The+Absolutely+True+Diary+of+a+Part-Time+Indian-+Fall+2008

// The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian //
By Sherman Alexie, 2007.

[[image:http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/41zUG4yr6wL._SS500_.jpg width="258" height="243" align="left"]]
Arnold Spirit Jr. is a sore thumb in any public setting. It’s only natural, then, that he be well acquainted with the knuckles of his Indian peers on ‘the rez’. With all the stress and misfortunes they encounter, it’s no wonder they use [|bullying] as an outlet. They have to release their rage somehow, and Junior is the perfect target, being defenseless, disproportionate and just plain dorky. Fortunately, his best friend Rowdy has some pent up frustration of his own that he’s ever ready to unleash on Junior’s adversaries. That is, until Junior betrays Rowdy by transferring to an all-white school.

Junior has to leave the reservation. Even if he somehow manages to avoid the clutches of alcoholism and [|poverty] that have taken so many other Indians hostage, there’s no guarantee that he’ll have a future, considering the accelerated [|mortality rate] on the reservation. Despite the promise of a dead-end for all who stay on the reservation, no one ever leaves. No one. The Indians on the rez depend on each other because they have nothing else. Only a traitor would leave, or at least that’s what everyone thinks, including Rowdy.

Without Rowdy’s support, Junior is forced to build alliances with the white kids at his school. It’s a slow process – not does his appearance set him off from the rest of the student population, but he has to learn a new set of social rules in order to have even a chance of fitting in. His efforts pay off. Soon, Junior is a star on an undefeated basketball team and a quasi-boyfriend to the prettiest girl in school. Unfortunately, his illusion of the good life can’t hold up against the crushing realities of the reservation, and a succession of close deaths threatens Junior’s chances for success.

With an extensive list of tragedies to his name, Junior copes by laughing in the face of adversity, and by making others laugh with him. Junior’s story doesn’t include a forced happy ending, but his positive outlook leaves the reader with a sense of closure.

In writing //The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian//, [|Sherman Alexie] transformed his personal experiences into a poignant novel. The pages are littered with charm and candor that everyone can fall in love with.  //The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian// is a great way to introduce and to discuss controversial issues that may be a part of your students’ society. The novel deals with themes such as sense of belonging, identification, [|racism], stereotypes, [|alcoholism], and going against what others may see as the status quo.  The novel also provides insight to reservation life and the culture of the Spokane Indians. It shows the [|Spokane Indians] as an independent and unique community, providing a more in depth understanding of different cultures and tribes of Native American people. There are some adult themes in the book, so this may not be ideal to teach in lower grades. It contains some sexual references and adult language, which may be uncomfortable for some students to discuss. There is a potential concern that parents will challenge the subject matter of the book, so instructors should be prepared to find an alternative text with the same type of ideas that he/she intends for students to become aware of. ** <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Preparation for the novel: ** <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal">  <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">“I Confess” writing assignment: Have students recall and write about different images and perceptions that they have about Native Americans. They should include why they think they have this perception and try to find one piece of evidence that has contributed to their perception, (i.e. movies, pictures, Native American portrayal in stories, cartoons) ·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal">   <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">“The Real Deal” assignment: Have students research Spokane Indians and at least two other Native American tribes. They should note similarities and differences among the groups. **<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">During the Novel: ** <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> ·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Journal: As students read the novel, they should keep track of their feelings as Junior faces different challenges. For example, when one of Junior’s classmates makes the racist statement about Indians being the offspring of buffalo and African Americans, ask students how they would have handled the situation if they were him and why? ·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Character insight: Have students choose one character other than Junior, and ask them to create a letter on that character’s behalf to explain any possible untold feelings. For example, one student may choose Junior’s dad, and write a letter that explains why he gets drunk and how he is very proud of Junior. ·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">  <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">“It’s all in the name:” Have students discuss the significance of character names like “Rowdy,” “Spirit,” “Mary Runs Away,” and other names that may be descriptive of a character. Have them cite instances where this name was fitting for the character or was not.
 * <span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Recommendations for Teachers **

<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">**About Sherman Alexie** <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">[|Sherman Alexie]  <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">, a <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">[|Spokane] <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> and [|Coeur d’Alene] Indian, and award-winning author, was born in 1966. He underwent brain surgery at six months old to treat the <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">[|hydrocephalus] <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> he was born with, which left him with serious long-term side effects. Nevertheless, he was able to lead a largely normal life with his family on the [|Spokane Indian Reservation] in Wellpinit, Washington. As a high school student, Alexie made the difficult decision to leave the reservation school in order to receive a better education at <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">[|Reardan High School] <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">, in neighboring Reardan, Washington. Although he was the school’s only Indian student, the author eventually managed to carve out a place for himself in Reardan's social landscape by becoming the star of the basketball team. And while his athletic prowess was notable, Alexie was also an academic stand-out. He enrolled at [|Gonzaga University] after graduation, then transferred to <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">[|Washington State] <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">. While a student at WSU, Alexie discovered his love of the written word. Shortly after receiving his Bachelor of Arts in American Studies, he turned his attention to poetry. He was awarded the [|Washington State Arts Commission] Poetry Fellowship, and the <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">[|National Endowment for the Arts] <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> Poetry Fellowship, which quickly led to the publication of two collections, [|The Business of Fancydancing]__,__ and <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">[|I Would Steal Horses] <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">. He went on to publish several more [|novels, poetry collections, and short fiction works], which have garnered numerous honors, including a <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">[|National Book Award] <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> for Young People’s Literature. The author’s work has also been turned into three screenplays, “[|49?],” “ <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">[|Smoke Signals] <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">,” and “[|The Business of Fancydancing],” which he directed. Alexie currently makes his home in Seattle, Washington, with his wife, and their two sons.

<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">**<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Multimedia ** media type="custom" key="2247901" <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">A video review of //The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian//

media type="youtube" key="-6AbxJxDoI8" height="344" width="425" <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Sherman Alexie receives a National Book Award.

media type="youtube" key="NwiQb8OQ6dY" height="344" width="425" <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">Sherman Alexie reads from //The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Diary//.

<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">**Additional Resources:** <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">[|Sherman Alexie's Website] <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">: The official site. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">[|Reardan High School:] <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> The high school Junior attends off the reservation. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">[|Wellpinit High School:] <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> The high school Junior attends on the reservation. [|Spokane Indian Reservation:] The reservation Junior is from in this text. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">[|Native American Literature Site:] <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> Contains many websites about Native American Literature works & ways to teach with them. .

//This Page was compiled by Santana Aker, Lamia Ghannam, Sierra Holmes, Kierra Jones, and Kate Pillsbury.//