The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian | 
| Author: Sherman Alexie
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers
Category: Book
List Price: $16.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:  81 reviews
Sales Rank: 652
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 240
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.1
ISBN: 0316013684
EAN: 9780316013680
ASIN: 0316013684
Publication Date: September 12, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
In his first book for young adults, bestselling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is based on the author's own experiences, coupled with poignant drawings by acclaimed artist Ellen Forney, that reflect the character's art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he was destined to live.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 76 more reviews...
 Fantastic! Strongly recommended for high school and adult readers July 25, 2008
I couldn't put it down. The characters were so compelling and full of depth, and every line was so well written. The cartoons were hilarious too. I can't believe how much I laughed in this book full of tragic moments. It's one of those triumph-over-adversity books, but in such a unique voice and with very important messages about life, for teens and adults. Possibly one of my favorite all-time books.
One of my favorite aspects was the Indian perspective on non-Indians. I think it's important for white Americans to hear this voice, especially those who think they know something about Indians. Be sure to read this book even if just for the entertainment value.
Absolutely wonderful! July 3, 2008
It only took me one day to read Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian. When this happens, it's because the book is so good and engrossing I don't want to put it down. This book is heartbreaking and joyful and hopeful! It's the story of Junior, a Spokane Indian, that transfers from his reservation high school to an all-white high school in a nearby town. He receives grief from both sides but ends up finding the hope he has always wanted and needed. Junior goes through a lot of life-changing events during his first year at the new school. By the end of the story, he has come full circle. He's able to embrace both his past and his present while looking towards the future. It's an amazing ride! It's a bittersweet look at the life of a boy stuck between doing what he wants and doing what is expected. I highly recommend this book for all ages, young and old!
Fantastic June 18, 2008
Sherman Alexie is the best as witting things that are heartbreakingly-funny-and-true, or maybe its funny because it is true. Its a wonderful young adult book that I'm sure in on its way to being banned in maybe high school libraries for being too graphic and probably too true. I think a lot of young adults will relate to the story and if they don't directly maybe they'll spend some time thinking how everyone is doing the best they can with what they have. This s a particularly good story for anyone dealing with or who has dealt with an alcoholic family or parent.
 Another glance at the American coming-of-age story June 17, 2008
Sherman Alexie's first young adult book will seem very familiar to many young and especially older readers. Those of us who are familiar with J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, Stephen King's "The Body" (made into the film Stand By Me), and also Sherman Alexie's own The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, will hear voices from all of those works converge in the protagonist of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Arnold Spirit. Arnold Spirit is a contemporary and Native American poltergeist of Holden Caulfield, and the overall tone and worldview of this book is quite different from The Catcher in the Rye.
Stylistically, the book has a hackneyed feel. It really does seem like something Salinger may have written. The main difference is that, in the end, The Catcher in the Rye is not hopeful. Salinger writes a dark comedy/satire and leaves the reader with a darker sense of humor and a sharper sense of cynicism. Alexie is far more interested in making tragedy a part of life. Another reviewer here found the amount of dead bodies surrounding one Indian boy's life to be unrealistic and unbelievable. I wish that were true. I wish Native American communities weren't decimated by alcoholism and poverty, but it's simply and completely true.
But wait, this isn't a completely sad book; it's actually filled with hope. It dares the reader to consider a boy's coming of age from a non-white perspective. It makes the reader ponder how men are built in the United States: What does it mean to become a man for a Native American boy, for a black boy, for an Asian boy, for a Latino boy? I admit that I don't know those stories, but now perhaps I am beginning to understand at least one of them - what it might be like for a Native American boy growing up in crushing poverty, tucked away on a reservation.
Often, this kind of writing is called "multicultural," but I find that moniker to be somewhat dismissive and arrogant. This is an American story, written for and about the current generation of iPod-wielding American teenagers. I understand that the thematic similarity to past writers might irk some readers, but The Catcher in the Rye is due to be updated. Bars are becoming smokeless, teenagers rarely wear hats and ties on weekdays, and when is the last time you saw a real, live working pay phone? The props and settings of The Catcher in the Rye are outdated and almost alien.
Alexie updates the props of the coming-of-age story, so that his readers don't become uncomfortable and disoriented. But Alexie also changes the focus of the coming-of-age story. Boys don't have to grow up to be their fathers. Freudian pressures don't affect everyone necessarily. Sometimes, a boy will strike out on his own, and even though it's dangerous and bad things will happen to him, there will also be funny and joyful things.
The ordeal of contemporary teen life fits well with Alexie's voice and writing style. The writing has edge and whimsy, playfulness and moments of sustained clarity. While I still think The Catcher in the Rye is readable today, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a good alternative to a recurring narrative.
 Not what I expected June 9, 2008
3 out of 10 found this review helpful
I was looking for a good book for my almost 13 yr old who is an avid reader and reads on an extremely high level. Unfortunately, most of the books on his reading level are not on his maturity level. In reading the reviews of this book, I thought I had found a good one for him. Not so much. The book includes much rougher language than expected. There are also some very crude joking situations. In flipping through the book, there was something inappropriate on almost every page I came to. I wished I had read more excerpts before ordering.
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