The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

I loved the book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. There were so many different aspects that can be pulled from the book and used in the classroom, such as rejection, racism, bullying, alcohol, social justice, breaking away from tradition and culture. Not only would this be a good teaching tool, but also reading this as a future teacher, I felt inspired.

Junior had to deal with rejection when he made the decision to go to a school outside the reservation. Even though his reason was to gain a better education, his community did not understand. In a classroom setting a lesson can be taught about rejection by pulling from the text (perfect example would be the basketball game) and discussing the situation, Juniors reaction, and how the problem was/could be solved. Students can talk about personal experiences too.

Racism was another big theme. The Indians mocked the whites who came onto the reservation and hated the whites for being so called “rich.”  There is a clear separation between the two races.

Bullying is something teenagers face everyday. It is nice to hear about bullying through another teenagers perspective rather than a teachers. The author covers many different levels of bullying; we have those who are verbal, and several levels of physical bullying.

Alcohol is the cause of much pain and suffering. This book really gives a voice to those who are affected by alcohol whether it is first hand or second hand. This was one of those themes that opened my eyes as a teacher. Many students come from homes that are not the best. We have to be aware of the dangers our students face outside of school.

Culture is another huge one. Many funerals took place where we got a peak at a few Indian traditions. There was also talk that Junior was cursing his family because he was going to school outside the reservation. There was also the talk of the beaded dress that was used for powwows.

Although there are many great teachable moments in the story, it also has its fair share of inappropriate language, and behavior. This book is an easy read for young adults and the humor is quite intriguing but as a teacher I would most definitely run it my administration and talk with parents. This book can also be effective if we used parts of the text to supplement lessons.