The absolutely true Diary of a Part-time Indian

Title: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

Author: Sherman Alexie

Genre: Fiction

"The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" is a compelling novel by Sherman Alexie about a deformed boy called Junior who has trouble finding friends and having his place in his reservation camp because of violence, alcoholism and a lot of death. In the camp, it was very common for people to die in the family, and the main reason was mostly because of alcohol. For example, in Juniors' family, Juniors' Grandmother died of a fire in the house along with her dog. Junior's grandmother Spirit dies after suffering a stroke; Junior's Sister dies in a fire in the RV after they were way too drunk to feel the fire burning their skin; his dad shot juniors dog after the dog was suffering from the very bad disease, but his parents didn't have enough money to treat it so they decided to end its misery. One night, Eugene (Junior's uncle )and his close friend Bobby are drinking together in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven. Bobby, who is armed, shoots Eugene in the head, killing him. Because Bobby was blacked out during the incident, he doesn't remember what led up to the shooting, but the police conjecture that the two friends may have been fighting over who got the last sip of alcohol in their bottle. After sobering up, Bobby is heartbroken. Riddled with guilt, he dies by suicide only a few weeks later. To get his mind away from all the problems and deaths in his home, he draws cartoons and plays basketball. His only friend is Rowdy, a boy who gets abused at home by his dad, who is always out drinking. Rowdy is known for being a bully in the camp and beating up all the other kids, but he always stands up for Junior because of their shared love for cartoons and basketball.

The story turns unexpectedly when Junior's old teacher, Mr Padvices advises Junior to transfer to to the predominantly white school "Reardan" outside the reservation camp. because the reservation doesn't have anything good to give him, When he tells Rowdy at first, Rowdy thinks it is a joke, but when he finds out that he isn't joking, he shoves Junior and then punches Junior three times. That was the first time he hit Junior; Rowdy was heartbroken that Junior was leaving him in the camp. When Junior finally transfers, he has a lot of problems with the teacher treating him wrong and with most of the students bullying him. But after some time, he finds his place in the school and finds a new best friend, Gordy, who is very smart and loves reading a lot. Later on, Junior finally joins the basketball team and shows everyone that he is just like some weird Indian kid who is trying to be white. After that, everybody tries to be friends with Junior, and Junior even becomes best friends with one of the popular girls called Penelope.

Junior is my favorite character because he is funny and can sometimes be stupid. I mainly like Junior because he was able to prove to everyone, including Rowdy, that he wasn't a joke by playing basketball.

Even though he was different from everyone else he still rose up and did what he loved most.

I liked this book. It was hilarious and heartwarming to see Junior and his journey. Sherman Alexie did an excellent job. This book is fantastic because it talks about how it's okay to be different and essential to be strong, even when things are hard. If you ever feel like you don't fit in, this book will make you feel like you're not alone. If you read the absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian and you liked it, you should try these books:

The Outsiders by S.E Hinton

All American Boys b Jason Reynolds

The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas

Monkey Food by Ellen Forney

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

The Phantom Tollboth by Norton Juster

The BFG by Roald Dahl

Matilda By Roald Dahl