The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

By Sherman Alexie

From a very young age, children are thrown images as to what the typical “Indian” looks like and how much different their life is than an average American’s every day life. From movies depicting the ongoing clash between cowboys and Indians to the Disney movies displaying Indians who seem to be well liked by all and are treated fairly by white men, society often forgets that these Indians we read about in history books still exist today. In the National Book Award winning novel by Sherman Alexie, the life of a struggling young Indian boy, Junior, is examined. While his home on the “rez” may be the only thing he and his friends and classmates are used to, his curiosity and wonder is in no way hindered. Out of desire to gain a better education, Alexie transports Junior to the mostly white high school just towns away, only to clearly display and reflect on the differences and similarities that exist between modern day Indians and American students who may be blindsided to their existence.

Junior’s lifestyle is extremely different than the culture I grew up with, so in a way it was difficult to relate to his experiences and stories that were told. I could more closely be associated with one of the white kids that he refers to that receives better treatment and opportunities than the less-valued Indian children in his community. Being privileged, one can gain insight by reading passages on those who are behind you socially and economically among many other aspects simply because of their race.

I found the story to be extremely interesting to read because of this. I never really thought of Native Americans being this badly mistreated before because I didn’t grow up in an area where they lived. It’s sort of scary to think of how oblivious I was to this unfairness and mistreatment and that I was so blindsided to it because of my privilege. It becomes extremely known how the Indians were mistreated from the moment Europeans entered the United States and that the mistreatment has become so central and engraved in our culture. We don’t respect Native Americans the way we should, considering they were here long before us and deserve the treatment we receive.

Junior values his education so highly that he’s willing to face the tormenting, discrimination and tough times simply to better himself. This is inspiring for all students and serves as a message to never take the schooling and education we are given for granted because some are not offered the same amazing opportunities as others and would do anything to gain that. Reading a novel such as this allows students to reflect on the opportunities and education that they’ve received over the years but may not have had to think twice about.