The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

★★★

As an adult who is already a Sherman Alexie fan, I don't think this book offered much that can be considered "new". In many ways, it's more of the same, except it was written for a teenage audience. In that sense, it makes for a good introduction to Sherman Alexie for early teens.

The teenage voice of the narrator, Arnold Spirit, took some getting used to. It was so informal that I imagined I was listening to a teenager telling a story, not so much reading a novel. But since Arnold is a funny kid, it was certainly an entertaining story.

In the book, Arnold tells how, as a freshman in high school, he transfers from the economically depressed reservation high school to an all-white middle-class high school off the reservation. His quick turn-around, from a loser on the reservation to practically a superstar in the white dominated school, was a little much. But despite that one seemingly out-of-character development, Arnold quite effectively describes his inner turmoil of trying to succeed in the world outside the reservation and what that means for people who seem destined to live and die on the reservation.

The lessons of the book are sometimes made obvious to the point of triteness, even for a young adult book. In one case, the narrator explicitly emphasizes "the power of expectation", and in another case, "You can do it!" is used like a mantra.

Still, there are other times when, in pure Alexie fashion, wit, insight, and humor collide. The comic-style illustrations by Ellen Forney, far from being superfluous, really added another level of humor and understanding.

As you might expect from Sherman Alexie, there is no shortage of tragedy in this book. Thankfully, I really enjoyed the ending. I think another reviewer (I can't remember where I read it) put it best when he/she said that Alexie is somehow able to make you laugh, even while breaking your heart.