From Goodreads,"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 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.
With a forward by Markus Zusak, interviews with Sherman Alexie and Ellen Forney, and four-color interior art throughout, this edition is perfect for fans and collectors alike."
Goodreads - The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Awards and Nominations:
- National Book Award for Young People's Literature (2007)
- Michigan Library Association Thumbs Up! Award Nominee (2008)
- Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction (2008)
- American Indian Youth Literature Award for Best Young Adult Book (2008, Rescinded in 2018)
- Florida Teens Read Nominee (2009)
- The Inky Awards Nominee for Silver Inky (2009)
- Odyssey Award (2009)
- James Cook Book Award Nominee (2009)
- The Inky Awards Shortlist for Silver Inky (2009)
- California Young Readers Medal for Young Adult (2010)
- South Caroline Book Award Nominee for Young Adult Book Award (2010)
- Lincoln Award Nominee (2011)
This cover made me a little bit nostalgic. The cowboy and indian figurine made me think of the times that I would play with my brother as a kid. We had toy soldiers. We had cowboys and indians. We had a farm set with cows and fencing. It really made me think of my childhood and the memories I have spending time with my brother. However, the cowboy and indian on the cover of this book is there to represent Junior being an indian on the rez and a cowboy at school.
This book is told by the main character Junior who lives on the Spokane Indian Reservation. He has spent his whole life on the reservation dealing with a lazy sister and drunk parents. But one day he has had enough. He decides he wants to go to the white school Rearden for a chance at a better life. He soon realizes he is facing one of the of biggest challenges of his life and that he will have to find the strength to overcome them.
This book really surprised me. I thought this was going to be a light hearted book until I realized how many awards it had. While the book had its funny moments, it also had a strong message about perseverance and strength. The book focuses on the hardships that Native Americans face. Junior talks about how there are casinos that people work at, but that everyone is still broke and drunk. One of the early turning points in the book is when Junior gets a book in school that has his mother's name in it. He realizes that it isn't fair that he is being taught from the same materials that his mother was taught from over thirty years ago. At this point he decides he wants to transfer schools so that he can have a better chance at life. I think this is an important message for everyone. We as a society seem to do what we have done for the past thirty years because that's just "how we do it". I think we need to start branching out of our comfort zones and start looking for opportunities to better ourselves. It's hard for me to take my own advice because I'm comfortable. But I know there are better opportunities for me in my career and in my education. I have yet to get my master's because I am scared I don't have the strength to finish it. If we all work on persevering and finding strength in ourselves we honestly can accomplish anything we want to.
While this book had a strong message about strength and perseverance, it was also very vulgar. There were repeated cuss words throughout the book along with absolutely filthy jokes. There were sexual references in the book and frankly I was taken aback just a little. I will read absolutely anything, but I honestly read with a teacher mindset. I read so I can put books into my classroom library and so that I can recommend books to students. This was not a book that I would recommend to a fourth grader. This book was full of vulgar language and references.
This book is told by the main character Junior who lives on the Spokane Indian Reservation. He has spent his whole life on the reservation dealing with a lazy sister and drunk parents. But one day he has had enough. He decides he wants to go to the white school Rearden for a chance at a better life. He soon realizes he is facing one of the of biggest challenges of his life and that he will have to find the strength to overcome them.
This book really surprised me. I thought this was going to be a light hearted book until I realized how many awards it had. While the book had its funny moments, it also had a strong message about perseverance and strength. The book focuses on the hardships that Native Americans face. Junior talks about how there are casinos that people work at, but that everyone is still broke and drunk. One of the early turning points in the book is when Junior gets a book in school that has his mother's name in it. He realizes that it isn't fair that he is being taught from the same materials that his mother was taught from over thirty years ago. At this point he decides he wants to transfer schools so that he can have a better chance at life. I think this is an important message for everyone. We as a society seem to do what we have done for the past thirty years because that's just "how we do it". I think we need to start branching out of our comfort zones and start looking for opportunities to better ourselves. It's hard for me to take my own advice because I'm comfortable. But I know there are better opportunities for me in my career and in my education. I have yet to get my master's because I am scared I don't have the strength to finish it. If we all work on persevering and finding strength in ourselves we honestly can accomplish anything we want to.
While this book had a strong message about strength and perseverance, it was also very vulgar. There were repeated cuss words throughout the book along with absolutely filthy jokes. There were sexual references in the book and frankly I was taken aback just a little. I will read absolutely anything, but I honestly read with a teacher mindset. I read so I can put books into my classroom library and so that I can recommend books to students. This was not a book that I would recommend to a fourth grader. This book was full of vulgar language and references.
This book was humorous and had a strong message, but it was also vulgar in my opinion. If you can overlook the language and dirty jokes then you will definitely enjoy this book. It definitely took me a few chapters to get over it, and even then there were times when I was still in shock that such words would be written in a young adult book. I give this book 3 stars out of 5.
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