Reviews

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

allysonschwartz01's review against another edition

challenging funny informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

kim_j_dare's review against another edition

4.0

Arnold Spirit is one of my favorite 9th graders of all times. His best observation of the world--
"I used to think the world was broken down into tribes. By black and white. By Indian and white. But I know that isn't true. The world is only broken into two tribes: The people who are assholes and the people who are not." -Arnold Spirit, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

allisaw_carla's review against another edition

funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

4.0

librarydoc's review against another edition

4.0

Arnold Spirit, better known as Junior, knows what it means to struggle. Born with hydrocephalus (water on the brain), he was prone to seizures in childhood. He was bullied and targeted for his looks and disabilities. His home life wasn’t much better, living in abject poverty with an alcoholic father and an overworked mother.

Junior realized that remaining on the Spokane Indian reservation would result in more of the same...hunger, poverty, a dead-end job, and little or no education. So he makes a difficult decision that forces him to leave his lifelong best friend and all he knows behind. He transfers to the local white school over 20 miles away.

With no car, limited assistance from his family, and no money, Junior has to figure out how to not only get himself back adn forth to school, but also to practice for the basketball team for which he was unexpectedly chosen.

Junior faces great challenges in his life. He teaches us to respond to challenges with bravery, humor, and grit.

This book is a strange and wonderful mixture of narrative and verse poetry, along with cartoon illustrations. It deals with issues of racism, discrimination, bullying, and poverty with humor and finesse. Alexie doesn’t tiptoe around the issues, he deals with them head on. He also addresses common teen experiences such as masturbation, drug use, and alcohol.

gigilovescats's review against another edition

I just finished it for school (we started it in September) and I think that it’s a good book to read for school. I hope the other kids became more empathetic after it

readermccann's review against another edition

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

authenticallyalexandra's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

taggerung's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

happylilkt's review against another edition

A good friend of mine died of complications from hydrocephalus, so I appreciated this book's drawing more awareness to that condition.

Contains bullying, racism, alcoholism and abuse, masturbation.

No rating because I didn't get deep enough into it.

ashction's review against another edition

5.0

So short, but so powerful. I can't believe the amount of times I walked past this book in numerous libraries and never picked it up!