Alexie Response - Madison Hudgins

By Anonymous -
     The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie is one of the best books I have ever read. Alexie manages to cover a broad variety of complicated topics that teens may not fully understand depending on their specific living situations, but through his writing are displayed in a way that successfully fascinate readers. Although the topics Alexie discusses in Diary are tough to talk about, he turns the experiences Arnold Spirit goes through into motivating cartoons and optimistic opportunities. That style of writing is impressive to any reader no matter how young or old they are. Diary taught me a lot about how Native American culture and life in the United States is damaged and I'm thankful that Alexie has expressed his concerns about life on a reservation as well as informing all kinds of people all over the States about the miserable living conditions and toxic cycles that a majority of American Indians experience throughout their lives. "Poverty doesn’t give you strength or teach you lessons about perseverance. No, poverty only teaches you how to be poor." (Diary) After reading the book, I now understand that YA literature is not only for kids and teens, but also adults. I am glad that I've been exposed to this constantly evolving genre of literature and I can't wait to learn more about it.

      “I think the world is a series of broken dams and floods, and my cartoons are tiny little lifeboats.” (Diary) To be completely honest, I don't think I can truly relate to this story. I have never had to conquer as much grief as Junior has or even had to make a difficult transition in high school all on my own. I've never experienced going to be hungry at night or not receiving a present on Christmas. I can't deny my privilege and I don't think it's very respectful to compare myself to Arnold at all. Although, I can understand what it is like to experience loneliness to certain degree. If you're introverted, bad at making friends and kind of weird, like I am, it's definitely hard to find people who you're comfortable with. It may as well be impossible to even try to talk to someone you're interested in a friendship with. I think Junior had that problem to the fullest degree. Of course, he eventually overcame the racism and alienation at Reardan, which is incredibly inspiring, especially to any socially awkward teen, like I was.

      In conclusion, I think that The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a great read for anyone. I just recently turned 20, so I'm not too far from the adolescent stage of life, but I feel as if I gained so much insight from the story. I think it would also be very enlightening for an older person to read the book as well. It's good for everyone to be informed of the horrid conditions in which Native Americans live. Sherman Alexie didn't just write this book as a form of clarification, he wrote it as a cry for help towards the Indian American population that they need and have needed ever since they were forced onto reservations and deprived of their full natural born rights as Americans. Social awareness is the first step towards improving the overall comfort and success rates for Native Americans everywhere and Alexie does a fine job of presenting his case seamlessly.

Comments

  1. UnknownSeptember 6, 2017 at 6:41 PM

    Hi! I definitely agree with a lot of the points you've made in your post. One thing you mentioned that also jumped out at me when reading the novel is that YA Lit is not just for teens but adults too. Some YA novels I read feel a little...scripted or too dependent on stereotypes or problems that ARE truly adolescent centered. However, Diary moves past the simple and stereotypical portrayal that YA Lit sometimes falls into. Diary paints a portrayal of adolescence that adults can relate too, not just in reflecting on their own teenage years but in their adult lives. Issues such as racism, poverty, alcoholism, and eating disorders can affect anyone. Another great point you bring up is how relateable the novel is. Though I also don't directly deal with the kind of racism and poverty Arnold dealt with it was still extremely easy to relate to him and empathize with his struggles.

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