The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian

Sherman Alexie’s, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian, is a wonderful coming of age story written semi-autobiographically. Alexie suffered from Hydrocephalus just as his main character, Arnold (or Junior) does. This story follows Arnold as he leaves his home reservation school (Wellpinit HS) in favor of a small town, predominantly white school (Reardan HS) miles from his home. As he continues his freshman year at Reardan, Arnold finds love, new friends, and a new outlook on life. He also struggles in his new “tribe”. He loses his best friend, family members, and has to deal with the guilt and shame that his reservation heaps on him as being a “white lover”. Ultimately, he finds himself, outside of the reservation and his physical limitations.

This story is told through the mind of Arnold, and in that way, I feel that a lot of people that might read it (high school students) could very easily connect with Arnold and Alexie. Arnold suffers from fears of inadequacy and makes the decision to transfer schools as a means to escape the chain of poverty that has struck his family and neighbors for generations. Arnold's desires are not different from those of any other adolescent, regardless of race; to feel wanted, validated, loved, and to make a mark in society. The struggles that Arnold faces are also common, although may be seen differently because of his native heritage. He has to face death, broken relationships, and that ever-present danger of “not fitting in”.

Some of the obstacles that this book presents are because of how the story is told. Because it is told in Arnold’s mind, we get to know him very well. In some ways that perhaps we would rather not. We have to hear about uncomfortable topics like lust and masturbation, topics that most adolescent males think about, but never want to speak about. On his reservation, there are also incidents of alcohol abuse and alcohol-related violence. Arnold grandmother is hit by a drunk driver and dies. His father’s best friend is shot in the face during a drunken altercation. His best friend, Rowdy, is the son of an alcoholic who hits him and his mother. Ultimately these are all obstacles that make the book real, but could obviously be a problem for students, parents, and administrators alike.

Because this book was written by a local writer, students could map out the settings that this book takes place in. They could also keep track of Arnold’s choices and experiences in the form of a journal and compare them to similar experiences that they’ve had.

I believe that this book is definitely worth the read especially for high school students. However, because of its abrasive nature at times, could be a hard sell for administrators and parents. I think it is definitely something worth investing in as a tool for student engagement, but I’m not sure I would teach it as its own unit in my classroom.