The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Alexie, S., & Forney, E. (2007). The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian. New York: Little, Brown.

Summary: 

Junior the main character is a unique cartoonist that decides to change his “written” future and take life “by the horns.”  He refuses to remain just another Spokane Indian in the Reservation.  While his journey has just begun Junior, encounters major tragedies that change his life completely.  From his grandmother’s and sister’s passing which he never truly overcomes, he decides to do something drastically and unexpected.   Junior decides to change schools and attend the nearby all-white town farm high school.  His future definitely changes but, for the best.  When Junior’s father passes away he decides to recover his friendship with his best friend and this makes him understand that change can be good.

Strengths/Textbook:
This book can be geared for an intended audience of readers ranging from ages 13 and up.  The author Alexie's genre in this book focuses on Native Americans and their struggles in living and being raised inside a reservation.  The character Junior is relatable to the intended audience because of the many struggles of trying to "fit in" in today's modern life.

Awards:

2007 National Book Award Winner

The New York Times Book Review Notable Books of 2007 (children's books)

NYPL Books for the Teen Age 2008

2007 PW "Off the Cuff" Awards: Favorite YA Novel,

2007 Horn Book Fanfare Best Books of the Year

2007 Kirkus Reviews Best YA Books

2007 School Library Journal Best Books of the Year

2007 Publishers Weekly's Best Books of the Year

A Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Winner

Other Books by the Author

Graphic Novels – Color is used in a variety of ways, Line is a component of the art, Composition, Frames used to contain text or illustrations, Speech bubbles, White Space, and Style of illustration.  These types of books are universal. They can be history, fantasy, and nonfiction. They can be funny, serious, or teach a lesson. My favorite is “El Deafo”.  

Fantasy/Science Fiction – Criteria: Characters must be consistent and believable, rules for the fantasy world, “willing suspension of disbelief”, and themes that explore universal truths.  Marissa Meyer has a series of books that fit this criteria. The Lunar Chronicles. They put a science fiction twist on fairy tales we read growing up.  

Nonfiction – Criteria: Nonfiction has to deal with the qualifications of the author, accurate facts, purpose and scope of the book, organization of the book, and the visual play. A magnificent book that contains all these aspects is “Brown Girl Dreaming”. The main character deals with situations occurring during the civil right movement. 

Realistic Fiction – Criteria: These stories must contain subject that kids now and days can relate to. Must be consistent with life today. “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” I believe is a good example of realistic fiction today. Most kids can relate to the main character. Another fantastic book that reflects realistic fiction is “Speak”. This story contains subject matter that is tough to talk about but apparently happens too often. It deals with matters we never used to talk about, now we hear it everywhere. 

Historical Fiction – Criteria: A good story that blends the history. I found that “Rosa” is a fantastic book that tells a great story that embeds the story of Rosa Parks. The facts must be accurate for historical fiction. Another great book that fits this genre is “We Are the Ship”. This book also has a wonderful story behind all the facts. These facts can be researched to make sure they are accurate.  Using both of these stories we see another criteria which is seeing values for African Americans. Both stories were set back when segregation was still in effect. The theme is apparent in these stories. Readers today can relate to the way things used to be. 

Poetry – Criteria for Poetry: Familiarity I came to find out helps the children understand the poem better, but as mentioned in the video we should not lower the level of poetry to the level we think the students will understand. I learned the students prefer narrative poetry.  Imagery really makes a difference when we can picture, hear, or smell the poem just by reading we connect not only with the poem but with the author as well.  Rhyme is great to have in a poem but not necessary. Although with elementary students we emphasize rhyme, that when we share a poem that does not contain rhyme they automatically say, “That’s not a poem, because it doesn’t rhyme”. Then I go into a mini lesson explaining how not all poems have to rhyme, I introduce free verse.  Rhyme and rhythm are preferred by readers. Sometimes my students say the poem has a song to it, I allow them to explore that. Then we go back and locate what creates that song, it’s a wonderful experience.  Sound in a poem is crucial. The more students can participate in creating that sound as they read, the more they want to keep reading. Sometimes when they come across a poem that does not contain sound, they will not want to read it again.