Recommended age: 13+
Summary: Arnold "Junior" Spirit is a bright young freshman. He is unhappy with his life on the reservation. The school is completely sub par. Most of this family and friends are alcoholics. There is little hope for the children who live there. They all know that they will most likely grow up and follow the same path as the rest of the people on the Rez. Junior takes the courageous step to go to the neighboring school 20+ miles away; the white school. With this decision, Junior faces racism from the people at the new school and must deal with the fallout from his friends and other members of the reservation. Along with all of this stress, Junior was born with hydrocephalus. He stutters, has a lisp, and is small for his age. He gets through all of this by drawing cartoons. In the end, he proves himself to the members of his high school and the members of the reservation.
Response: I was surprised at some of the candid conversation between Junior and his friends. The reality is that boys have conversations and thought of a sexual nature at that age. Overall, I enjoyed the book. One of the strengths is that the main character is a Native American. There are very few books that are written from this point of view. It also deals with racism, which is still prevalent today. By overcoming obstacles, Junior teaches readers no matter where you come from or what you are facing not to give up; don't give in to despair. Keep fighting for change.
Resources:
http://www.shmoop.com/absolutely-true-diary-part-time-indian/teaching.html
http://libwww.freelibrary.org/onebook/obop11/0_Absolutely_True_Diary_Curriculum_full.pdf
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