The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian
By Sherman Alexie
Illustrated by Ellen Forney
A Review by Ernest M. Whiteman III
I have just finished reading Sherman Alexie’s best book ever.
It had taken me just under four hours, on and off throughout the afternoon and evening. I just could not stop reading this marvelous short novel, written for young adults, from the moment I picked it up. I want my wife to read it, that is how good it is. So good I immediately began writing this review on the el train ride home after work.
Praise coming from me may not mean much to accomplished author Sherman Alexie but I must say that "True Diary" is better than most books I have read within the last year (Better than "Deathly Hallows", which I also loved. But "Three Kingdoms" is still my overall favorite). The last few books that I have read straight through were Harry Potter’s 4 through 6, and Bradbury’s "Fahrenheit 451" which I read in one night in about 2 and a half hours (And still remains at the top of my favorite books list.) and was my tenth reading of the book.
"True Diary" is the story of awkward Spokane teen Arnold Spirit Junior and his attempts to fit in to a society that constantly rejects him for being different. That society is the Spokane Indian tribe after Arnold decides to go to the local town school of Readon High, off the reservation, after seeing that his reservation’s school’s geometry book has his mother’s name in it. What follows is Arnold coming to grips with "betraying" his tribe, fighting to fit in at the all-white school and his triumphs and tragedies with his tribe and reservation.
Alexie paints a compelling portrait of Native life by drawing on his own childhood experiences. Alexie, like Arnold, was an awkward teen, born with Hydrocephalus, and attended an all-white high school off the reservation. Alexie does not sugar-coat the problems Arnold faces on and off the reservation, which is surprising for a book aimed at young adults, nor does his drown it in grief-porn. Alexie has come to the same conclusion that I have about young kids, take away the adult-child dynamic of our interactions with children and we will be surprised about what they know, have opinions on, and can take in terms of their view of the world.
Alexie was mixed up in a racially-charged moment of his own recently when he spoke to high school kids at Naperville North High School. But I felt he took too much of the blame as he was just relating a story about his own experiences. That story is in the book and it is offensive in every way but Alexie’s words make the incident relatable. At least to me. Alexie is just interacting with the students as fellow people and not sugar-coating racism. But that is just my opinion. Alexie knew a lot of students can stand it and they did.
What is most precious to me about this book is that evokes my own times on my reservation, the people, the attitudes, the circumstances. Though I was never a smart Indian that took a chance at something better. I opted to remain on the Wind River because what other options were truly presented to me? Plus, I felt that a family connection was more important and that remains so to me today. This book reminded me of the people and times and environment that I left behind when I finally left the reservation eight years ago. It is a bittersweet read.
The story weaves through many of the troubles Arnold has fitting in among whites and being rejected by his tribe and it culminates in true young adult novel style in the "Important Basketball Game" that climaxes the book. But the pay-off, while standard, the reactions to it are what make this book his best work as Arnold comes to some harsh realizations about himself and where he has place himself.
I must admit to coming close to weeping at least three times while reading this book on the trains. I teared-up openly, without shame, at its tenderness, its evocation of my own memories, its unsparing look at the dynamics of the reservation family. Truly a tour-de-force book from the hands of one of the best writers of our time and of any race. A great book, I highly recommend it.
By Sherman Alexie
Illustrated by Ellen Forney
A Review by Ernest M. Whiteman III
I have just finished reading Sherman Alexie’s best book ever.
It had taken me just under four hours, on and off throughout the afternoon and evening. I just could not stop reading this marvelous short novel, written for young adults, from the moment I picked it up. I want my wife to read it, that is how good it is. So good I immediately began writing this review on the el train ride home after work.
Praise coming from me may not mean much to accomplished author Sherman Alexie but I must say that "True Diary" is better than most books I have read within the last year (Better than "Deathly Hallows", which I also loved. But "Three Kingdoms" is still my overall favorite). The last few books that I have read straight through were Harry Potter’s 4 through 6, and Bradbury’s "Fahrenheit 451" which I read in one night in about 2 and a half hours (And still remains at the top of my favorite books list.) and was my tenth reading of the book.
"True Diary" is the story of awkward Spokane teen Arnold Spirit Junior and his attempts to fit in to a society that constantly rejects him for being different. That society is the Spokane Indian tribe after Arnold decides to go to the local town school of Readon High, off the reservation, after seeing that his reservation’s school’s geometry book has his mother’s name in it. What follows is Arnold coming to grips with "betraying" his tribe, fighting to fit in at the all-white school and his triumphs and tragedies with his tribe and reservation.
Alexie paints a compelling portrait of Native life by drawing on his own childhood experiences. Alexie, like Arnold, was an awkward teen, born with Hydrocephalus, and attended an all-white high school off the reservation. Alexie does not sugar-coat the problems Arnold faces on and off the reservation, which is surprising for a book aimed at young adults, nor does his drown it in grief-porn. Alexie has come to the same conclusion that I have about young kids, take away the adult-child dynamic of our interactions with children and we will be surprised about what they know, have opinions on, and can take in terms of their view of the world.
Alexie was mixed up in a racially-charged moment of his own recently when he spoke to high school kids at Naperville North High School. But I felt he took too much of the blame as he was just relating a story about his own experiences. That story is in the book and it is offensive in every way but Alexie’s words make the incident relatable. At least to me. Alexie is just interacting with the students as fellow people and not sugar-coating racism. But that is just my opinion. Alexie knew a lot of students can stand it and they did.
What is most precious to me about this book is that evokes my own times on my reservation, the people, the attitudes, the circumstances. Though I was never a smart Indian that took a chance at something better. I opted to remain on the Wind River because what other options were truly presented to me? Plus, I felt that a family connection was more important and that remains so to me today. This book reminded me of the people and times and environment that I left behind when I finally left the reservation eight years ago. It is a bittersweet read.
The story weaves through many of the troubles Arnold has fitting in among whites and being rejected by his tribe and it culminates in true young adult novel style in the "Important Basketball Game" that climaxes the book. But the pay-off, while standard, the reactions to it are what make this book his best work as Arnold comes to some harsh realizations about himself and where he has place himself.
I must admit to coming close to weeping at least three times while reading this book on the trains. I teared-up openly, without shame, at its tenderness, its evocation of my own memories, its unsparing look at the dynamics of the reservation family. Truly a tour-de-force book from the hands of one of the best writers of our time and of any race. A great book, I highly recommend it.
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