Triumph over tragedy and circumstance

Alexie, S., & Forney, E. (2007). The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian. New York, NY: Little, Brown. Sherman’s National Book Award winning novel follows Arnold Spirit, nicknamed ‘Junior’, through his tumultuous freshman year of high school on the reservation, and later, in the all-white school he transfers to. He was born with a water on the brain and nearly died as an infant, which makes him delicate and easily target for bullies, a common occurrence in the reservation school. But in spite of his problems, he’s an exceptional student who strongly feels the inequities of the education he receives on the 'rez'. The last straw comes when Junior sees his mother’s name in his geometry book, becoming so angry about the unfairness of it all that he throws the book across the room, hitting the geometry teacher and getting himself expelled. Upon the advice of this same geometry teacher, he boldly decides to transfer to the all-white school 20 miles away.

People on the reservation condemn him as a traitor, but Junior tackles his choice to save himself from the tragedies he sees daily on the reservation with a dry humor and sense of irony, persevering in spite of the obstacles his choice creates. Junior creates a place and a name for himself in his new school and ultimately triumphs, all while enduring personal tragedies and navigating a hostile environment on the reservation.

Junior narrates his own story with dry humor and a tendency towards self-deprecation, but never minimizes the harsh realities faced by his community on the reservation. Central to Junior’s perspective are the drawings and cartoons he includes in his diary, marvelously illustrated by Ellen Forney. But Junior’s story mirrors author Sherman Alexie’s life, who, like Junior, was also raised on a reservation and born with water on the brain.

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