Diary Response
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie was both an enjoyable novel and an enjoyable experience. This YA novel gave the raw truth of a child navigating trauma. The author Sherman Alexie gave light to discussions of eating disorders, addiction, abuse, and death in this coming of age story. Our main character Junior forces readers to practice introspection to examine how readers handle stress, trauma, and neglect. I was drawn to the book once noticing the use of Dark Humor and relatability found in the text. "Susceptible to seizure activity. Doesn't that just roll off the tongue like poetry?" (Alexie 4). Many who have faced traumatic events utilize dark humor. This depiction of this way of handling trauma is very interesting.
The character development is fantastic throughout the entire novel. The huge growth that Junior has is prevalent towards the end of the story. Junior goes from the awkward traitor Indian to a confident Indian with more self-worth. Junior goes from being bullied to having the confidence to advocate for himself and find his true purpose. "This level of confidence can be seen with his interactions with Rowdy. You've never beaten me one-on-one," he said. "You pussy." "Yeah, that's going to change." "Not today," he said. "Maybe not today," I said. "But someday." (Alexie 190). Junior is able to salvage his old friendship while demonstrating that he is more secure in himself.
I would love to incorporate this novel into my future classroom. This YA novel allows all types of students to relate to our main character Junior. Students dealing with addiction, domestic violence, poverty, etc will fall in love with this story. I really enjoyed this novel.
I like how you focus on character growth in this book. Junior goes through so much in such a short amount of time. I don't think anyone would surprised if the overwhelming amount of loss broke Arnold. If he turned into an alcoholic like his father, no one would have been surprised. Instead Arnold lives through it all, is irrecoverably changed, and, in some ways, is better because of everything that happened.
ReplyDeleteHey A'Keriah! I also really enjoyed reading this YA novel. I'm glad you mentioned the somewhat "void" that gets filled with dark humor. I believe that is one of the most important tools Alexie uses to grasp the readers' attention, but also as a coping mechanism- being that is a autobiography pf Alexie's life. Cracking jokes, and using dark humor can be temporary fix to the trauma that is discussed in the book, such as eating disorders, addiction, abuse and death. I think the dark humor brings out the adolescent in Junior, but also brings out the human in him, too.
ReplyDelete“Students dealing with addiction, domestic violence, poverty, etc will fall in love with this story.”
ReplyDeleteI 100% agree with you. Books like “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian” are essential reads for children contending with social and economic issues. These children need to see kindred spirits represented in their texts. That way, they know they are not alone in their experiences and that they can rise above their circumstances.
This is why it was so disheartening to read that some fought to keep “Diary” out of the classroom in order to shield their children from learning about masturbation (Trepasso). The parents’ preoccupation with this small sexual component of “Diary” cost their children a golden opportunity to explore a variety of real socioeconomic concerns that affect countless marginalized groups.
I think Alexie hit the nail on the head when he said, “they are simply trying to protect their privileged notions of what literature is and should be. They are trying to protect privileged children” (Alexie, “Why the Best…”). And my main issue with that is if we protect privileged children from this reality, nothing is ever going to change. We can’t possibly hope to build a more open and equitable society if we hide the victims of our institutional inequalities behind meticulously selected and idealistic classroom literatures.
Kids in privileged communities need to be exposed to YA novels that address serious socioeconomic issues just as much as children living in poverty need to have access to these literatures. These novels fulfill an educational need for the former and provide a sense of affirmation for the latter. What I think educators and parents need to remember is that our children and adolescents, privileged or impoverished, will one day be adults participating in a democratic republic. We need to make sure our children have all the information so that, when they reach voting age, they are making socially responsible selections.
Works Cited
Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian. Little Brown and Company, 2007.
Alexie, Sherman. “Why the Best Kids Books Are Written in Blood.” The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones and Company Inc., 9 June 2011, https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-SEB-65604. Accessed 4 September 2020.
Trapasso, Clare. “Queens sixth-graders no longer must read racy ‘Diary of Part-Time Indian’”. Daily News, New York Daily News, 1 August 2013, https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens/nyc-sixth-graders-no-longer-read-racy-article-1.1414308. Accessed 4 September 2020.