Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

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

59 reviews

elly29's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative sad fast-paced

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

4.0

had some brief thought this was going to be like “An Indian in the Cupboard.” Boy, was I incorrect. (No magical realism, no fantasy.) Alexie’s personal, fictionalized story came out of nowhere for me, and it was impactful in the way that most middle-school-age reads are impactful. So much of Arnold/Junior’s life was difficult, but also so much of it was easy (like how he became popular). It was a tapestry, and showed a lot of issues Indigenous Americans face.

I listened to the version narrated by Alexie. It was powerful. You can hear Alexie get emotional over the deaths of his his sister Mary and his dad's best friend Eugene. I felt the loss and the hopelessness of the rez, and how beautiful and complex it is to be Indigenous. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Death

Moderate: Alcoholism, Racism, and Bullying

Minor: Toxic friendship and Vomit

There is a pet dog death.

carly_the_librarian's review against another edition

emotional funny fast-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism and Violence

Moderate: Bullying

Minor: Sexual content

unusualsnowunicorn's review against another edition

funny hopeful sad fast-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Alcoholism, and Grief

Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Ableism, and Child abuse

michaelion's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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? It's complicated

3.25

I started and finished this book in 6 hours. Now why did it take us like 2 weeks to read it in high school? That's how you know high school is an evil place! Insufferable institution!

Great book, though. I'm glad I reread it.

But I had to take away points for use of the n word. Like damn even if it's not from our main character, it's very disappointing the author wrote that in.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Ableism, Death, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Medical content, Grief, Homophobia, Child death, Addiction, Racism, Xenophobia, Bullying, Child abuse, Classism, Genocide, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Death of parent, and Alcoholism

Minor: Animal death, Domestic abuse, and Eating disorder

booksandcatsgalore's review against another edition

dark emotional funny inspiring sad

2.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Alcoholism, Death, Grief, and Racism

lucinotlucy's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Racial slurs, Violence, and Bullying

Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Grief, and Homophobia

Minor: Car accident, Colonisation, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, and Suicide

cakrolik's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Colonisation, Death, Grief, Racism, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Car accident, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, and Racial slurs

maggiewen's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny sad fast-paced

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

1.0

Wow, I hated this book 🤩

I guess this book just didn’t hit me like it did everyone else. It wasn’t the meaningful coming-of-age contemporary novel that almost everyone else described it as. It felt more like a cheesy, offensive picture book that’s filled with bad jokes.

Just completely ignoring the SA allegations against Alexie for a hot second, the humour was in the style of dad jokes and were 90% just self deprivation. I guess the self deprivation was funny in like the first three chapters but got really boring, really quickly.

“So she was all white on white on white, like the most perfect kind of vanilla dessert cake you’ve ever seen.

I wanted to be her chocolate topping.” (page 114)

It was so exhausting being in Arnold’s head because he spoke more like a nine year old than a freshman in high school. And I would know, I’m literally the targeted age group. Arnold went from being a mediocre character before he went to Reardan (the boarding school) to a really self-centred, annoying character after going to Reardan. I feel like Alexis would be good at very silly, younger middle grade graphic novels. Something like Captain Underpants or Babymouse. You know? Something funny but immature, childish, and without a lot of depth. 

Going back to the SA allegation against Alexie, you can totally see just from reading the book that those allegations were coming. Arnold is a fourteen year old boy, and the amount of times he sexualizes other fourteen year old girls is so concerning. And the way Alexie talks about women through Arnold is so uncomfortable 

“The girl has an ego. But that’s sexy, too” (page 108)

“Yep, I had a big erection when I learned of my sisters death.” (page 202)

”Who knew that tears of sympathy could be so sexy?” (page 129)

“Snot ran down her face and it was still sort of sexy.” (page 213)

”(His sister) looks like Jennifer Lopez (if J. Lo. Was smarter)” (page 27)

The repeated use of slurs and incorrect and offensive representation of anorexia..

”They (anorexics) think being anorexic makes them special, makes them better than everybody else.” (page 107)

..really just topped it off too.

I really just could not find a single character or joke that I liked from this book. But I did find many characters and jokes that I absolutely, truly, hated.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Physical abuse, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Ableism, Fire/Fire injury, and Violence

Minor: Bullying and Vomit

zuzannab's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Addiction

mir_frog73's review against another edition

emotional funny medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Homophobia, and Bullying