Speaking to the Reader in True Diary -- Lindsey Dawkins

Alexie’s Arnold is one of the most compelling characters I have ever spent time with. Arnold’s dialogue is so real in this book, and his tone comes across crystal clear, especially when he’s being sarcastic and making light of intense situations. The books ability to address real-world problems in an approachable way is one of the things that makes this book so attractive, and something I’m sure adolescents have loved to read, and will continue to love to read.  My favorite thing about this book is Alexie’s ability to handle tough situations, like alcoholism, death, masturbation, and bulimia, with such humor and brashness that it becomes immediately easier to swallow, but no less powerful. For example, the scene in which Arnold learns that his sister has died, he explains he’s had an inappropriate reaction to Miss Warren and he asks the reader “how perverted is that?” (202). Alexie’s style of writing is something I enjoy, also. He uses questions posed to the reader to bring the reader into the fold, and involve the reader in the story. It’s like Arnold is talking to the reader, which instantly creates this sense of camaraderie and connection between text and reader (gasp! Almost like he's writing in a diary). I think such a strong connection, and a dynamic character, is something that isn’t just helpful to the adolescent reader, but I would say, completely necessary to involve the adolescent reader.

The connections in this book are endless, and I think any young person (or not so young person) can find something that stands out to them and hits home. I, for example, deeply related to Arnold standing outside the door super-early on his first day at Reardan. This is the second time I’ve read this book, and my reaction to the sheer anxiety of Arnold on his first day – super-early, beaten up, out of his element, standing around waiting – was to cringe really hard and think about my first days of school, and how awful they were.

Because my reaction to a lot of content in the book was very strong, I think Alexie has done a fabulous job at documenting the coming of age in adolescents. However, I think it’s important to note that some of Arnold’s more intuitive moments, like when he’s talking to the reporter before the big game towards the end of the book, and says “he’s had to grow up really fast, too fast, and I’ve come to realize every single moment of my life is important” are moments that probably wouldn’t come for a typical 14 year old boy (184). It’s tough, as an adolescent, to be that reflective and intuitive, while you’re still an adolescent. In conclusion, I think this book is funny, blunt, and informative. It definitely makes a reader think about tough issues, and then offers encouragement and hope for the reader who may be dealing with these tough issues, which any good book should do.  

I question though, how Alexie had the guts to write this book. He had to face enormous criticism from his own Native American, or Indian, community. I think this book opens up so many channels through which meaningful, engaging conversations with students can happen, about what happens to the character in the book, what happens when the reader reads the book, and what happened to the author after he published the book.