The Impact of a Part-Time Indian

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I personally loved reading The Absolutely True Store of a Part-Time Indian. It was easy to read and I was surprised at how quickly I lost track of time while reading it. I really enjoyed the inclusion of the comics in the book and I think they had a really unique way of telling the narrative. For example on page 31, Arnold asks, in response to seeing his mother's name in his geometry book, "What do you do when the world has declared nuclear war on you?" Instead of answering the question, he draws a picture of him throwing the book at the teacher's face. To me, that helped make more a shock factor and a quick laugh than simply writing it out would have.

While I have no idea what it's like to live on an Indian reservation, I like how well Sherman Alexie portrays it and makes his story still relatable to people who have never experienced that. I may not directly know the troubles that come with being Indian, but I know the ups and downs of life. I appreciate how, while still staying primarily upbeat, the lows of Arnold's life are fully embraced. I understood how much he missed his best friend on page 102 when he said "I missed Rowdy. I kept looking at the door. For the last ten years, he'd always come over to the house to have a pumpkin-pie eating contest with me. I missed him." I grieved with him when people close to him died on pages 151, 169, and 201. These moments of grief made the book more relatable to me and, in turn, made it easier to see Arnold and his experiences on the reservation real and somehow relatable. 

I also really enjoy how much Arnold grows throughout this story. He goes from a scared kid who hid behind Rowdy's fists and who had no huge plans for life, to a still scared kid who wants to leave and go to Reardan even though he knows his tribe will be upset, to a slightly less scared kid who stands up to Roger on his own, to a kid who works through death and somehow comes out of it with dreams of a future outside of the reservation. I think it's admirable.

I probably wont teach this book in my class considering some of the more vulgar sections of the book, but I do think it's an important read for those who deem it appropriate. It really puts things into perspective and shows life from an angle you may not have considered before.

Comments

  1. Mikayla TaylorSeptember 4, 2020 at 7:28 PM

    Nalayna, I think you make a really good point when you said that the graphics in the novel create sort of a shock factor and serve as unique additions to the text. I think that the graphics are actually one of the main reasons that this novel would be perfect for middle and secondary classrooms. Although I can see how the crude language and sexually explicit content of the novel can be touchy subjects, I don't necessarily think that it is a reason to count this novel out. Many students are experiencing the same things as Junior did in the story, and I believe that the content in the novel is extremely relatable to students.

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  2. Kels SalernoSeptember 7, 2020 at 12:23 PM

    Nalayna, I too loved reading the book. My favorite thing about the book was being able to relate with Junior and his life all while not being an Indian. It's pretty awesome that Alexie gave us that. I also loved how Junior grew with the book and I kept wondering what kind of book it would have been had Junior not accomplished so much throughout the book. Do you think this book could be a case by case in your classroom? I wonder if one year you might have a more mature class then other years. Given the chance, I would love to teach this book in my classroom.

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  3. A'Keriah PraylowSeptember 8, 2020 at 12:39 PM

    Thank you for mentioning the inclusion of different texts present in this novel. This book has the ability to relate to those who are interested in words and drawings. You mentioned how you related to the novel in a variety of ways. It is of course your decision, but I think your students would also relate to the novel if you introduced this story in your classroom.

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