Title- The Absolutely True Stories of a Part-time Indian
Author Sherman Alexie
ISBN 978-0316013697
Publication Information Little Brown, New York, 2009
Plot Summary- True to its name, The Absolutely True Stories of a Part-time Indian is a semi-autobiographical story of the author, Sherman Alexie. The protagonist, Junior, seeks to escape his and his people's fate by attending the white school off the "rez." This courageous step, however, brings nothing but grief for Junior as everyone on the rez, including his best and only friend, abandon him. Even his parents, who support him, are confused by his choices and the conflict it causes them. To add to the grief, all the students in the white school avoid him because he's Indian. The novel follows Junior throughout his freshmen year as he attempts to find new friends, repair old relationships and understand his place in the world.
Critical Evaluation- Readers are immediately drawn into this novel because of the tragic yet humorous account of the protagonist. Junior has already survived against all odds, so it isn't surprising that he rebels against the obvious injustice presented by reading the same textbook as his mother. Alexie also excels in his description of life on the reservation- a life rich in culture but devoid of hope. We see the immense respect of their elders evidenced in the funeral of his grandmother and the futility of trying to break out in the death of his sister. The real attraction in this novel, however, is presented in the cartoon drawings interspersed in the text. The narrator is a self-proclaimed cartoonist, so it only makes sense that his narrative be told in picture along with words. The use of simplistic pencil style drawing contributes to our understanding of the culture, and character. Readers can come to this novel with minimal understanding of Native American culture because of this excellent portrayal. At the same time, many young adults can find a way to connect with the story of feeling outside of a culture and ultimately of rejection from multiple groups regardless of the cultural ties present in the text. Junior's ability to overcome the loss of friends, the rejection of new friends entering high school, the burgeoning relationship with a girl, and the tragedy he suffers as members of his family die is inspiring to young readers, many of whom are suffering through similar circumstances in their lives.
Awards:
2009 Peter Pan Award, Sweden
2009 Odyssey Award for audio version, produced by Recorded Books, LLC
2008 Washington Book Award - the Scandiuzzi Children's Book Award for middle grades and young adults
2008 Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards for Excellence in Children's Literature in Fiction
2008 Capitol Choices Noteworthy Books for Children
2008 Book Sense Book of the Year Children's Literature Honor Book
2008 Pacific Northwest Book Award
2008 American Indian Library Association American Indian Youth Literature Award
2007 National Book Award for Young People's Literature
2007 Los Angles Times Book Prize Finalist
Publishers Weekly 2007 Best Books of the Year - Children's Fiction
The New York Times Notable Children's Books of 2007
Los Angeles Times Favorite Children's Books of 2007
National Parenting Publication Gold Winner 2007
Barnes & Noble 2007 Best for Teens
School Library Journal Best Books of 2007
Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Books of 2007
(pdf file)
Horn Book Fanfare Best Books of 2007
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Winner
Kansas City Star's Top 100 Books of the Year
Reader's Annotation- What happens to you if all of the people you know turn away from you simply because you try to improve your life? This is the fate of Junior, a young cartoonist. Can he survive a world he does not understand without the help of his friends?
Author Information- Alexie's novel is very much true to his young life. He was born with hydrocephalus and was not expected to live. Instead he learned to read by the age of three. He did find his mother's name in a textbook and it was the reason he attended school off the reservation.
Curricular Ties- Sociology- ways we are parts of a group
Genre- Autobiographical, Coming of Age
Book talking ideas- Cultural awareness- the white schools use of the chief as mascot. Coming of age- how does Alexie's story compare to my student's lives?
Challenge issues- language, violence, masturbation
- Re-read the text to familiarize myself with the story
- Ask parents for their specific objections (they are required to file that with our school district)
- Review approved books list from California Department of Education for similar materials
- Review approaches from ALA
Interest Age- 14-15 is ideal as it is the protagonist's age, but as I mentioned earlier, I have 17 and 18 year olds who LOVE this novel.
Why I selected this piece I chose this novel because I'd just read it earlier in the year. It is one of the CYRM award books. Our librarian always orders two dozen or more copies of each book and we offer our students extra credit if they read all of them and vote. I literally flipped open to the rules of fighting section, laughed out loud during tutoring, and had to check it out.
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