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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Price:$9.14
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Little, Brown Young Readers |
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Product Description
In his first book for young adults, bestselling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is based on the author's own experiences, coupled with poignant drawings by acclaimed artist Ellen Forney, that reflect the character's art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he was destined to live. |
Customers Reviews
2009-01-08
Funny Yet Touching
This book was just a fun read. The author gives us a look into the struggles of a young man in a non-caucasian culture. If he continues where he is he'll never have hope for a better life than his parents...but if he leaves he risks being labeled a traitor to his heritage. Yet all this is conveyed with wit and humor. The main character recognizes the major difficulties in his life but doesn't feel sorry for himself, instead he draws cartoons as an outlet and finds the humor in every situation. The characters are believable and the story conveys the triumph of hope over experience.
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2009-01-08
Excellent minus the language!
This is a great coming of age book! You will fall in love with Arnold Spirit. He is tough and full of heart. There's a little something for everyone who picks up this book: friendship, romance (kinda), embracing differences, and dealing with death. Alexie's style of writing is insane! He is so good at what he does. You'll want to laugh and cry at the same time. Alexie gives the reader insight into the life of a Native American. I have been a Sherman Alexie fan ever since my English professor made me read some of his short stories in my Multicultural American Lit class! She also made us watch "Smoke Signals." By the way, it is an outstanding movie! If you are interested in Native American culture and you have a sense of humor - You have GOT to read or watch anything by Sherman Alexie. He's da man!
P.S. My only complaint is the language. I don't know if the story would seem as realistic without it, but I don't like it because I don't cuss like a sailor. :-) I just wanted to warn parents who are hesitant about foul language. There aren't any f-bombs though.
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2008-12-29
Amazing Read
This is my first Sherman Alexie book, and I have to say I was very impressed. He captured the tone, age, angst, life of his main character, Arnold "Junior" Spirit, perfectly. It was a very satisfying story. Junior's perceptions about life on the "rez" as well as life in the "white world" were dead-on descriptions of reality without being too politically motivated and "in your face." Some teenage humor, which, for an adult reading it, you sometimes have to remember that that's the way 14-year old boys ARE. I enjoyed this book alot. A friend keeps recommending Reservation Blues, so that will be my next Alexie read. Amazing author.
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2008-12-29
Treat Yourself Right Now
I wish it was possible to give a book six stars on Amazon. Or ten stars. Or a hundred stars. Not for just any book, mind you; only for those that pack such emotional wallop, humor, and writing into them that the usual scale just doesn't do them justice. The sort of book like the young adult novel The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie that just makes you immediately realize this book deserves way more than just five stars.
Arnold (also known as Junior), lives on the Spokane Native American Reservation where drinking and dysfunction are imprinted on the genes of its inhabitants. Arnold's faced a lot in his life, including being born as a hydroencephalic to well-meaning but disappointing parents. But as Arnold looks around and sees how everyone, including his older sister, has given up, something is sparked within and he becomes determined to make something of his life. So with lots of courage, Arnold talks his parents into letting him attend Reardon High School, the "white" school outside the reservation that will give him the contacts and advantages the rez school cannot.
From the moment Arnold steps into Reardon, his life changes, as he knew it would, and a lesser person would have been brought down immediately in the face of becoming an outcast on the reservation for having the nerve to think he could be "better". Life at Reardon is difficult, too; as the only Indian at the school, Arnold's got to somehow forge friendships from people very different than himself. But Arnold's not a quitter, even when he's forced to walk the distance to school because his father is either too drunk or too broke to take him; not even when his former schoolmates and their parents turn out en masse to boo and throw things when he plays basketball against the rez school. Arnold takes refuge in his skill as a cartoonist and his self-knowledge that somehow he will survive.
The story is told with liberal humor and lots of tragedy, and Arnold is a typical self-deprecating teen. Alexie's writing is the kind I'd like to actually crawl inside, it's so good. An example is when Arnold's math teacher convinces him that he can better himself: "I was starting to understand. He was a math teacher. I had to add my hope to somebody else's hope. I had to multiply hope by hope." Later, while clinging to his mother following a devastating tragedy, Arnold says: "...she held on to me for hours. Held onto me like I was a baby. And she kept crying. So many tears. My clothes and hair were soaked with her tears. It was, like, my mother had given me a grief shower, you know? Like she'd baptized me with her pain."
When you finish some books and close them, you may know you've enjoyed them by the way you're left feeling. Maybe you're smiling over a happy ending, or you're breathing hard because you've survived an action-filled climax. With The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, there will be so much more; Arnold is going to live with you in his heart-warming, hopeful manner forever.
Six stars. One hundred stars. One very large star that supersedes all others. Whatever. This book is simply one of the best I've read. I cannot recommend it highly enough for people of all ages.
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2008-12-25
From J. Kaye's Book Blog
An Indian boy named Junior grows up on an Indian Reservation in Spokane. He is born with defects that stand out in a way he's bullied in school. After a fight with his teacher, he moves to an all white school off the reservation. He leaves behind his only friend, Rowdy.
At his new school, he ends up making new friends, but in the end, he'll connect with Rowdy again. This touching book is based on parts of the author's life, really making the book more meaningful. It's a great underdog type story.
The problem I had was the author keeps repeating the same sentence in several paragraphs. If it wasn't for that, it would have been five stars. Even with that, it's a great book to read.
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What Everybody Should Know About Secondary Education Problems Public poll, held in 2005 showed that 85% Americans consider educational problem the most important and current one.
The inquiries disclosed that more educated people live in the capital of the country if take in account the whole population. Among the most “smart’ states is also Massachusetts and Colorado and the most illiterate people live in West Virginia and Arkansas. As a rule the income of the person directly depends on his education quality.
Major Problems in Public Education
Unfortunately the quality of secondary education still leaves much to be desired. Only in 20 of the 50 US states pupils are obliged to take special examinations to receive a degree. 20 years ago all Americans got high school degrees without such exams. Year–by-year the number of the states which implement final examinations is increasing. According to Center for Education Policy estimations many upperclassmen can not pass the examinations. About 70% can not pass their maths exam and about 40% - their English.
No other country but America spends such money (either state or personal) on education. Still according to the Organization for the Economic and Development report such expenses do not influence the quality of education itself for Americans pupils fall behind their foreign peers. Moreover for some indexes Americans loose in comparison with Europeans.
In 2000 The USA government spent more that $10.2 thousand on every petty. In other developing countries this sum does not exceed $6 thousands. The USA has become the second “generous” country to spend about 7% of GDP on public education financing. Since Bush became President the expenses on educational development and improvement has considerably grown. But they did not bring about any positive impact for pupils succeeding.
One of the greatest problems in American schools and educational establishments is the high violence level. Since 1996 there were at least 27 incidents connected with heaters usage in which about 46 students and teachers died. National Center for Education Statistics has shown that in 2001 teens of 12-18 have become victims of about 2 million crimes in USA schools. 62% of all the crimes comprise robberies. From July 1999 to June 2000 there were 24 murders and 8 suicide cases. Somehow 71% of all the American public schools faced any kinds of crimes.
The most efficient practice to fight against violence, alcohol and drugs addiction seems to be summary punishments. In each state special programs of troublesome teens reclamation exist. For example in Georgia in detention centers studies are held in small groups by specially trained teachers. These pupils are taught to study in strict discipline and under the poorest conditions, intensive physical trainings are also included. |
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