The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Alexie, s. (2007).  The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian.  New York, NY:  Little Brown. Junior is an Indian living on a reservation.  He sees that his family, friends, and those living on the "rez" have "failed dreams" because nobody notices them, so they drown themselves in booze.  Junior does not want this life, so he asks his parents to transfer him to Reardan, an all white school.  As he attends this school, his grandmother is killed by a drunk driver, and his sister dies in a fire because she had gotten drunk and fell asleep after her party.  As Junior reflects on his decision to be different from those on the “rez” and on all the sacrifices he makes, he does not regret his decision of getting an education off the reservation.  I truly admire Junior’s character because he has so much against him, and yet, he is able to pull himself through.  I think that these trials have made him realize that despite of how his parents are (constantly drinking), they truly love him and will sacrifice for him.  We see Junior develop socially as he is learning that there are some things that are socially acceptable in his tribe and not at Reardan, yet, he also sees that his tribe can also be just as cruel and filled with prejudices as those in the white community.  We also see the emotional development of Rowdy.  At first, he becomes belligerent when things do not go his way.  As the book comes to an end, we see that he has accepted Junior’s reason for leaving and makes efforts to rekindle their friendship.  I think this is a great read for middle school students seeking humor, acceptance, and determination in stories.