The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge

Nov 08, 2015 Molly rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya-lit, realistic-fiction, recommended, 4-stars, read-in-2015, read-harder-2015, audiobook

I first heard of this book several years ago, back when I was still attempting to coach speech team (and thus spent many a Saturday judging speech meets). I forget if it was humorous interpretation or prose reading, but a kid performed a selection from this book and he was absolutely hilarious. What's weird is, hearing the whole thing now, I can't for the life of me think of which part he performed. This book has its funny moments, but so many of them are bittersweet and tinged with heartbreak a I first heard of this book several years ago, back when I was still attempting to coach speech team (and thus spent many a Saturday judging speech meets). I forget if it was humorous interpretation or prose reading, but a kid performed a selection from this book and he was absolutely hilarious. What's weird is, hearing the whole thing now, I can't for the life of me think of which part he performed. This book has its funny moments, but so many of them are bittersweet and tinged with heartbreak and I genuinely don't remember the piece being sad. I'm thinking it may have been the chapter about the school dance? It's probably been 7 or 8 years, and also it doesn't really matter!

Having recently read The Round House, I feel slightly less ignorant about Native American culture than I might otherwise have been. Although really the only thing these two books have in common is the age of the protagonists (and a status of National Book Award winners!). Alexie's narrator, Arnold "Junior" Spirit assumes ignorance on the part of the reader, so much of the narrative is framed around Junior teaching the audience about Indian culture. Whereas in Erdirch's novel, it's just sort of...baked in? I suppose that's the difference between a novel for young adults and one for adults. There's more exposition here, but not in a way that feels pedantic (perhaps ignorance isn't the best word...just that Alexie doesn't assume his audience knows much about Indian culture, particularly on a reservation).

Anyway, Junior's struggle reminded me a lot of Ifemelu's in Americanah. Even though he doesn't actually move his physical home, Junior's choice to attend a white school in Spokane, rather than the Indian school on the reservation, makes him just as displaced as Ifem. He's a man without a country, in a way. It takes a while for him to fit in at Reardon (the perils of audiobooks! No idea if that spelling is right!), and he's immediately shunned by most of his tribe for abandoning them. The more he fits in at Reardon, the harder life on the rez becomes.

And also, life just keeps shitting on the poor kid! This book punched me in the heart early on when young Junior's dog dies because the family is too poor to afford to take it to the vet, and the hits just kept coming. Junior loses so many people in just one year, and apparently it's not all that unusual for an Indian kid. And yet Junior feels just as sorry for his white classmates, whose families look just as dysfunctional to him as his must look to them. There's something so tragic about his realization that, yeah, when the family couldn't afford Christmas presents, his father took the money they did have and went on a bender, but at least he's around. He loves Junior, he talks to Junior. He didn't walk out on the family; he doesn't come home every night and "disappear" in front of a screen. It's all relative.

In short, I'm glad I finally got around to reading this book. It's been on my "I've been meaning to get to that" list ever since that long ago speech meet. This might be the year of the audiobook for me -- I needed something to entertain me on Sunday while I raked leaves, and this was the literal first audiobook that came up on Overdrive. Also it fills the National Book Award winner square on my ReadHarder bingo card! The one downfall (besides not knowing how to spell anything) is that there are no illustrations. I feel like I'm missing a piece of the story without them. ...more

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Apr 19, 2010 Sarah rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya-fiction, coming-of-age

This YA book has made all the best of lists, and was very well reviewed. I wanted to love it, but didn’t. Don’t get me wrong, I liked it, but didn’t love it. The story is about a Spokane Indian who leaves the reservation school to go to the white school. There are deaths, big games, drinking, and some really cute cartoons, but it just didn’t all add up for me in the end.

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Aug 15, 2008 Mara rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, american-indians, family, ya, friendship, prejudice, poverty, alcoholism

How many disadvantages can one person overcome? Junior, the narrator of this book, overcomes several disabilities at birth, and then must overcome the physical manifestations of those disabilities (oversize head, lisp, stutter, etc.) for the rest of his life. On top of that he faces the disadvantages that come with being a member of the Spokane Indian tribe: poverty, endemic alcoholism, and general hopelessness.

But Junior is a determined and very smart kid. Taking the advice of one of his teache ...more

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Apr 30, 2008 Dora rated it really liked it

Shelves: bookgroup

I've been browsing reviews and participating a bit in the discussion over in this YA group because I can hardly wait to talk about this book with my RL book group. (the topics for those who have finished the book are here.

It was a fun/interesting/saddening/uplifting story. Despite its length (or lack thereof, really), there are several well-developed, interesting characters. The fact that Alexie drew much of the story from his real life makes it more poignant. The book immerses you in both life ...more

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Jan 18, 2017 Erica rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-harder

Hilarious and heartbreaking. A great read!

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Aug 29, 2013 Gayle rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, 2014

It's been long enough since I read this that I don't remember why I gave it 4 stars. However, after having learned of the accusations made against Alexie, I feel it's tainted all memory of this book. ...more

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