TATDOAPTI Blog
Sherman Alexie's, "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian" was one of the best books I have read in a while. This book was always an option in my high school book club, but I never picked it up. Turns out I have been missing out! Sherman Alexie has become one of my top favorite authors and people in general. This book really opened my eyes to the Indian community and Alexie allowed to look with an honest view. I really connected with “True Diary,” even though it was about a disabled Indian kid who lived on a reservation and I’m quite the opposite. It covered such a vast amount of adolescent issues that it would be hard to not relate to this book in some way. I loved how Alexie used humor to ease the hardships in the book. Every issue faced in adolescence was met with some form of humor to lighten the blow. In "Why The Best Kids Books Are Written in Blood,” Alexie talks about how children should not be hidden from this type of literature. He states they’re already exposed to some of these awful events like poverty and bullying. He gives weapons to those exposed to these horrors through his literature. I believe that his humor is one of them. I always go through life just laughing over the small things and it is true how mighty of a weapon laughter can be. Alexie provides an alternative to negativity and self-loathing, which are prominent in adolescent culture. I, personally, really respect someone who can be honest about their own demons in hopes it will help someone with theirs. “True Diary” is a great book that is open with its readers while being humorous on subjects that can be tough to talk about.
I don’t believe I had any issues with the text in general. I felt that the part about his sister and grandmother dying were really strange. There was no elaboration or set up for the tragedy to have its effect.
Like I said in class, even though I’m a white girl with no disabilities or social problems, I found this book really relatable. Like Jr, my parents aren’t the best people, but they’re beyond great parents. My dad has been a drinker his whole life. He’s never really drunk, but always a fun tipsy. I really related to the line on 216 where Jr says “In the middle of a crazy and drunk life, you have to hang on to the sober moments.” I felt warm when I read this. I felt like someone else understood how significant it was to feel the need to hang on to sober moments. I also connected to the portion of the book where Jr faced backlash for leaving the tribe. Even though he made decisions to better himself and his life, the tribe hated and shunned him for leaving them in the dust. I used to have the best group of friends in high school. We would go to the football game, hit the biggest bonfires and spend the night Friday night. We were inseparable. That is until I started college and realized it was time to get serious about my life and future. I couldn’t afford to be coming to class hungover or even miss a class. Though I grew up and made better decisions (and influenced them to do the same), they’re still doing the same thing they were in high school. They don’t associate with me anymore. It makes me sad, but like Jr, I adapted and made new, better friends.
I couldn’t agree more with Alexie and his view on adolescence. This is the time of life where innocence is, usually, abandoned. In “Why the Best Kids Books are Written in Blood,” Alexie is arguing against a point that Meghan Gurdon made, stating that the book in too inappropriate for the audience it is targeting. Alexie responds with, “Does Ms. Gurdon honestly believe that a sexually explicit YA novel might somehow traumatize a teen mother? Does she believe that a YA novel about murder and rape will somehow shock a teenager whose life has been damaged by murder and rape? Does she believe a dystopian novel will frighten a kid who already lives in hell?” I thought this response was the best way to embody the stage of life that is adolescence. Unfortunately, the greater majority of children are exposed to things like rape, alcohol abuse, sex, drugs and anger issues at a young age. Alexie gives these kids weapons, ways out and methods to cope with this trauma. There’s no undoing the damage that has already been done. Alexie’s ability to be truthful in this book takes hold of the true definition of adolescence. What people want the definition of adolescence to be is the romantic, unrealistic love stories where everyone lives great and the ending is always happy. Alexie breaks that tradition and includes true events from eating disorders to severe alcoholism. Alexie truly represents adolescence in “True Diary.”This book can relate to one I read in high school called “Eleanor and Park.” It was about a couple in high school from different poverty levels that find themselves in love. Eleanor is poor, very poor and her stepdad is abusive. Park is a rich kid with a strict, military dad. Through society standards, they are not meant to be. Eleanor is a poor, frizzy ginger and Park is an Asian, semi-popular kid. Despite what their friends and society thinks, they find sanctuary within each other. They love each other despite what others want for them. This correlates with Jr’s home life affecting him getting what he wants in life. Both of these books highlight some nasty truth in the adolescence stage.
Overall, I grew a great amount of respect for Sherman Alexie and I’m really excited to read more of his work. Like he said, his book isn’t just something inappropriate to piss parents off, it’s a weapon for those damaged by the worst of adolescence. “True Diary” was hilarious, heartbreaking and provided a light at the end of the tunnel for students who feel like the world is against them. I really loved the portion of the article I mentioned above where Alexie says, “I spoke to sixty students, who’d come from sixteen different districts, and had survived depression, attempted suicide, gang warfare, sexual and physical abuse, absentee parents, poverty, racism, and learning disabilities in order to graduate.” He spoke to these students through his book and it altered their life so much that they traveled to hear him speak. Usually, students who have been through these kinds of tragedies have no interest in reading or care enough to go visit the author. I just loved that Alexie’s voice was so strong and relatable it made students, who probably hate reading, so engaged in reading. “True Diary” was a great read and it’s at the top of my list to teach in my classroom one day.
I totally agree with your analysis of Diary and why it's important for kids to read. I agree that Alexie's defense of blunt and real YA lit was probably the best reaction he could've had. It's hard to argue that kids need to be shielded from dangers that they're already facing first hand. Books are one method for young adolescents to cope and process with their struggles whether they're big or small. Even students who don't deal with all the same things Arnold does they can relate in some way. I agree that this novel presents a more accurate portrayal of adolescence than some YA Lit that paints a more unrealistic, too-dependent-on-stereotypes false reality.
ReplyDeleteAs for your comments on the unexpected nature of Mary and Arnold's grandmother's death...I think perhaps the way the events were explained so bluntly and "glossed over" so quickly is supposed to show how all of Arnold's problems are continually stacking on one another. Perhaps it's also supposed to show how expected alcohol-related deaths are in the Indian culture. That being said, I'm not totally sure why Alexie spends so little time discussing the deaths and the grieving process. I agree that their deaths caught me off guard but perhaps that was to make them seem even worse. After all, they caught Arnold off guard too.