The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

                                      

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Author: Sherman Alexie 

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Year Published: 2007

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Reader Recommendations: 

• Upper Grades (Junior High and High School)
• Male perspective 
• Kids transitioning to change, new school, new environment
• Kids looking for a book about real life school experiences, growing up, identity
• Kids who enjoy humor 

The Book: Arnold (Junior) and his family have spent their entire life on the Indian Reservation, or as Junior would call it, "the rez." This is the place they know how to live. One day, Junior has a wake up call when he sees his mother's name on the inside of the math book he is supposed to be using. In horror of how nothing ever changes on "the rez," he whips the book at his teacher who later gives him advice that if he is ever going to make it, he has to leave the reservation. Junior decides that he will attend the all white school outside of the reservation, something no one in his family would ever think to do. Supportive of his persistence, his parents agree to it. Junior steps into his first day of school outside the reservation and his world is never the same again. 

Why this Book? This novel allows readers to step into Junior's world living on the reservation, a world many readers may have never thought about before. Junior's honest and at times humorous take on what it is like to be immersed in both Native American and White culture gives readers a fresh perspective on culture, identity, acceptance, and dreams. 


Themes:
Cultural Identity: Junior is torn between two worlds. To him, the "white" and "Indian" parts of him represent two different things. He speaks to the cultural divides that exist within us all. (To the right: Sketch by Junior)

Breaking Cycles of the Past/Following Dreams: The reason Junior leaves "the rez" is because he does not want to end up stuck in the same place forever. He proves that breaking out of the patterns of the past are challenging but worth it in the end.

Home: Junior feels like he belongs both inside and outside the reservation. What makes a place home?

Poverty: Junior explicitly tells readers he is poor and how he navigates life because of it. 

Units: Identity, Culture, Facing Adversity, Pursuing Dreams

Teaching Ideas:
Connecting Activity: What Two Worlds do You Live In? Have students create a sketch similar to Junior's. What two aspects of their life are contrasting?

Pair with Non-Fiction: Give students pieces of literature reflecting the treatment of Native Americans. Give students time to reflect on their sections and share their thoughts along with connections to The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. 

Discourse: Discuss with students story components: How the images add to the book, how the diary format impacts the story. Why did Alexie choose this format? 

Result of Choices: Have students create an organizer (side by side) about the way Junior's life looked before and after his decision to leave the reservation (family relationships, friend relationships, self-image, etc.)

Additional Resources:
Scholastic Teaching Guide: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/absolutely-true-diary-part-time-indian-storia-teaching-guide

Novel Unit: http://libwww.freelibrary.org/onebook/obop11/0_Absolutely_True_Diary_Curriculum_full.pdf

Author Website: http://shermanalexie.com/ 
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