Review Detail

After reading "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie, I was left feeling hopeful and satisfied in general. It didn't intrigue me in the beginning, but I had read an excerpt of the book in a writing class and I felt like it'd be interesting to read the rest of it. The content of the book was much more interesting after I read more and more. I loved the theme of hope and tenacity throughout the book and the vibe got stronger and stronger. If I were to be honest, I'd confidently recommend this book to anyone who's interested in reading a nice piece of work.

"The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie was about an Indian kid, named Junior, who lives on a reservation. That reservation is very poor and his family is a bit random, starting with his parents who can be alcoholics at times. His sister was supposedly on the road to being successful, but ends up living in the basement of their house. He goes to a school that doesn't show any hope for any of the student's future. After a meaningful conversation, he comes to the understanding that he needs to go to another school that shows possible hope for a bright future. It sounds great, but the only issue is that he's the only Indian kid in a complete white populated school. He must face the decision of leaving his reservation and becoming "one of them" or following the custom of accomplishing nothing in life. Throughout the book, he has these comics that show you his point of view. Along this insane journey, he meets people that will have changed his life.

This book was so inspiring in many ways more than one. I loved the humor that developed the hope and with every page, I wanted to read more. It's amazing how this one boy finds the will in himself to leave the customs and find his own path because he knows he can reach his full potential. The beauty in the book lies beneath the sarcasm and story, but in his experiences and what he's fully learned from them. He shows his vulnerability and his desire to succeed in life and not become what everyone wants him to become. I'd recommend this book for ages 12 and up.