askoda 's review for:

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

3.5

reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Warning: this book was first published in 2007 and has some outdated/offensive language 

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian brings attention to the vast differences between mainstream Americana and reservation life. 

It’s a fairly quick read and simplistic in the verbiage. Honestly, there were several major  points that Alexie made that were valuable. That being said, this was all told in a very simplistic point of view- as if a teen boy can’t dig deeper than the surface. 

Despite Junior’s surface level interactions and musings, there was a lot to unpack. It’s quite possible that his blasé perspective was part of the point. Alexie makes it so secret that the hardships Junior faces are old news when it comes to the history of reservation life. 

In the end, it’s still worth the read. There are still things that we as a nation could improve on greatly and if anything… we could look to this novel for the first steps.