True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

 

    The main character, Junior, is an Indian that currently lives on a reservation. He decides there is more to life and decides to attend an all white school off of the reservation.  He loses respect from his fellow reservation residents and becomes a "traitor" as he broadens his educational career and basketball career.  The trials he encounters include deaths of family members and close friends, but grows a lot as a young boy because of the decisions he makes.

    Some parts of the book were a little too descriptive when it came to mature, adolescent topics, but I feel that most young adult could relate to the characters in their story.  As a young adult, you're just beginning to find your place in the world.  This books addresses a lot of realistic aspects of this process such as growing apart from a best friend, not fitting in at school, and losing a close family member.  I know people will say the ending is their favorite part for a happy reason, but I like the ending because the author did a great job of offering closure to the main character's story. Even though there was some sadness in the end, the beginning portion of Junior's journey to adulthood has ended and he's ready to embark on his next phase.

    This book could definitely be used in an upper middle school or high school class to emphasize growth and how to battle real life situations.  Students would be able to dig deeply into these themes when reading this book and could even complete projects of their own journeys as young adults.  One project idea could be to create a timeline from birth to adulthood where students could plan out goals and achievements they hope to attain later on in life.

Alexie, S. (2007). The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Little, Brown and Company.