The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

I love Sherman Alexie!  My first exposure to Alexie’s writing was in a poetry class and I immediately fell in love.  I love how his writing conveys his attitude, spirit, intelligence, compassion, humor and honesty and even though he comes from a completely different background, he is able to connect with his readers.  I would definitely utilize The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian in my classroom.  The writing and language in the book is plain and is easy to understand, the story is very engaging, and because of this, I think students would actually enjoy reading it.  I think I would use this book more as a pleasure read than anything else and I would not assign formal written assignments, so my students can just enjoy it.  I believe students, especially middle school students, would connect with the book because of the identity theme.  Junior is just trying to figure out who he is and where he fits in, something all adolescents wrestle with as they grow up.  I think kids can also identify with Junior’s home life.  Even though his family experiences adversity and his father is an alcoholic, he realizes that his family cares about him and they are actively involved in his life.  Nobody has the perfect family life and I really appreciate Junior’s willingness to focus on the positive aspects of his home life and his ability to forgive his family members for their shortcomings and failures.  He demonstrates a resilient attitude while facing life’s struggles and I think that is a very important lesson for kids to learn.  Kids will also identify with the friendship theme in the story.  Junior and Rowdy’s friendship is tumultuous, but in the end, they are able to make amends and continue their friendship.  Kids need to realize that people can disagree with each other, be upset with each other, and still be friends.  Maintaining the bonds of friendship is difficult but worth it.  I really enjoyed reading this book and I know my students will too!