The Absolute Truth- Kesi Cox

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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie is a great novel that displays the ugly truth of struggles that some adolescents go through in life and how they have to figure out a way to overcome each of them. My reaction to reading this novel at first was sort of a shock due to how the author is direct with the information he provides, but later appreciating the directness.  In the novel Alexie doesn’t hold anything back, and I think this allows readers to connect with the story better as if we are experiencing some of the struggles ourselves.
As a reader, I personally connect with the novel whenever it mentions things about addiction because that was an underlying issue in the household that I grew up in, so I know firsthand the affects that this can have on a person’s life and those that’s a part of their life. “There are all kinds of addicts, I guess. We all have pain. And we all look for ways to make the pain go away” (Alexie 107) happens to be one of my favorite quotes from the novel because I believe that we live in a world that is so quick to stereotype an individual based on their race, social class, or background; but this isn’t possible with pain because everyone has to experience at some point of life. Whether we deal with pain by using drugs, alcohol, work, school, or other things I think of it as being an item that keeps the balance within the world.
Overall I think this novel is perfect for adolescent development because it allows them to realize that they’re not alone with their own struggles, and could possibly help them figure out a way to cope and deal with them. I believe it would also allow adolescents to appreciate the simple things in life that many of them have complaints of such as food, parents that stay on them because they only want what is best for them, or overall just having an opportunity to do great things with life. This novel gives hope to any adolescent facing struggles whether it is concerning race, gender, or ethnicity that there are options for a better life.

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  1. UnknownSeptember 13, 2017 at 9:49 AM

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  2. UnknownSeptember 13, 2017 at 9:50 AM

    I agree about how there are sterotypes out there for everyone and everything. I firsthand experienced people who would tease me for being Asian and doing stupid gestures like squinting there eyes when in reality my eyes were bigger than theirs! Pain is bound to happen in someone's life since this is a fallen world.--chelsea chan

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