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A review by mariahistryingtoread
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
3.0
A pivotal stepping stone in our modern conception of the reality of life for Native Americans. Colonialism and neo-colonialism have systematically dismantled much of their community and left them with little recourse or social structures to combat the destruction. I learned a lot about the practical reality of living on a reservation from reading this book. It will not cover the entirety of every Native Americans' experiences, but I believe it is a good introduction for anyone who is interested and not yet equipped for a nonfiction deep dive or looking to ease their way in.
The fact that this is semi-autobiographical does give it more weight though since Sherman Alexie is not merely constructing a story out of his life, he is communicating exactly what his life was like with a few tweaks.
That said, it became increasingly rote as time wore on. Not much happens and it seemed to rely a lot on shocking emotional turns to keep you invested rather than investing further in the characters. I know that these events occurred in his life, but since this is not a straightforward autobiography/memoir there are standards I hold a narrative to I felt the story was not meeting.
A lot of the humor and musings were dated. Junior drops the r-word a few times as he describes what people call or think of him. His girlfriend is bulimic and he sort of just doesn't care? It's not a big deal at all. Nobody ever finds out. She presumably does it in the background. He has no interest in her mental state only in how hot she is. While this is not an uncommon teenage mindset, it was not one I enjoyed reading nor did it make him likeable. Some of the intended demographic might find it relatable, however, I know for a fact I would have been disgusted even then. Lots of juvenile sexual jokes I found crude and almost vulgar.
On the one hand you can argue Alexie was being true to his point of view as a teenager and capturing a very realistic moment in time for all teenagers where they are not exactly the most politically correct or empathetic. On the other hand, the inclusion of said material to the extent that it was and the revelation that Sherman Alexie has multiple sexual misconduct allegations against him makes me think it might just be a reflection of who Sherman Alexie is as a person leaking out without any introspection.
I see why it's a classic objectively. On a personal level, I'm not afraid to say I don't care for it.
The fact that this is semi-autobiographical does give it more weight though since Sherman Alexie is not merely constructing a story out of his life, he is communicating exactly what his life was like with a few tweaks.
That said, it became increasingly rote as time wore on. Not much happens and it seemed to rely a lot on shocking emotional turns to keep you invested rather than investing further in the characters. I know that these events occurred in his life, but since this is not a straightforward autobiography/memoir there are standards I hold a narrative to I felt the story was not meeting.
A lot of the humor and musings were dated. Junior drops the r-word a few times as he describes what people call or think of him. His girlfriend is bulimic and he sort of just doesn't care? It's not a big deal at all. Nobody ever finds out. She presumably does it in the background. He has no interest in her mental state only in how hot she is. While this is not an uncommon teenage mindset, it was not one I enjoyed reading nor did it make him likeable. Some of the intended demographic might find it relatable, however, I know for a fact I would have been disgusted even then. Lots of juvenile sexual jokes I found crude and almost vulgar.
On the one hand you can argue Alexie was being true to his point of view as a teenager and capturing a very realistic moment in time for all teenagers where they are not exactly the most politically correct or empathetic. On the other hand, the inclusion of said material to the extent that it was and the revelation that Sherman Alexie has multiple sexual misconduct allegations against him makes me think it might just be a reflection of who Sherman Alexie is as a person leaking out without any introspection.
I see why it's a classic objectively. On a personal level, I'm not afraid to say I don't care for it.