Realistic Fiction: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Picture from Amazon.com

Bibliography

Alexie, Sherman.  The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.  New York:  Little, Brown and Company.  ISBN:  978-0-316-01368-0.

Summary

Fourteen-year-old Junior (Arnold) Spirit is the whipping boy of Wellpinit, WA.  Born with hydrocephalus, which leaves him frail in stature with a large cranium and speech impediments, he is relentlessly bullied by residents of all ages.  With parents who are mired in poverty, alcoholism, and disappointment, his home life is just as dismal as his social life.  Fortunately, a teacher and a coach take notice of Junior’s intelligence and sweet jump shot.  Respectively, they motivate him to leave the rez for a better education at the White high school in Reardan and build confidence to become a star basketball player.  Although life deals him crushing blows from isolation and the deaths of several loved ones, he is able to mentally escape the rez and triumph.

Critical Analysis

Junior is marginalized as a Native American and has difficulty establishing his identity because of it. He resents how his people are relegated to the poorest parts of the country, where White people either openly scorn them or try to “save the savages” by moving into their reservation and stripping them of their culture. He has abiding pride and respect for Spokane customs.  Intuitive and in touch with his emotions, Junior thinks deeply about human behavior, keeping with the Indian belief that everything on earth has a spirit and is connected to everything else.  While he loves the songs, dances, wisdom, and close knit relationships on the rez, he knows he is destined for a big purpose.  Junior eventually earns the admiration of his Caucasian classmates and pulls a devastating victory over his former Wellpinit basketball team. It is his tribe members who declare him a traitor and shun him for leaving the rez.  He does not fit in either place comfortably, going from zero in Wellpinit, to invisible, then hero at Reardan, all in a twenty-two mile commute.  For this reason, he dubs himself a “part-time Indian.”  This book will resonate with young people who attend schools and/or live in neighborhoods where they are not the majority (even adults in college and the workforce), especially because defining oneself and seeking kinship are so important to children and teens.

Poverty and substance abuse go hand and hand in this novel.  Junior describes himself frequently as a “poor ass” Indian.  Simple necessities, like buying clothes, school lunch, and gas are feats for his family. The most prestigious jobs in Wellpinit are working at the casino or the trading post.   His financial struggles put Junior in embarrassing and dangerous situations. Both parents and a large percentage of the Spokane residents are functional alcoholics.  The Spirits squander what little money they do have on liquor.  Sadly, marginalized people are socioeconomically disadvantaged.  Because poverty tends to isolate people, tweens and teens may feel like undeserving outsiders compared to their middle class counterparts.  Part-Time Indian helps them to know that they are not alone.  Junior’s family is very loving, despite their money and substance problems.  Readers can glean hope that they can still be dignified in the face of financial adversity.  This book can also minister to the kids of parents with drug addiction.

Junior loses important people in quick succession.  To compact his sadness, all of the deaths are pretty senseless.  He grapples and grieves in multiple ways:  crying, laughing hysterically, anger, railing at God, withdrawing.  As kids get older, the likelihood that they will have to say goodbye to a friend or family member increases.  Junior copes with death by writing, drawing, emoting, and asking hard questions.  These are tactics that readers can use as well.

Escaping a toxic environment is a dominant theme of Part-Time Indian.  Junior looks at his parents and ruefully contemplates what they could have been.  He wonders at his sister Mary’s self-imposed basement exile.  All three are stewing in the sinkhole of the rez, too paralyzed by disappointment to dream anymore.  When his teacher reveals Mary’s writing talent and affirms that Junior is exceptionally bright, he becomes desperate for more opportunities than his tribe can offer him.  His transfer to Reardan even motivates his sister to move out.  This is an especially timely message for today’s youth – Sherman Alexie declares to readers, “You are NOT your surroundings!”  Kids will take back their power and use their talents to rise out of the ghettos, villages, and barrios. Indian convicts readers for living below their potential and challenges them to do more than the world says they can.

Hope and perseverance are the gorilla glue that keep Junior's fractured life together.  He has an indomitable spirit that lifts him above the bullying and poverty and propels him to success in school and sports.  When his best friend Rowdy deserts him and his tribe members mock him, it emboldens him.  Junior could settle for subpar education in Wellpinit, fall victim to the bottle like his counterparts, return to the rez school when acculturation got too uncomfortable, or quit school altogether, but he swats back with a smirk and some serious fervor.  He approaches life like his bullies:  He knows the blows will hurt and leave a mark, but he always gets up, no matter how many times they try to pummel him.  Adolescents will find a friend in this underdog.  They may even look at his circumstances and say, "If Junior can get his butt kicked physically and metaphorically and still push, so can I."  Even the most downtrodden readers will discover that they have every right to an education.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is legendary because of its humor.  Junior says all of the things that kids and adults think, but do not say for fear of being too crass.  He approaches the saddest events with wit and sarcasm (i.e. His father's declaration that "I'm only an alcoholic when I'm drunk," or getting an erection when the quinquagenarian school counselor hugs him).  The illustrations - Junior's caricature cartoons - adorn every few pages and add even more hilarity to his far-out musings; they will surely hold a teen's attention and draw reluctant readers.  Indian advocates education, intelligence, and expressing emotions, which lets kids know it is okay to be sensitive and goal-oriented, things that are seen as "uncool."  It also teaches young people to explore and take pride in their heritage, and it gives beautiful insight into the rarely explored Native American culture from a youthful perspective.  The overall tone of the book is hopeful, and though Junior is Native American, he is an every-man type of character - funny, realistic, and raw.  However, this work is frequently and ardently challenged.  There are multiple, graphic references to sex - masturbation, viewing pornography, and some racy illustrations of cleavage are a few examples.  Profanity is moderate to heavy, including the harder curse words, like "f-bombs."  Bullying, violence, and drug abuse would set a lot of parents and school administrators back on their heels.  Some may interpret the close relationship between sensitive Junior and alpha-male best friend Rowdy as homosexual.  The characters also refer to each other jokingly with homophobic slurs, which the LGBT community would find highly offensive.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian should absolutely be considered a classic within the next ten to fifteen years.  It is raw, honest, and compelling without being too depressing.  This book provides so many safe havens.  Kids have the freedom to explore their emotions, question their values, form relationships outside of their culture, and talk about sex and puberty, all without feeling ashamed.  Junior is a sort of lovable crash dummy who goes before the readers to show them how to live through adversity with grace.  Sherman Alexie has opened the door for other authors whose ethnicities are mis-or underrepresented in literature, and he melds old school and new school Indian experiences seamlessly.

 Awards

• 2007 National Book Award winner
• 2007 School Library Journal Best Books of the Year
• 2007 Publisher’s Weekly Best Books of the Year
• 2008 YALSA Top Ten book
• 2008-2009 TAYSHAS Reading List book
• New York Times bestseller and 2007 Notable Book

Published Review

Shoemaker, Chris.  Rev. of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie.  School Library Journal 1 Sept. 2007.  Web.  Accessed July 2, 2015.

Extension Activities

1. Live and in Color – Write a brief script about the most important people and pivotal moments in your life.  Go to toondoo.com and find animations that align with your script, then make a mini-comic.  You can use realistic and surrealistic illustrations. Be creative and funny!
2. Part-Timers – Watch “We are Still Here,” a mini-documentary about teenage and young adult Native Americans.  Write a paragraph in which you observe what elements of their culture they retain, and the ways they have assimilated to American culture.
3. The Absolutely True Story – Junior experiences dark nights of the soul, or personal tragedies.  These are realities for many Native American teens, and some are not as fortunate as Junior to overcome their depression. Read about teen suicide on Indian Reservations at http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/02/us/pine-ridge-indian-reservation-struggles-with-suicides-among-young-people.html?_r=0. Note the similarities between Junior’s fictionalized challenges and those of suicide victims.
4. The Elder Council – Junior cites tolerance as his grandmother’s best quality, and admired her ability to accept and befriend people where they were.  Talk to an older person in your family – a grandparent, uncle, aunt, etc. – and decipher their character strength. Make a display board with a picture of the elder, standout quotes, a short biography, and artwork that represents their best quality.
5. We Shall Remain – Go to http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/weshallremain/ and click on “Films.” Watch episodes 1, 3, and 5 to learn about the disenfranchisement of Native Americans and how they fought back to defend their land and customs.  Then, click on ReelNative and watch any three videos of your choice.  Write a summary in which you compare and contrast the interviewees’ experiences to Junior’s with regard to identity, art/literature, education, poverty, etc.

Related Literature

• De la Pena, Matt.  Ball Don’t Lie.  New York:  Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2005.  ISBN:  978-0385732321 – Seventeen-year-old Sticky and Indian’s Junior are kindred spirits, as basketball saves both of their lives and serves as their escape from their toxic surroundings.  Unfortunately, Sticky does not have a loving family like Junior. A foster kid who is victimized by angry pimps, neglected by his prostitute mother, and unable to meld into a new family, he finds acceptance and respect on the court and amongst the Black kids he hoops with. 
• Walker, Brian F.  Black Boy White School.  New York:  HarperTeen, 2012.  ISBN: 978-0061914836 – Fourteen year old Anthony loves his gritty city of East Cleveland. He wins a scholarship to an exclusive boarding school in Maine and with it, a (reluctant) way out of the violence and drugs that inundate his neighborhood.  However, the transition is not easy, as he has to battle with White classmates’ stereotypical perceptions of him.  Acculturation and assimilation cause Ant to question his identity, much like Junior. 
• Wurth, Erika T. Crazy Horse’s Girlfriend.  Chicago:  Curbside Splendor Publishing, 2014. ISBN: 978-1940430430 – Sixteen-year-old female protagonist Margeritte is a mirror image of Part-Time Indian’s Junior.  Whereas mild-mannered Junior does not partake in the destruction that fells his tribe members, spunky, angry Margeritte is part of the problem because she deals drugs.  Poverty, substance abuse, hopelessness, and escape are common themes.