~Finn Whitman, Class of 2025

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, copyright 2009, is a realistic fiction novel written by Sherman Alexie. It tells the story of Arnold Spirit, a.k.a. Junior, who was born with a variety of medical issues, as he overcomes adversity. He leaves his Spokane Reservation school for a rich white school in hope of a better future, but is shunned by his own tribe mates. 

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is told from the perspective of Junior. It is based on the life of Sherman Alexie, the author. Junior lives on a Spokane Indian reservation, and goes to a poor school called Wellpinit. After a talk with his math teacher, he realizes the reservation is a prison, and he needs to leave to find a future. He enrolls in a rich white school called Reardan, 22 miles away from his home. On his reservation, his fellow Indians hate him, and call him a traitor and a white lover. He overcomes adversity and attempts to fit in with both simultaneously. This novel is written for young adults and adults. It is realistic fiction; part autobiography, part fiction and fun. Alexie often switched between funny pages and serious pages, keeping me constantly on the edge of my seat. 

Without adversity there can be no growth. In the novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie, adversity is everywhere and anywhere for Junior. This is especially evident in the 1st page of the book, where Junior says ‘But weirdo me, I was born with too much grease inside my skull, and it got all thick and muddy and disgusting, and it only mucked up the works.’ Junior made the Varsity basketball team as a freshman, and their first game was against Wellpinit, his old school. Rowdy, Junior’s old best friend, is very upset at him for leaving the school and wanted to get him back:

I immediately stole a pass and drove for a layup. Rowdy was right behind me. I jumped into the air, heard the curses of two hundred Spokanes, and then saw a bright light as Rowdy smashed his elbow into my head and knocked me unconscious. [Page 146]. 

Junior has to overcome the adversity that is his old friends shunning him and attacking him because he left them for a better future, although Junior still loves them and wants to remain friends. For the first few pages, Junior describes all of his medical conditions and problems. At the end, he explains the worst part: “Do you know what happens to retards on the rez? We get beat up. At least once a month” [Page 4]. This shows that because of his disabilities, his own tribe mates bully him and beat him so much that he thinks it’s safer to stay at home. The adversity he faces in a month alone is more than most wealthy white people have to face in a lifetime. These two quotes are a summary of the whole book, and the Infinitely many ways adversity appears for Junior. Adversity is everywhere you look in this novel. Everyone faces Adversity. Only the strongest will try to beat it.

This novel reworked how I thought about Native Americans and their reservations. Before reading this novel, I thought Aboriginals on reservations lived in teepees, hunted their own food, rode horses, and wore stereotypical Native American outfits. Now, I know Native Americans are basically normal people, with Aboriginal heritage and special traditions. This book reminds me of Flight, also by Sherman Alexie. Flight tells the story of a Native American foster child who switches between many different abusive foster parents. Just like Junior, he has to overcome lots of adversity. This book taught me a lot. 

Sherman Alexie conveys all of the ways Junior faced adversity because of his disabilities, his race, and his decision to leave the reservation. As long as you are okay with a little profanity, this is a great book and absolutely hilarious as well. I would definitely recommend reading this novel.

Finn Whitman

4/12/24

~ RATING: **** 4.7/5