TATDOAPTI Blog Post

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My initial reaction to the book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian was that this was a book of truth. The topics of family, poverty, alcoholism, education, violence, and grief are all things that we all battle on a daily basis. It was sad to hear the battles that Alexie and his family faced while living in America. This book is controversial and brings light to issues that not only Native American's have had to face but also things that other cultures and ethnicities tend to face. This was definitely a book that I truly enjoyed and wanted to hear more even after reading.

The only question that I really have towards the book was what happened to Alexie and his life after he finished school since the book is based on his life. Also another question that crossed my mind multiple times was does he still feel as if he is a "part-time" Indian. I can relate to the story at this point of the book because I have sometimes felt as if my life was so different at home and then while at school. I have always lived in a nice house and never really had to ask for much from my parents because we were blessed enough to live nice.  Even though life was this way I still went to a school that was predominately white. I played soccer in middle and high school and was the only black girl on most of those teams. About ninety percent of my friends and family outside of soccer were African American. Yes, I am friends with whites as well and have never had many problems with any. They have been friendly and some of their families cared for me as their own but there was still a sense of equality missing because we still are not the same. We face diverse challenges everyday and the way someone sees them may not be the same way they see me. 

I agree with Alexie's portrayal of adolescence because many students at the age of fourteen deal with poverty, alcoholism, education, violence and grief while at home. They have to attend school and be around their peers while going through the hard times. Each child is different and may not react to issues in their life the same way Alexie does in this book. I like how he included pictures in the book to lighten the mood in a way. I also enjoyed how he labeled the pictures to give you more of an idea of his thought process behind the photos when writing. A book that I can connect while reading this is  A Matter of Trust by Anne Schraff. The main character Darcy in the book faces challenges with family in relationships while in high school. She also has a rival created with her childhood best friend. I think they connect because Alexie was not afraid to share the real, hard truth in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian the same way Anne Schraff was not afraid to in her book. This is a book that I definitely enjoyed and would for sure be one that I would want to integrate into my classroom when I become a teacher. 





Jada Kinlaw

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