The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Teen BOCD Fiction	4-week checkout	In transit
Pittsfield Teen A/V 4-week checkout	Teen BOCD / Fiction / General / Alexie, Sherman	4-week checkout	In transit

Originally published: New York : Little, Brown, c2007. 1st ed.
Compact disc.
Unabridged.
Performed by the author.
Budding cartoonist Junior leaves his troubled school on the Spokane Indian Reservation to attend an all-white farm town school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

School Library Journal Review
Summary / Annotation
Fiction Profile
Author Notes

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian submitted by katieh on July 15, 2011, 4:41pm Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian was a fantastic read. I'm generally not a huge fan of YA fiction and I found myself getting very involved with this novel--I read it in one sitting! Alexie uses his semi-autobiographical novel to explore what a teenager goes through living in two worlds (the white and the Indian). Junior is a clever young narrator and seems extremely honest, it is very believable that this is actually a 14-year-old boy's diary. Alexie softens the blow of some of the more mature subject matter by utilizing humor. The writing is funny and the drawings that are featured throughout are absolutely wonderful!

My Favorite Sherman Alexie book submitted by jtmaxwell on August 23, 2011, 6:25am This book is a page-turner: right away the reader advocates for Junior, and as he faces struggles with school and family I found myself feeling real pain for him.

Alexie's ability to write as a 14-year old is amazing, and gives a very accurate perspective to what it was like for many kids to grow up on a reservation.

Wow submitted by tong on July 16, 2012, 12:16pm This is an inspirational novel! It incorporates funny drawings too!

Fantastic audiobook submitted by rkraut on August 31, 2012, 3:42pm This is an excellent, excellent book, but the audiobook is read by Sherman Alexie himself and is even better than just reading the novel. Appropriate for age 10 and up.

the absolutely true diary of a part-time indian submitted by unknown on July 30, 2013, 3:11pm "Fluid narration deftly mingles raw feelings with funny, sardonic insight" explained Kirkus in their review of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie's semi-autobiographical novel. Disappointed with his education on the Spokane Indian Reservation and tired of being tormented for his physical problems, Arnold Spirit decides to attend an all-white high school in town. Immediately Arnold feels out of place, but as one Amazon customer cheers, he handles the challenges "using humor where it would seemingly appear that there is none, humor in the face of tragedy and melancholy, humor as an escape." Laughing aside, this "Native American equivalent of Angela's Ashes" (Publishers Weekly) is about one teenager's quest to do his best in the face of serious obstacles. Told with heart and featuring Ellen Forney's illustrations that will hook reluctant readers, it's no surprise that The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian won the 2007 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature.

Parental Advisory: physical abuse.

I love this audiobook! submitted by krayla on June 17, 2015, 9:02pm This was one of my first audiobooks, and it made me realize that audiobooks really do have something completely different and amazing to offer than print books. Sherman Alexie narrates his own work, giving it a quite intimate and authentic feel. Every character is complex and lovable in their own way, made even more real by the audio component. I would highly recommend this one to anyone wanting to read the book!

Not a good listen submitted by kelleyc on June 22, 2016, 11:27am I have heard fantastic things about this book, but I had to turn off the audiobook after about 30 seconds because the narrator's voice was intolerable. Looking forward to reading it, though - just so long as I don't have to listen to it!

Great job! submitted by menmen on July 5, 2018, 9:58am The reader of this book is the author. While he is reading this book, I could feel his emotions from his words. He is telling a story to us. The true story of his life and the unfairness he faced as he grows up. I would love this book and the perfect reader.