The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (Coming of Age)

I enjoyed this book much more than anticipated. Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian is written in a way that actually feels just like a diary. The “entries” or chapters are not written on a day to day basis but demonstrate the real time gaps that may exist in a freshman boy’s diary anyway. The pictures within, drawn by the main character and narrator Junior (as he is known on the Indian reservation he lives on) or Arnold (his official birth name that he is called by his white teachers and classmates) were a fun addition to the text which kept the subject matter light and reminded you of the narrators age and quirky nature. Junior is a boy who is trying to find his way in the world, not just the Indian reservation he lives on, but is not willing to compromise who he is in order to fit in. He is willing to change in ways that compliment the person he knows he is on the inside, but he is not trying to be someone or something that he is not. Junior endures ridicule and trials before and after he becomes a "part-time Indian" but he sees these challenges as a part of life and an ability to live into the warrior way he wants to emulate. I was impressed with Alexie’s ability to weave tragic life events and a freshman boys feelings of being misunderstood in two worlds into a light hearted format. I especially liked how Alexie seamlessly and very subtly wove the worlds of the Indians and the White people together through Arnold or Junior’s constant striving to follow the ways of a warrior within a white world. I also enjoyed that the book did not end with a happily ever after ending yet it still had heart-warming resolution and reconciliation of the brokenness that ran as a theme through the entire book.

Photo by Brogan James c. all rights reserved