The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

• Genre: Fiction; young adult semi-autobiographical; coming-of-age
• Originally Published: 2007
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 600L; grades 7-12
• Structure/Length: 30 chapters; approximately 230 pages; approximately 4 hours, 35 minutes on audio
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: The novel follows Arnold Spirit Jr., a 14-year-old boy living on the Spokane Indian Reservation. After deciding to attend an all-white high school off the reservation, Arnold grapples with his identity as he straddles two vastly different worlds—that of his Native heritage and that of the white community he is trying to integrate into.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Racism; racial slurs and stereotypes; poverty; alcohol use disorder; bullying; death and grief; occasional profanity; sexual references; anti-gay bias and use of slurs. Please note that the author, Sherman Alexie, has been repeatedly accused of sexual harassment; as you consider the appropriateness of this author for your classroom, you may wish to read this thoughtful New York Times piece on this issue.

Sherman Alexie, Author

• Bio: Born 1966; Spokane-Coeur d'Alene-American novelist, short story writer, poet, and filmmaker; grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation; work often explores themes of despair, poverty, violence, and alcohol use among the lives of Native American people; writings known for their candid, thought-provoking nature; one of the key figures in contemporary Native American literature
• Other Works: The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven (1993); Reservation Blues (1995); Flight (2007)
• Awards: National Book Award for Young People's Literature (2007); ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2008); Boston Globe-Horn Book Award (2008); California Young Reader Medal (2010)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• Individual Identity and Belonging to a Community
• Art, Hope, and the Power of Storytelling
• Systemic Oppression of American Indians

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:

• Explore background information on the Spokane nation and reservation life to increase their engagement with and understanding of the setting and conflicts in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.
• Read/study short paired texts and other resources to deepen their understanding of themes related to Individual Identity and Belonging to a Community; Art, Hope, and the Power of Storytelling; and Systemic Oppression of American Indians.
• Plan and construct an illustration to convey paradoxes in Junior’s life based on text details.
• Analyze the significance of various elements of the novel, such as diction, voice, humor, characterization, plot detail, tone, and irony, and construct essay responses tying these to the novel’s meaning.