Common sense media says
Funny, gritty, and powerful novel of growing up on the rez.
Parents & educators say
- 46% say it's educational
- 46% say language is an issue
Review:
I know I am reading a good book when it simultaneously breaks my heart into tiny million pieces and makes me laugh as the pieces are put together – over and over again. The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian is one such book. I heard only good, awesome things about it, about the many awards it won and the Neil Gaiman quote on the cover only helped me picking it up. But I was not prepared for what I found and I don’t think anyone could ever be prepared for it. The book was first published in the US back in 2007 and is a first person, semi-autobiographical account of Arnold Spirit, Jr’s life as a Spokane Indian living in the Reservation with his family, and his ultimate decision of going to an all-white school just outside the rez in search for a chance to have a future. It is filled with hope to its brim even as hope is something that Indians are not supposed to have.
This is a story about identity too: Junior is at once part of his tribe and not a part of his tribe and the way that struggle is handled is superb. I thought that the fact that the ideas are never shorthanded to Indians = Good (the poor Victims) and Whites=Bad (Ultimate Evil). In fact, I think one of my favourite quotes in the book is and the one I shall use to close the review:
“I used to think the world was broken down by tribes,” I said. “By black and white. By Indian and white. But I know that isn’t true. The world is only broken into two tribes: The people who
are assholes and the people who are not”.
-- The Book Smugglers
"Excellent in every way, poignant and really funny..."
-- Bestselling author Neil Gaimon
"I laughed consistently from beginning to end."
-- Amy Sedaris, actress, comedian, and author.
"Fierce observations and sharp sense of humour... hilarious
language."
Awards:
National Book Award Winner
New York Times Notable Book of 2007
#1 Book Sense Bestseller
Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
A Nappa Gold Book
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
An Amazon.com Best Book of the Year
Kirkus Reviews Best YA Book of 2007
A BBYA Top 10 Book for Teens
Critical Reviews
Consumer Reviews
Amazon.com
I was hoping to find a good read for my teenage boys and I saw this award and that award and the five star reviews. I should have read some of the one star reviews. I enjoy good books but this one is crude and dark. The language is raunchy the sexual content inappropriate and distasteful. I wouldn't have minded learning about the darker side of reservation life but this was told in such a perverse way I couldn't take it. I gave it three chapters before I became so disgusted I pitched it in the trash without even bothering to resell it.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian has been selected as the 2011 One Maryland
One Book so I was anxious to read it. I am both very surprised and very disappointed that the committee could not come up with a better choice.
I feel that this book lacks literay merit. The sentences and vocabulary are well below the YA level. The plot is very thin and not at all compelling. The characters are uninteresting and forgettable.
As this is a YA novel I assume that the One Maryland One Read hopes to include teens, maybe even young teens, and adults in the discussions. As a YA librarian I know that the content, including crude and sexual dialog, will be objectional to some readers and some parents. It would be easier to work with this if the book held merit. There is a huge difference between having a book on the shelf and recommending to EVERYONE.
Surely there are many other titles that would be better for fostering discussions between adults and young adults. This is not it.
language."
-Newsday
Awards:
National Book Award Winner
New York Times Notable Book of 2007
#1 Book Sense Bestseller
Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
A Nappa Gold Book
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
An Amazon.com Best Book of the Year
Kirkus Reviews Best YA Book of 2007
A BBYA Top 10 Book for Teens
Critical Reviews
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian was yanked from
the library shelves and required reading list of the Dade County (Ga.)
High School because of complaints from parents about what they deemed
vulgarity, racism, and anti-Christian content.
“It was just disgusting,” Trenton resident Mechele Berry said in the November 9 Dade County Sentinel about the book’s content. “You know, perversion.”
-- Censorship Watch
Consumer Reviews
Amazon.com
I was hoping to find a good read for my teenage boys and I saw this award and that award and the five star reviews. I should have read some of the one star reviews. I enjoy good books but this one is crude and dark. The language is raunchy the sexual content inappropriate and distasteful. I wouldn't have minded learning about the darker side of reservation life but this was told in such a perverse way I couldn't take it. I gave it three chapters before I became so disgusted I pitched it in the trash without even bothering to resell it.
--Amazon Customer Review
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian has been selected as the 2011 One Maryland
One Book so I was anxious to read it. I am both very surprised and very disappointed that the committee could not come up with a better choice.
I feel that this book lacks literay merit. The sentences and vocabulary are well below the YA level. The plot is very thin and not at all compelling. The characters are uninteresting and forgettable.
As this is a YA novel I assume that the One Maryland One Read hopes to include teens, maybe even young teens, and adults in the discussions. As a YA librarian I know that the content, including crude and sexual dialog, will be objectional to some readers and some parents. It would be easier to work with this if the book held merit. There is a huge difference between having a book on the shelf and recommending to EVERYONE.
Surely there are many other titles that would be better for fostering discussions between adults and young adults. This is not it.
-- Amazon Customer Review
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