Books: Fiction

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Book — Fiction. By Sherman Alexie. 2007. 288 pages.
Coming-of-age-tale set on Spokane Indian Reservation.

Time Periods: 20th Century, 1975
Themes: Native American

diarySherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is based on the author’s own experiences, coupled with poignant drawings that reflect the character’s art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he thought he was destined to live.

ISBN: 9780316013697 | Little, Brown