Tuesday, September 16, 2008

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Bibliography
Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2007.

Plot Summary
This is the "diary" of Arnold Spirit, a fourteen year old Spokane Indian, who decides to leave the "rez" to attend school at an all white school. He must figure out how to live in both worlds.

Critical Analysis
This book made me laugh! I could relate to how the narrator feels in certain situations and I understood the sarcasm and understatement used in the narrative. Even though there are language issues and sexual content, this book captures the reality of a fourteen year old boy. He is not a normal fourteen year old, which is explained throughout the book.

He makes light of situations that happen to himself and his family, but I believe that is his coping mechanism. He doesn't know what to do or say, so he does or says what comes natural, which is sometimes "nerdy."

Drawings are included in this book which makes the entertainment factor go up even more. His caricatures of what is going on are hilarious. I can't wait to read more Sherman Alexie.

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