Author: Sherman Alexie, Ellen Forney (Illustrator)
Publication
date: September 12, 2007
Pages: 230
Who
will read it: Pre-teens who may not be too
rebellious, but yearn to leave home and explore
Rating: 4/5
Buy: Amazon/ Barnes & Noble
Official
synopsis: In his first book for young
adults, bestselling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding
cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to
take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the
rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is
the school mascot. Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The
Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is based on the author's own
experiences, coupled with poignant drawings by acclaimed artist Ellen Forney,
that reflect the character's art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of
one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he was
destined to live.
My Review
Plot: Junior lives a tough life. He was born with "water on
the brain," and lives on an Indian Reservation with his alcoholic father
and an unemployed older sister. Junior is smaller than his classmates, and there
are times when Junior simply doesn’t leave home in fear of being beat up
by the jocks in his community. Luckily, he has the companionship of his best
friend, Rowdy. After Junior realizes his geometry textbook is the same one his
mother used nearly thirty years ago, he tosses the book… right into his teacher’s
face. After being suspended from school, Mr. P, his geometry teacher, tells him
to leave the reservation. He has seen too many Native American students lose
their optimistic outlook and become trapped by poverty. Feeling inspired,
Junior transfers into Reardan High, a school in a white town 22 miles from the
reservation where the only other Indian is the school mascot.
The plot was fast-paced, especially
the basketball scenes! Some of the language and sexual references may not be
entirely appropriate for younger readers. Overall, the refusal to accept one’s
pre-determined path was overwhelmingly supported. Essentially, the
Reservation community represents the feelings of resentment that some Indians felt
when others started to climb the socio-economic ladder. Junior is looked at
with a dose of skepticism and misgiving combined with a certain level of envy
and resentment. As Junior still lives on the rez, he becomes a target for
taunts and physical attacks. Though Junior’s new life has a whole set of new
problems, from how to keep Penelope, his new white girlfriend, from learning
how poor he is to succeeding on the Reardan basketball team, he remains hopeful
that Rowdy will reach out to him. Junior
continues to miss his old friend, who considers Junior’s transfer a betrayal. Junior’s
realistic teenage problems brought an entirely new light to rez life, one that
I was not familiar with before.
Characters: Junior’s unwavering optimism was inspirational considering
the many challenges he faced. I felt sympathetic Rowdy’s acceptance of his
family situation, an attitude many people have towards education. The physical fights
he gets into are the only way Rowdy has learned to deal with his problems. In a
way, his refusal to take initiative and care
for others is the typical maturity that occurs when one is fourteen. Knowing
how well the two characters foil each other, Alexie’s first young-adult novel
is even more remarkable.
The book is first-person, but I
would have liked more insight into Mary Runs Away, Junior’s sister. Her death
was entirely natural and expected, yet despite the impact she left behind, I
did not feel a strong connection to her character. I did genuinely like
Penelope, with her big dreams and mysterious nature. She was not entirely “manic
pixie dream girl” and struggled with bulimia and with her father.
Relationships/ Romance: Penelope and Junior shared a rather
irrational relationship stemming from his discovery of her puking into a
toilet. They return each other’s love in a simple way, one with sweet moments sprinkled
throughout as they discuss their dreams. Even after Penelope learns of Junior’s
poverty, she remains by his side and his dorkiness continues to win her heart. Gordy,
a wise-cracking science enthusiast, is Junior’s best friend at Reardan. Junior’s
family relationships were promising, and Junior’s interactions revealed a
wealth of information. His father is an alcoholic musician, and his intelligent
mother loves to read. Mary is the tough, pretty older sister of Junior who
dreams of becoming a romance writer.
Writing Style: Alexie’s conversational style
reflects Junior’s thoughts well. I was invested in Junior’s future and
interested throughout the novel. I do wish there was more figurative language,
however. Parts of the novel should have shown rather than told.
Best lines/Favorite part:
“Do you understand how amazing it is to hear
that from an adult? Do you know how amazing it is to hear that from anybody?
It's one of the simplest sentences in the world, just four words, but they're
the four hugest words in the world when they're put together.
You can do it.”
You can do it.”
Star-Worthy Aspects: I loved how after all of
his experiences, Junior became a stronger character. Particularly, I’m glad
that his relationship with Rowdy was eventually resolved. Grandmother Spirit
and Gordy have some of the most poignant and hilarious dialogue of the book. As
Junior is a budding cartoonist, Forney’s cartoons added a whole new dimension.
The Deficiencies: While I entirely enjoyed the book,
I would have liked Junior to be more in-depth about his new life at Reardan.
Yet, I recognize that Junior chose to narrate the most important aspects.
Rating and Closing Remarks: A great read! Entertaining and
funny, but not something I would recommend widely to everyone.
Bonus Points: Sherman Alexie actually was born with hydrocephalus, like Junior and did grow up on the Spokane Indian Reservation with
an alcoholic father. In high school, he transferred to Reardan and became a
star player on the basketball team. The scene where Junior finds out his
geometry textbook was his mother’s was drawn from Alexie’s experience, though
he threw the book against a wall.
You can visit Sherman Alexie’s
website at http://www.fallsapart.com/. Ellen Forney’s
website is at http://ellenforney.com/ and
her most recent book, Marbles:
Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me: A Graphic Memoir, was published
last year. I can't wait to get my hands on it!
Have you read this book yet? What did you think?
-S
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