

Tongue in cheek reflection of a young man growing up in the Native American culture.
A perfect read for grown ups wanting to understand both the culture and age group.
This light heart tale is fact filled and full of symbolism that only a person who had
walked the walk could tell.

It's advertised as for an adolescent audience, but far too difficult for average reader in that category. I (70 years old) read it and enjoyed it, but my four grandchildren, ages 11-13 who otherwise are all "A" students couldn't get into it.

My mother-in-law recommended I read this book for consideration for using with a college-level ESL immersion reading course. I read the book in one day and was deeply moved. Alexie did something incredible here (in cooperation with his phenomenal cartoonist) which is tell the story of a young, contemporary Native American consciously encountering the divide between his native culture and white American culture in a way that is not alienating to either group, but inclusive of just about anyone and everyone. In the meantime, he does make us care about the unsustainable reality of reservation culture in America and want to learn more. My students, from Bangladesh, Kyrgzstan, Republic of Georgia and Ecuador became very interested in the history and present of Native Americans as a result of reading this book and, I believe, will be positively influenced to explore America behind the headlines as a result.

Sherman Alexie's writing is full of both dark and light irony. In The Toughest Indian in the World, a collection of short stories, he manages to portray the plight of the 21st century Native American with quirky humor that turns bittersweet for a moment or two and then slides away into funny again. What else can victims in the hands of a powerful conqueror do?

Excellent. There are some things I didn't care for about the book, such as a discussion of masturbation, but overall, I thought it was a well presented depiction of the challenges facing Native Americans on US reservations. The message to Native American youth is--get off the reservation, a world of opportunity awaits. Powerful advice coming from a successful and prominent Native American.

Sherman Alexie is such an outstanding writer that it would be a shame to keep him a secret among young adult readers. When I read this book I felt as though I was able to cup my hands and peer through the window of a neighbor's house, allowed to see things I had often wondered about. He portrays thoughts and feelings behinds events. I checked with Indian co-workers about the accuracy of the portrayal of reservation life, and they confirmed it is right on target. A must read for youth and adults.

Was not an enjoyable book. He just rambled on not making any sense of what he was trying to convey. I would not have read this book except for it being our book club selection for the month. Not worth the money.

Amazing work. I had admired the movie Smoke Signals for years but never made the connection. I laughed and I teared up. The cartoons add so much to this story as well. Touching and funny, with some great insights. I'm moving on to his other books. Highly recommended.

Being a tad Cherokee I really enjoyed this. It was recommended to us by our grandson and he seldom leads us astray. My husband said the language brought back memories of his junior high days in the junior high locker room. The reservation life seemed sad and I'm sorry to say it is most likely true. The addiction issues are something I was always aware of and thus no drinking or smoking for me. Not sure it is an Indian matter, but know I have an addictive personality so skipped all that.

This book is excellent reading for adults as well as teens. The cliché of it literally making the reader both laugh and cry could apply. Sherman Alexie's writing reminds me of John Steinbeck. This book is different from the others in that it is YA and that it is written as the main character's diary and has many drawings, but it is just a worth reading as any of them.

This was a beautiful book. It was witty and comedic, and was heart-wrenching in other moments. Overall, I loved the character's tenacity and persistence, and thought that the way the author went about writing this story was the perfect way to describe the life of a teenage boy on a reservation. It was insightful and beautiful, and an all around great book.

As in Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, cited by Sherman Alexie as one of his favorite reads, Junior in True Diary struggles to prove an identity to himself before he offers it to the world. Which ain't easy, when so many around him seek their identity in alcohol. Junior has talents, he himself is perhaps surprised to learn; he's smart, he's good with words, and he knows to shoot a basketball. And most amazing of all: the glorious Penelope actually likes him.
This book is poignant. It's funny. But what I like is that you sense that no matter how high Junior soars, sometimes at night he's still that kid fighting for respect. He'll still go out and loft a few jumpshots at the hoop on the garage. When the wind gets cold and out of the north he'll remember. That's his shining star. He's still that reaching, searching kid back on the rez.

Ken Byerly, author of Mountain Girl and other books.

Great plot line. Did not expect as much cursing or talk of male self-pleasuring as what occurred. Not sure that it really contributed or was necessary to the overall theme of the story. My 12 yr old and I read it over the summer while we were together. It captured my attention with the potential themes of handling being a minority or not being considered part of the "in" crowd in a middle school setting; some of the most challenging years of a young adult's life. In short--enjoyed the overall plot; could have done without the cursing and sexual content.

This was a beautiful book. It was witty and comedic, and was heart-wrenching in other moments. Overall, I loved the character's tenacity and persistence, and thought that the way the author went about writing this story was the perfect way to describe the life of a teenage boy on a reservation. It was insightful and beautiful, and an all around great book.

As in Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, cited by Sherman Alexie as one of his favorite reads, Junior in True Diary struggles to prove an identity to himself before he offers it to the world. Which ain't easy, when so many around him seek their identity in alcohol. Junior has talents, he himself is perhaps surprised to learn; he's smart, he's good with words, and he knows to shoot a basketball. And most amazing of all: the glorious Penelope actually likes him.
This book is poignant. It's funny. But what I like is that you sense that no matter how high Junior soars, sometimes at night he's still that kid fighting for respect. He'll still go out and loft a few jumpshots at the hoop on the garage. When the wind gets cold and out of the north he'll remember. That's his shining star. He's still that reaching, searching kid back on the rez.

Ken Byerly, author of Mountain Girl and other books.

Great plot line. Did not expect as much cursing or talk of male self-pleasuring as what occurred. Not sure that it really contributed or was necessary to the overall theme of the story. My 12 yr old and I read it over the summer while we were together. It captured my attention with the potential themes of handling being a minority or not being considered part of the "in" crowd in a middle school setting; some of the most challenging years of a young adult's life. In short--enjoyed the overall plot; could have done without the cursing and sexual content.

Sherman Alexie writes this book with a sometimes humorous, straight forward way. He is real, and doesn't sugarcoat anything, which I find refreshing. He has a way of pointing out the ridiculousness of a situation. Added to the writing, are some really interesting sketches that add to the story and give a deeper understanding.

Great read. This book will take you on an emotional rollercoaster. The sad reality of his situation is dotted with humor that is, for some, hard to ignore. You know how life is so difficult sometimes that all you can do is laugh at it? I really enjoyed the book, couldn't put it down, and now my 10 year old has started reading it. She likes it so far.

"I laughed, I cried".....and I really appreciated the picture Alexie (a wonderful and intuitive writer) painted of a modern Native American high school student. Many of my students are walking the same tightrope and it isn't easy. It often isn't pretty and it certainly takes an incredible amount of courage to be on both roads during adolescence.

Don't recommend for kids under the high school age. This book was assigned for my college English class, I didn't mind reading it. Probably wouldn't read it on my spare time though. Very vulgar and visual but has some great lessons.

I enjoyed reading this book. It was very well written and very interesting. It brought to life the differences that still plague Native Americans everywhere. I look forward to reading more from Sherman Alexei.

This is another great book by author Sherman Alexie! He is easily the best Native American writer whose works I have read. It is story true to the experiences his own Native American roots, while equally relevant for all readers,young and old...

There is controversy about this book in our town as being too profane for middle school kids. Some mis-guided school board members want to ban it. However, it is written from the point of view of a 9th grader, and if you've ever spent time with any, you know that Sherman Alexie captured their colorful vocabulary with sympathetic accuracy. This is how kids talk, even good Christian kids, when parents and pastors are out of ear-shot.

The book is funny, sad, moving and hilarious - often in the same sentence - describing the despair and hopelessness of growing up disabled, isolated, and in poverty on an Indian Reservation and one boy's triumph.

I will read other books by Sherman Alexie and highly recommend this one for anyone who wants to bond with sympathetic characters and learn a bit about Native American life on a reservation. If you want your ninth graders to discover the joy of reading, this book will capture them.