Books The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Books and Publications Average Rating:

Rating: - Everyone needs to read this book
I purchased a book in the bookstore recently. It is called "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie. Just by reading a little while in the bookstore, I thought it was going to be lighthearted and funny. However, I could not put it down once I started reading it. When I closed it for the final time yesterday, I felt so heavy-hearted. There are times when you laugh and times when you cry. It is one of the most beautifully and sensitively written books I have ever read and I am an English major. I have read a whole lot of books in my lifetime. The book is about a young teenage boy growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. He decides to break away from the difficult life living on the rez and decides to attend the white school on the outside, trying to escape the poverty and difficulties of living on the rez in order to survive and preserve his identity. It is based on Alexie's real life experiences as a young teen. Even though this book is directed towards young adults, I would like to encourage everyone to read this book. It is one that will stay with you long after you close the book.

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Rating: - diary of a part time indian
This is an amazing coming of age novel that also encompasses a young man straddling two cultures and triumphing.

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Rating: - Fantastic!
Truly a wonderful book. I initially picked it up because I thought I could use it in my 6th grade classroom, after reading it I found the language was much more advanced and not appropriate for 11 year olds, but I fell in love with this book. A must read for any age!

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Rating: - Courtesy of Mother Daughter Book Club.com
Arnold Spirit is a freshman at a high school on the Spokane Indian reservation in northwest Washington. All his life he's been picked on because he looks strange: his head is large because he was born with hydrocephalus, he has seizures, too many teeth and he wears thick glasses. But Arnold is very smart, and he likes drawing. When a teacher counsels him to find hope in the form of attending a white high school off the reservation, Arnold makes a bold move toward a future he didn't think was possible.

Through Arnold's eyes we see the problems faced by many on modern Indian reservations: alcoholism, poverty, lack of opportunity and despair. Yet, we also find acceptance of the shortcomings among those we call family and a way to follow your dreams without denigrating those you leave behind.

Arnold's story is for anyone who chooses to follow a different path than the one clearly laid out before him. Issues of race, friendship, love and community should provide great discussion for mother-daughter book club members.