In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, opportunities are shown as a privilege instead of a hand given thing. For many groups of people, prosperity isn’t inherited from your family. You have two options to choose from the day you start making decisions that are worth something. You can either fight for a better quality life or you can wait for your destined life in despair.

Alexie’s book has reached the attention of many people, creating controversy. The book deals with issues surrounding race, poverty, and twisted outcomes. Although this isn’t a book for everyone, it is an informational read to enhance your knowledge about real problems that aren’t portrayed enough in the media. 

The beginning of the book attempts to illustrate the closeness between Junior, the main character, and his best friend on the rez, Rowdy. Junior is a fourteen-year-old social outcast on the rez that feels a sense of protection and brotherhood from Rowdy. Junior soon realizes that continuing to go to school on the rez would lead to the Indian destined life that is riddled with hardship and misery.  Therefore, he decides to transfer to Reardan, a white populated school across town. While struggling to fit into Reardan, he also struggles to maintain his relationships and culture on the rez. 

Junior’s admiration for cartoons and art is expressed throughout the book. In chapter 1, for example, he says, “I draw because words are too unpredictable. I draw because words are too limited.” I believe that the reason Junior’s cartoons played a significant role in the book was because art was his only way to let things out. He was often unable to count on someone to listen to him and the things he needed to say about what was building up inside him. As a result, drawing cartoons was his outlet for expressing his thoughts and emotions. The meanings behind his cartoons gradually mature as he experiences more in his life around Reardan and Spokane.  

By the end, Junior understands that the difference of race doesn’t always have to be the biggest deal. He explains that he used to think that the world was separated by two tribes. He continues by saying, “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 a**holes and the people who are not.” This scene demonstrates the growth in Junior and what he learned after experiencing life in both a semi-white perspective and an Indian perspective.

As a person of color, I can connect to Junior going through the struggles of a big shift in the environment. I went to an elementary school that was populated by many people of color. Although it sounds cheesy, I felt comfortable expressing my culture and heritage to others who shared the same excitement towards it.  Shifting from that type of school to a predominantly white middle school was a big change for me. I’ve lost so much of my cultural identity just by trying to avoid awkward encounters with other students about it. Furthermore, I occasionally relate to how Junior feels; He feels as if he puts a costume on to try and blend in both the white-based school and the Indian based rez. 

Add The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie to your shopping cart right now. Get hooked on the many turns of events throughout the whole 292 pages of the book. Wanting a better quality life, especially when you don’t have much to start with, comes with a lot of big changes. However, change isn’t necessarily always a bad thing. Controversial or not, the characters in the book all deserve to be shared in hopes that other readers will obtain valuable insight from them.