the absolutely true diary of a part-time indian
by sherman alexie
dates read: 5/25/23 - 5/26/23
"Bestselling author Sherman 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 by Ellen Forney 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 was destined to live."
tw: alcohol, addiction, death, grief, bullying, racism, ableism
upon finishing the absolutely true diary of a part-time indian, i found out that multiple women have come out with sexual harrassment allegations against the author, sherman alexie. luckily i bought my copy of this book secondhand for two dollars and want to clarify that i am in no form financially supporting a sexual predator.
with this new information i'm finding myself conflicted, disappointed, angry, and a wide range of other uncomfortable emotions. i'm not going to lie, i loved this book. while i am going to try and stay true to my original thoughts and feelings on the absolutely true diary of a part-time indian, i am also going to remain aware of the terrible person who wrote it.
i want to make this clear, fuck sherman alexie.
i am going to make this review relatively short and concise since i don't want to give this author any more attention than what's necessary to get my point across.
like i mentioned earlier, this book was good. i loved it. the characterization of junior and rowdy, especially in how they paralleled one another, displayed how junior had every chance to turn out like rowdy who is mad, angry, and violent. even their names are very telling about their personalities. junior is submissive and rowdy is well, rowdy.
the novel addresses the endless cycle of substance abuse, death, and grief that takes place on reservations. it's non-stop, endless. junior doesn't even have the time to stop and focus on one death, because another has already happened. in order to escape such a morbid cycle, junior leaves the reservation. having to choose between being an outsider in his own community or breaking free from the stagnation of alcoholism, the book illustrates junior's inner turmoil.
i had intended to write a review of praise, but knowing what i know now, i'm going to stop the acclaim there. if you do decide to read this novel, i encourage you to purchase or borrow a used copy. in all honesty, i wish i'd never picked up this book for my own sanity.