The Absolute True Story of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie and Illustrated by Ellen Forney

This story follows the life of a fourteen-year-old named Arnold Spirit, otherwise known as Junior. Junior lives with his family on the Spokane Indian Reservation near Wellpinit, Washington. He was born with "water on the brain" or hydrocephalus that has caused various issues like lousy eyesight, seizures, a lisp, and stuttering. Eventually, Junior is recruited to go to a school outside the reservation, but his friend Rowdy and people from the reservation resent him for leaving. At the new school, where most of the students are white, Junior recognizes the differences between his culture and that of the white students. Eventually, he develops a crush on a white girl named Penelope and joins the basketball team, where he ends up competing against his previous school and his ex-best friend Rowdy. However, Junior's family faces tragic situations with the death of his grandmother and a family friend; both situations were alcohol-related. Junior and Rowdy soon make up and keep in touch. In the end, despite the tragic circumstances and issues with leaving the reservation, "Junior's knowledge that he must leave is rooted in love and respect for his family and the Spokane tribe." ("Alexie nimbly blends," 2007)

Critical Analysis

The Absolute True Story of a Part-Time Indian is a realistic fiction story told in the first person through Junior. Junior's character is intelligent and self-determined. Themes include alcoholism, bullying, death, and friendship. Cultural experiences are authentic with references to communal obligations, food like fry bread, dance, and other customs. Similarly, the author is Native American, and he uses events and experiences from his childhood to write this story. Sherman Alexie won the 2008 American Indian Youth Literature Award and the American Indian Library Association's Best Young Adult Book for this book. Illustrator Ellen Forney delivers comical drawings written from the perspective of Junior that will entertain young and old readers. However, some drawings are illustrated without comic effect to show the importance of certain characters. Similarly, the mixed-use of drawings expresses Junior's emotions, significant people in his life, and his personality.

The story's strength is that it tells portrays Native American life within American culture and the difficulties that can occur living in between. Its weakness is that it may contain an abundance of profanity and violence that some readers may find offensive to read. Readers may enjoy Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie, a fictional story with similar elements surrounding contemporary Native American life.

References

"Alexie Nimbly Blends". (2007, September 1). The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Ind... Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved July 27, 2022, from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/sherman-alexie/the-absolutely-true-diary-of-a-part-time-indian/

Alexie, S. (2007). The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian: A Novel. (E. Forney, Illust.) Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.