Reviews with content warning for Animal death - The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

This book was very honest, and I loved it for that. I hate when I say things like this because it sounds so reactionary and bad, but I loved that it was a story without an agenda: it wasn't meant to be inspiration porn or some sort of argument for why native american life is great, actually, and they have everything figured out. It was just this really genuine and realistic story. At first the narration was very "I'm a teenage boy and I love jerking off!" which I didn't love even if it is realistic, but the descriptions of his life and the people around him and his decisions definitely made up for it. At first the books starts... not lighthearted, exactly, because there's plenty of dark shit in the beginning, but about halfway through it has this sharp tone shift into ultimate emotionally damaging territory. It was just a really sweet and sad coming-of-age story, and a unique look into the conditions of living on a reservation that I really valued reading.

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honeyhistory103's review against another edition

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challenging emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

I had a hard time finishing this one. At a third of the way through, I still hadn’t connected to any of the characters, least of all Junior/Arnold, and was really tempted to put it down. Sherman does an excellent job of getting into the head of a 14 year old boy, which may have been part of why I failed to connect in any way until over halfway though, and even then, I never found myself particularly liking any of the characters. The entire book felt anecdotal, but not in the atmospheric way that some books can take on.

Despite overall not enjoying the characters or plot, there were some really nice emotional moments in the story, and it definitely encourages one to consider the problems that plague Native American reservations today.

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lilymurph's review against another edition

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funny reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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itsmeyseniab's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

"The world is only broken into two tribes: the people who are assholes and the people who are not."

Being Native myself, I was so excited to read this own-voices novel! I think Sherman Alexie did a great job of capturing what life is truly like on the rez, and really highlighted a lot of the issues that Native people face day to day. However, I do think that it got to be a bit much by the end of the novel - some of the events that took place seemed to be added in for "shock value" in my eyes. Still a good coming-of-age story if you're looking for a fast-paced read!

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betweentheshelves's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I haven't read this since I read it for one of my college classes almost 10 years ago (what??). Definitely a character driven story, one that still isn't really told in YA literature. Junior definitely has the voice of a 14 year old boy, and this novel isn't afraid to shy away from the difficult issues.
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Junior is a 14 year old boy living on the Spokane Indian reservation. Because he has had brain issues since he was a little boy, he has been made fun of on the reservation for almost his entire life. On the recommendation of one of his teachers, he decides to go to the all white public high school located just off of the reservation, because he wants to get a better education. The book chronicles his first year of high school, and because he is a cartoonist, is told through illustrations and words.

This is a book that has been on my to-read list for a while, ever since one of my librarians from high school read it and highly recommended it to me. I would say that I had pretty high expectations going into the book, and in finishing it, my expectations were met. My favorite aspect of the book was Junior's voice. To me, it was very authentic; it definitely seemed like a teenager was telling the story. The illustrations also enhanced my reading experience. It helped to give a better picture of the characters and what was going on in the novel, and also enhanced the humor aspect of the story. The illustrations also make the novel a quick read. There wasn't really anything that I could find that turned me away from the novel.

From a teacher's perspective, this book would definitely be good for early high school boys, because it is a hybrid novel, and Junior deals with issues that a lot of boys entering high schools deal with. Since this book does deal with a lot of controversial issues, like alcoholism, masturbation, poverty, and bullying, censorship is an issue with this book, and teacher's should be wary of that if it is to be used in the classroom. That being said, I think pairing this book with a unit on American Indians in the classroom would work very well, especially since a lot of students don't know what it really is like to be an American Indian.

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stinkysnail's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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