The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a staple around these parts. I've been to many of the places the protagonist--Junior--has been, himself. This book is similar in many ways to The Education of Margot Sanchez in that it offers a coming-of-age story from the perspective of a character who isn't one of the "usual" suspects--to mean white--and it can add a helping of multiculturalism to any classroom. What I said about Sanchez can be true of Part-Time Indian in reverse, at least as far as boys and girls are concerned. Boys will connect with Junior far more easily than girls will, even if they don't connect on a cultural basis. In that way, students are largely placed into the perspective of a student who doesn't go to a predominately white, more well-to-do school and punctuates that disparity by establishing Junior's surroundings on the reservation and then changing them to something students may be more familiar with. The effect in this way is twofold; students can see that not everyone is as privileged as they may be, or they might feel some measure of validation in sharing similar experiences with Junior, and students may learn not to take what they have for granted, as many don't have the same opportunities that they do, be it for cultural reasons, skin color, socioeconomic status, or location.

What would be tough to teach is the fact that the more...intimate parts... of students' lives may be laid bare via Junior as a proxy, dealing with pornography and masturbation and how to approach the opposite sex. However, these issues are simply a part of the "coming-of-age" formula and are separated and underscored by life lessons from which all students can learn. As I said with Sanchez, let this book be available to teachers who have the necessary experience and command of the classroom. Those of us who are still a tad damp behind the ears probably won't want to get into such a complicated book so soon in our educational career.