Tags: Books, Sherman Alexie
This entry was posted on October 26, 2011 at 8:42 am and is filed under Literature Circle Books, Native American Literature, Northwest Literature. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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June 10, 2014 at 7:32 pm |
So far in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Junior is still attending the same school and is enjoying life so far with his girl Penelope. The only thing that he has to hide is that he’s poor and no one knows that especially Penelope. Arnold decides to step things further with Penelope so he goes to dinner with her and orders WAY too much food. Of course he has barely any money so he goes into the bathroom with Roger and Roger spots him the money for the massive dinner. Arnold tells Penelope that he’s poor and she’s not mad at all cause she loves his personal qualities. So life goes on and at school he starts to miss his old friend Rowdy so he sends him pictures of himself and he gets a butt picture back. Now people around the Rez are starting to call him apple. Junior tries out for the basketball team for Reardan and actually makes it through various hard trials. His first game ends up against his old school Winnipinit and Rowdy is also on that team. He gets hurt and has to get stitches. Couple days later when he’s in the car with his dad, his dad informs him that Junior’s sister died in a house fire. Bad things start happening for example Eugene his dad’s best friend gets shot in the face and his friend hung himself in prison. Junior starts getting really good at basketball and starts to shine, he beats Winnipinit High School but than feels sorry for beating their streak. After all this stuff happens he goes to his sister burial but cant handle it so he runs into the forest accidentally bumping into Rowdy who was watching the burial. They have a bad confrontation and Rowdy tells him that his sister’s death is all his fault. After school ends for the summer, Arnold feels hopeful about the future and misses his white friends.After school ends for the summer, Arnold feels hopeful about the future and misses his white friends.One day, he is sitting in the living room when Rowdy stops by. They banter a little, and then Rowdy asks if Arnold wants to shoot some hoops. Though he hesitates at first, Arnold says yes.They shoot the ball for a bit, then decide to go one-on-one.During the game, Arnold asks Rowdy to come to Reardan with him next year. Rowdy says no.Rowdy says he was reading a book about old-time Indians, and how they used to be nomadic. He thinks Arnold is nomadic. Rowdy said he was actually pretty happy for him. Arnold cries.Rowdy makes Arnold promise to send him postcards.Arnold will always miss Rowdy, and he will always miss his family. He hopes he can forgive himself for leaving them – and the reservation – and that they can also forgive him.
I think the purpose for Sherman Alexie writing this book is to tell everyone how his life was kinda like when he was a kid. This book shows that no matter what race or what problems you have, you’re still the same and no one will judge you. I do recommend this book because its a great read. It has a little bit of everything in what a book needs. Raunchiness, humor, sad moments, excitement. Sherman Alexie also wrote this book so that’s another reason why I recommend this book. The part where he goes into the bathroom and reads porn magazines was pretty funny and the section where he’s explaining how much he loved his sister was pretty deep especially after she passes away.
June 19, 2012 at 3:01 pm |
Summary: A 14 year old boy named Junior lived on a reservation in Spokane, WA. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white rich kid school. While struggling with his messed up mom and drunken dad, he learns how to cope with his situations and make his dreams come true.
Evaluation: This book interested me the most because it was heartbreaking, but it also made me almost laugh out loud at some points. It’s amazing how much one person can turn their life around for their own dreams to come true. With him at such a young age, as I am, I was able to connect more with his emotions, and that made it even more enjoyable for me too.
Rating: 5 stars
Recommendations:
–The Ghost of Ashbury high
-Stargirl
June 5, 2012 at 6:15 pm |
Summary: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (TATDPTI) is a humorous book about a young Indian boy who grew up on the Spokane Indian reservation. He was born with many problems, making him a little awkward, although he is very smart. He doesn’t want to be like all the other Indians on the Reservation. He wants to gain success in life, so he transfers to a white school. At first, every one is racist towards him, but he slowly starts making friends, and becomes a basketball star for their school. It is his story of courage and determination in leaving the life that would be a failure and working hard to acquire success in life.
Evaluation: The book was a quick easy read; it was funny, and filled with cartoon pictures that represented parts of the book. It is a book that will draw you in, and you will be finished in no time. The humor was a little dragged out, and over-exaggerated, and it really took away from the seriousness of the book, which was good in some ways. But overall, I liked it.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Recommendations: Other books by Sherman Alexie: (Flight, and The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven)
May 28, 2012 at 5:16 pm |
Summary: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian is about an Indian boy, “Junior” who is always getting beat up and bullied. His friend helps him out most of the time, until they stop being friends. He leaves the reservation and starts a better life at Reardon High School. It ends up causing more problems then before, and he has to struggle with death in his family.
Evaluation: This book was pretty good. It was really funny and went pretty fast. I also thought the pictures were cool. If you like funny books, I would definitely recommend this to you.
Rating: 4 stars
Recommendations: A Long Way Gone, Tuck Everlasting, and Speak
May 26, 2012 at 7:00 pm |
Summary: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian is about an Indian boy, Junior, living on the Spokane reservation. Junior was born with water in his brain which made him look and act a little different making him a easy target for bullying. He is a smart kid and is given the opportunity to go to a school off the reservation. Because of this, Junior’s friends reject him, and he has to learn how to fit in at his new school. In his new school Junior is able to find himself and finally prove his worth.
Evaluation: I thought this was a great book! I loved the humor and amazing life morals everyone could take away from it. Sherman Alexie really showed how the life of a teenager can be and all the problems we are faced with everyday. It seemed very realistic. Overall, great book! I would recommend it to anyone.
Rating: 5 stars
Recommendations: Water for Elephants, The Secret Life of Bees, and Flight
May 9, 2012 at 6:31 am |
Summary: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian is a novel about a Spokane Washington Indian living on a reservation. He was born with water on his brain. He had to have major brain surgery and was not expected to live. But he did live with just minor problems that make him an easy target for teasing. The problems that he has involve his eye sight (aided with big glasses); he also has a lisp and stutters. Junior often had seizures that were like an electrical storm in his head, but he got over them and was able to get on with his life. Then one day when he was in math class getting a new math book, he noticed that it was the same book that his parents used. He got so angry that he threw the book, accidentally hitting the teacher’s face. Little did he know that that book would change his life forever…
Evaluation: The book was well-written, entertaining, interesting, and I liked where it took place. I recommend it to people that like reading books about hope and overcoming adversity and to those that root for the underdog.
Rating: 4 stars.
Recommendations: The Book Thief
May 8, 2012 at 8:56 am |
Summary: This book is a fantastic way to show people that you don’t need money to make friends; all you need is to be yourself, and they will like you for the way you are. When Arnold changes schools from the reservation to Reardian he does not know how the other kids will treat him. Will they treat him nice, or will they be mean to him? Everyone was really rude and mean to Arnold, expecially Roger. Arnold could not go one more day of Roger, so Arnold punched Roger right in the face! After Arnold punched the biggest, and coolest, kid in school, everybody started giving Arnold respect.
Evaluation: I loved this book, because I liked how the book had humor in it. I like how the author went step by step in Arnold’s life, like telling what happened each day. The drawings that he did were funny, but they were not at the same time, because they were not that good.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Recommendations: The Hunger Games is a really really great book.
May 7, 2012 at 5:33 pm |
Summary: Arnold Spirit is a boy who lives on the Spokane reservation and is discouraged by his chances of success, if he stays there. So he leaves and goes to a different school that is much farther away. He succeeds there and is able to pursue his dreams as a writer and cartoonist.
Evaluation: I really enjoyed this book. It’s not only really funny, but it shows how people can succeed in life and do what they want to do against all odds.
Rating: 5 stars
May 7, 2012 at 2:11 pm |
Summary: This book is about a troubled Indian boy who constantly gets beat up and attacked. His friend defends him most of the time, until they aren’t friends anymore. He leaves the res and starts a better life. He plays varsity basketball against his old school. He has a hard time dealing with all the deaths in his family.
Evaluation: This book was amazing. It was super funny all of the time and fast paced. It also had nice pictures. If you like funny books, this book is definitely for you. I never got bored reading it.
Rating: 5 stars
Recommedations: The Book Thief, The Outsiders, Thief Lord
May 7, 2012 at 2:06 pm |
Summary: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian is a poignant coming of age story about Junior, who’s growing up in the rough and desperate Spokane Indian reservation. He’s above average in intelligence, and he’s given what may be the greatest opportunity in his life: going to school off the reservation. This opportunity leads him to many challenges like fitting in a new environment and being rejected by his friends and his community. Throughout the novel, Junior is faced with blow after blow during the struggle to find himself.
Review: I really enjoyed this book for its brash humor and very true to life story telling. It’s engaging, and the illustrations are really beautiful. Throughout the story, the character development in cultural identity and emotional development of Junior adds a great depth. The problems faced on reservations are tackled head on in the beautiful comedic banter of this amazing novel.
Rating: 5 stars *****
Recommendations: Harry Potter series, Looking for Alaska, The Hunger Games, and Persepolis
May 7, 2012 at 2:02 pm |
In this book Jr. is an Indian who lives on the Spokane Indian reservation. He and his best friend, Rowdy, go to the same school and always hang out. Jr. has a really hard life with little or no money. His family even has to skip meals, because there is no money. He realizes he has to make a change in his life if the wants to go anywhere, so he talked to his parents about transferring to a school outside the reservation that would provide him with a better education. Jr. finds it harder to fit in everyday.
Rating: I would rate this book a 4.5 out of 5.
Evaluation: I would rate it this because this book is funny and a page turner. I just couldn’t put it down.
Recommendations: Deadline, The Hunger Games
May 7, 2012 at 1:50 pm |
Summary: A boy named Arnold Spirit, called “Junior,” lives on the Spokane Indian reservation with his family and grandmother. In his school, he is smarter than all of the Indians and decides to transfer to Reardan (where all of the white kids go). There he gets bullied and treated differently until he meets the biggest and most popular kid. With one punch his whole life changes dramatically as he becomes the “hot” new thing.
Evaluation: I thought tha his book was extremely well written along with a great story line. I liked this book, because I could really connect with not being the most popular person but that changed. It really can connect to the people who are different and bullied. The humor in the book kept you reading until you finished the book and decided to read it again.
Rating: 4.5 STARS!!!!!!!
Recommendations: The Book Thief, Speak, Deadline, Children of the River
May 7, 2012 at 1:45 pm |
Summary: The story focuses on Junior, a Native American living on a reservation, or, as they call it, the rez. One of Junior’s teachers realizes that Junior can do better in life then just slump around in a rez school. So with that, Junior decides to attend an all-white school. Will a budding romance with a white girl and new friendships ease the pain of losing a loved one?
Commentary: The very beginning of this book got me hooked. Sherman Alexie wrote this as if he were Junior, a 14 year old boy with a chronic masturbation problem. His use of deragatory words just makes you want to keep on reading more. Along with the story line which continues making you want to find out what happens next. Overall, this book has been an amazing read.
Rating: 5 stars
Recommendations: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, The Book Thief, Flight
May 7, 2012 at 11:52 am |
Summary: Arnold Spirit is an awkward teenager living on the Spokane Indian Reservation. He, under the not-so-subtle hint from his teacher, transfers to a rich white public school called Reardan in order to get a better education.
Evaluation: I love this book. The cartoons were hilarious, and even a kid like me who hasn’t gone through the same things Arnold did could relate. The small amount of content, however, was disappointing. I feel like Sherman Alexie could have told more of the story, but I’m happy with what I get here.
Rating: 5 stars
Recommendations: The Book Thief, The Clockwork Angel, The Lost Hero, Angels & Demons
May 7, 2012 at 8:26 am |
Summary: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian was funny and had some parts you can relate to. It was about an Indian boy named Arnold (but people called him Junior) who lives on the Indian reservation with his sister, grandma, mom and dad. Arnold wanted a better education, so he went to Reardan (an all white school). The first few days he got picked on, but then he met Penelope, and he became one of the cool kids.
Evaluation: I thought this book was an ok book. Some parts you could relate to, but the cartoons were crazy; they made the book more interesting.
Rating: 3 stars out of 5
Recommendations: The Hunger Games, and The Book Thief
May 7, 2012 at 8:10 am |
Summary: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is about an Indian boy named Arnold Spirit, but he’s called Junior by the whole reservation. When Junior decides to go to a high quality white school he is constantly tormented by both of his people. The book is about Junior persevering through for a better life.
Evaluation: I enjoyed this book. It was both funny and serious. The author craftily inserted funny moments to lessen the sadness of Junior’s situation.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Recommendations: Tuesdays with Morrie, Fatal Voyage
April 19, 2012 at 9:27 am |
Arnold Spirit lives on an Indian rez, where everyday he is bullied by kids older than him and younger than him. One day, he accidentally injures his teacher, who then coaxes him to leave the rez and go to an all white school. After a while there, he turns out to be a popular kid, while still being a nerd at the rez.
I would give this book a 4.5, because of how funny it was and how great the storyline is. It rambled on at certain points, however.
I would recommend Lord of the Flies and Where the Red Fern Grows.
April 16, 2012 at 7:50 pm |
Summary: Arnold Spirit, or Junior, lives on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Washington. He wanted to transfer to an all white school to get a better education.
Evaluation: I like the book, because I like how it takes you through the steps of his harsh life going to a school with all white kids.
Rating: 2/5
Recommendations: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
April 12, 2012 at 9:32 pm |
Summary: Arnold Spirit, AKA “Junior” is a young Indian kid who lives on the Spokane Indian reservation in Washington. Arnold realizes if he stays on the res then he will become a drunken Indian like every other Indian on the res. So Arnold decides to go to a white person school in a town called Reardan. The story shows how he changed from being the biggest loser to the cool kid. It also showed how his best friend hates him because he left the res. The book follows him in his freshman year.
Evaluation: I thought the book was great; I would recommend this to a friend. Some of the funny parts helped keep the sad parts balanced, so it was never really sad. I think the pictures also made it much more enjoyable to read. It was very easy to follow his type of writing. Again I would recommend this to a friend.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Recommendations: Where the Red Fern Grows, The Book Thief
April 12, 2012 at 4:20 pm |
Summary: Arnold “Junior” Spirit is an Indian boy who lives on a reservation in Spokane, Washington. He’s really good friends with his pal Rowdy. Since his reservation thinks more of alcohol and partying, he decides to transfer to an all white school called Reardan High School. Since he moved there his best friend now his ex-best friend now hates him because he left him. Since he is now an “apple” (a term meaning white on the inside and red on the outside) most people at the reservation treat him like crap, but the people in Reardan treat him like an outcast. The challenge Junior is facing is that he has to live through life with his own kind looking down on him and many challenges two sides have to give him. Junior finally thinks to himself that nothing will stop him from improving his social life and standing and proves to himself in the end that this quote: “Don’t judge a book from its cover” is perfectly well fit for him.
Evaluation: I thought this was a great book that totally proved that anyone can be of any level. I loved the humor and amazing life morals it provided. The only problem that I had with the book is that some parts happened too fast without building tension or detail, but other than that it was a grade A book in my honest opinion.
Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)
Recommendations: The Outsiders~S.E Hinton, Speak~Laurie Halse Anderson, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven~Sherman Alexie & Twilight Series
April 8, 2012 at 3:42 pm |
Summary: Arnold Junior Spirit is an Indian boy living on the Spokane reservation. He has to make a lot of big decisions as he is only 14 years old and in a very poor family. He realizes that he doesn’t want to be a dreamer but not an achiever; he wants to be a dreamer and an achiever so he sets out to find “hope.” Junior tells his parents he wants to go Reardan High School which is where all the rich farm boys and farm girls go to school; when he is there he meets this girl named Penelope, and at the beginning she hated him because he wasn’t popular and “didn’t really exist.” Shortly after he makes friends with Gordon (this nerd), he hears Penelope puking in the bathroom, and he finds out she is bulimic; they fall in love and kiss and stuff and then later he finds out that his grandma died and that he never wants to drink alcohol ever in his life…and in the end he makes up with his best friend Rowdy and they are all happy.
Evaluation: I think this was a hilarious book, and I would read it over and over again, but the only down side was that the author sometimes dragged out the story a little too much, but other than that it was amazing!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Recommendations: The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins), and The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho), both are great books!
January 30, 2012 at 8:48 pm |
Summary: Arnold “Junior” Spirit is an Indian who lives on a Reservation in Washington State and who realizes that he will never be more than he is now if he continues to live where expectations in people, especially him, are nonexistent. In hopes to become what he knows is inside of him, he transfers to a rich kid white school, where the expectations and dreams seem to be one hundred times as much than at his old school. This book follows Junior’s hilarious thoughts and real-life struggles as he goes through his freshman year.
Evaluation: This book is a lot more than just a funny story, as others who read it think it is. It is filled with issues and conflicts that people have to face in their life at one point or another, depending on if you’re Indian or White, rich or poor, loved or unloved. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is nothing but absolutely true. Teenagers everywhere deal with hardships, such as the ones Arnold is faced with, all the time. Many use self expression to cope, like writing, art, and even humor; all of which Arnold used to help himself deal with everything he went through. It was very easy to connect with the characters for this reason, and I’m very glad I read it.
Rating: 5/5
Recommendations: Looking for Alaska, Paper Towns, Please Ignore Vera Deetz.
January 30, 2012 at 8:27 pm |
Summary: An Indian boy named Junior lives on a reservation in Spokane, Washington. Junior is already picked on for his disabilities, but when he transfers to Reardan High, which is off the reservation, he is hated by his whole tribe and best friend. He makes varsity basketball and popular new friends, and he struggles to hide his poverty. During his freshman year, he loses three family members and gets beaten up a lot, but eventually everything works out and he becomes closer to what he really wants in life.
Evaluation: I thought that this book was pretty good. The story was sad and it had a good message, but it was written kind of immature and boring at times.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Recomendations: The Hunger Games, Fever 1793
January 29, 2012 at 9:45 pm |
Summary: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is about a teenage boy by the name of Arnold Spirit, or “Junior”, who lives on a reservation in Spokane, Washington. He gets to transfer to a “white” school, off the reservation, and is hoping for a better education. There are some difficult obstacles that Junior has to overcome, like being called out on the rez for transfering. But his choice isn’t all bad.
Evaluation: I really enjoyed this book. The humor in it is my kind of humor, and the drawings made it easier to connect and understand what is going on. There were some sad parts, but that’s what kept it interesting.
Rating: 5/5
Recommendations: Any other book by Sherman Alexie
January 29, 2012 at 9:36 pm |
Summary: This is the story of Arnold Spirit. He is an Indian living on the Spokane reservation. Arnold soon realizes he isn’t getting as good of an education as he would like, so he transfers to an all white school. He leaves feeling shunned by his best friend Rowdy and the rest of the reservation. People on the reservation said things about Arnold such as “he is like an apple, red on the outside but white on the inside.” The story continues to follow Arnold dealing with the hardships of being shunned by the people he came from but also being the only non-white in his school.
Evaluation: I loved this book. The comedy cushioned the hardships Arnold had to go through. The illustrations were a nice feature. The story was told crystal clearly and the details made it easy to visualize, so that was great. Overall, great book! I would recommend it to anyone.
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
Recommendations:
Cryptum, Among the Hidden, Lord of the Flies
January 25, 2012 at 3:30 pm |
Summary: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is about a boy named Arnold Spirit AKA Junior and how he was born with “water in his brain.” He lives on the Indian Reservation in Spokane and also attends a school on the Reservation as well. His dream is to become a cartoon artist. He is pretty close to his family, especially his Grandmother, the advice giver. His best friend Rowdy is one of the biggest bullies on the Reservation, but he really cares about junior. Junior wasn’t always known as the “popular” kid. He was always getting picked on and got called a lot of names. Eventually, Junior leaves the Reservation and goes to a “white people school” and falls in love with a girl named Penelope. He also makes their Varsity Basketball team, which is rare for freshmen. He goes through some really hard times throughout his life, but manages to push through and face his fears.
Evaluation: I think this book is an amazing book that captures a lot of people’s struggles in life and can really help them understand how to make the best of it. Many people get bullied and just given a hard time, but this book really helps people overcome this problem and be whoever they desire.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Recommendations:
Fever 1793 and The Hunger Games series
January 6, 2012 at 9:15 am |
Summary: this book is about an Indian boy, Arnold Spirit, who decides to chase after his dreams and go to an all-white school, but the only problem is that he’s a total outcast at his new school, and his tribe feels like hes betraying them.
Evaluation/Rating: I’d give this book a solid five out of five because of its humor and because of the emotionalness of it all. It’s writen beautifully with a great twist of humor.
Recommendations: I would recommend Sherman Alexie’s other books like “Smoke Signals” or “Ten Little Indians.”
January 5, 2012 at 10:49 am |
Summary: This story follows the life of a boy named Arnold Spirit or “Junior”, and his struggle when he realizes that he was meant for something more than being just a regular boy on the Indian reservation. Junior has big hopes for his life, which is why he decided to leave for a better education… at a school for white kids. After this decision, everyone on the rez treated Junior even worse than they did before, including his best friend. This was tough for Junior, and he truly struggles with his new school. However, he fights through his pain and realizes that what he had done was the right decision.
Evaluation: I really liked this book. It was, however, a very easy read. Sherman Alexie really showed how the life of a teenager can be, and the story is inspiring yet funny.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Recommendations: The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd), The Glass Castle (Jeannette Walls), ANY HARRY POTTER BOOKS!
December 14, 2011 at 9:11 pm |
Summary: Arnold Spirit a.k.a. Junior is a teenage Indian with big hopes and dreams growing up on a tiny Indian Reservation in Spokane, Washington. Junior was never really popular and was always picked on by the other kids on the rez, except by his best friend Rowdy. Who would beat up anyone that tried to hurt Junior. Arnold grew tired of the people on the rez and made the decision to transfer to Reardon High, an all-white school. The rest of the book follows Junior as he goes through new struggles and tough times in his new enviroment at Reardon High.
Evaluation: I thought this book was alright. I read it because the pictures looked pretty funny and I heard it was good. It was super cheesy though… but the author did a good job at relating Junior’s struggles to everyday teenage problems. I thought it was cool the book took place in our state too.
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5.
Recommendations: The Outsiders, Holes, The Thief Lord.
November 8, 2011 at 4:14 pm |
Summary: Arnold Spirit is an Indian boy who lives on a reservation with his family. He has a best freind, named Rowdy, who never left his side; he was always there for Arnold. On his first day of his freshman year, he ends up accidentally throwing a book at his teacher. His teacher, Mr. P, was not mad, and he helped arnold make a very important decision to go to Readan, a white school off the reservation. Then he goes, losing his best friend and everyone on the reservation.
Evaluation: This book was very funny, interesting, and sad. The comics, I think, made the book, if there weren’t any, I don’t think the book would be all that great. It was really interesting to hear how people used to live, and still do.
Rating: 4 1/2
November 7, 2011 at 6:15 pm |
Summary: Arnold Spirit is a young Indian boy. He’s always been at the top of his class and has always had one friend, Rowdy. After throwing a book at a teacher on the reservation, Arnold is influenced by the teacher to go to Reardan (a white school). Thus, he can have a better education. Arnold follows through with the idea and leaves the reservation school.
Evaluation: I love that throughout the book there are comics and drawings. The book is very funny and easy to relate to and understand because it takes place in school.
Rating: 5 stars
Recomendations: Time Bomb, The Eyes of Darkness, The Cage.
November 2, 2011 at 4:32 pm |
Summary: Junior was an Indian boy living on an Indian reservation in Spokane. He was bullied a lot by others at his school. His only true friends were his sister, parents, grandmother and his best friend Rowdy. When Junior realizes his only chance of having a good life is getting off the rez, he transfers to a white school called Reardan. They he tries out for the basketball team and makes some new friends. This is a story of an Indian boy having hope.
Evaluation: Alexie definitely goes for the comedic style in this story. I did get a few laughs while reading this story but not too many. The very immature and informal writing style sometimes got irritating. It was like I was reading a book somebody my age wrote. The plot line is O.K., and I sometimes got sucked into the story.
Rating: 2.5
Recommendations: Enders Game; Into the Wild
November 1, 2011 at 8:46 pm |
Summary: Arnold is a 14 year-old boy who lives on a Native American reservation. His best friend, Rowdy, helps him not get beaten up all the time. He gets beaten up because he had to get brain surgery as a baby, which causes him to get seizures and other characteristics that make him very vulnerable for bullies. But he is determined to give himself the best life possible, so he never gives up his goal for a good future.
Evaluation: I love Sherman Alexie’s writing style. It is hilarious. And it does not use overly complicated words, so it is good for a large range of reading levels. I don’t, however, like how he numbers the pages. Every other page is numbered, except when it is the start of a new chapter, then the number is skipped. But that is easily over looked by the hilarious writing style that will make you not want to put the book down.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Recommendations: Bill Bryson’s Short History of Nearly Everything, Treasure Island, and The Cat in the Hat
October 31, 2011 at 1:20 pm |
Summary: In this book, an Indian boy named Junior who has lived on the reservation his whole life has realized he wants to do something more with his intelligence. He learns that to do this he must leave all his friends and life and begin school at Reardon, the nearby public school. Gaining and losing friends and family along the way, Junior figures out how to settle in his new environment.
Evaluation: I truly loved this book; at first I thought the way Sherman Alexie chose to write this book was very strange, but came to love it. This had a perfect balance of humor, tragedy, and romance. I would love to read this book again.
Rating: 4 Stars
Recommendations: Harry Potter, A Wrinkle in Time, Marked
October 31, 2011 at 1:17 pm |
Summary: This book is about a boy who gets named Junior. He is Indian and lives on an Indian Reservation. He lives in poverty and is made fun of. He knows that to be successful in life he has to leave the reservation, so he goes to a school called Reardan, a school that has mainly white people in it. This book is his hilarious and hard story of trying to make it through freshman year.
Evaluation: I really liked this book and enjoyed reading it. It seemed very realistic. It made me laugh a lot. But it was also very sad. The rez is not a good place to grow up or get an education. I thought it had a great blend of serious parts and humorous parts.
Rating: Star, Star, Star, Star (4 stars)
Recomendations: Skulduggery Pleasant, The Last Thing I Remember, Sunrise Over Fallujah, Fallen Angels.
October 31, 2011 at 1:17 pm |
Summary: The book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie, is about Junior (Arnold Spirit) the main character. He’s funny, and he develops strength throughout the book. Junior lives in a poor reservation with his family and his best and only friend Rowdy. After an accident, Junior decides to go to Reardan, a “White Kid” school. He is then treated very badly by his tribe, calling him “apple” because he is Indian on the outside but white on the inside. In the end, Junior rises above the life everyone expected him to live because of one choice.
Evaluation: I liked the humor and how he didn’t spend a lot of time explaining the bad/sad parts, it really made the book move along. I also liked the cartoons; they were helpful in understanding what he was trying to communicate. The only thing I didn’t like was that sometimes he used the same phrases a lot like for example “you know?” but the rest was fine.
Rating: 4
Recommendations: Breaking Dawn; The Curious Incident of the Dog in The Night Time; Stolen
October 31, 2011 at 1:14 pm |
Summary: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a touching book about how to live and not care about all the expectations you may have in life. Junior lives on the Spokane Indian reservation and becomes an outcast by joining Reardan, a school where the only other Indian is the school mascot. He is struggling to be more like the white people at school, and at home, he struggles to be more like his family and culture.
Evaluation: I loved how the author of this book tied together tragedy and comedy. It is a hilarious way of telling a potentially boring story. I enjoyed the cartoons and the way that the story is written.
Rating: Four stars! Wonderful book about trying to just be yourself.
Recommendations:
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
October 31, 2011 at 11:01 am |
Summary: A young Indian boy named Arnold Spirt, also known as Junior, lives on the Wellpinit Indian Reservation with his family. While constantly being beaten, Junior feels that he deserves better and transfers to a school of white people, called Reardan High School. He almost instantly makes friends and falls in love after getting off to a bad start. But family issues and tragedies leave Junior in a very difficult spot and he has to mentally regain everything that he has lost.
Evaluation: This book is very interesting and funny. I was never bored while reading it, and it made me happy, giggly, and sad. I liked it mostly just because I could relate to its content. There was nothing I didn’t like about it.
Rating: 5 Stars
Recommendations: Border Songs, Scat, The Outsiders.
October 31, 2011 at 10:58 am |
Summary: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is about a 14-year-old kid named Arnold Spirit who lives on the Spokane Indian reservation. In the book he becomes enemies with his former best friend Rowdy when Arnold decides to go to an otherwise white school 22 miles from his home. Reardan is a small white farm town with two Indians total: Arnold himself and the school mascot. By choosing to go to Reardan high, the Spokane Indians decided that Arnold was a traitor and the only ones on the rez that still liked Arnold were his family. This was a great book about love, death, and freedom.
Evaluation: This was a very good book. It was funny, and it really reeled me in and kept me reading. It was so well written that when something bad happened I felt bad for Arnold and when some good happened I was happy for him.
Rating: Five out of Five stars.
Recomendations: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan and The Last Shot by John Feinstein.
October 31, 2011 at 10:57 am |
Summary: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is about an Indian boy named Junior. Along his hopeful path to success he has to make some tough decisions to better his future. He has a very supportive family which helps him out along his journey to a better life.
Evaluation: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian was a pretty entertaining book. It was also quite funny as well and very accurate for how a fourteen year old thinks and acts. It was a little depressing at times. There was too much death for my liking.
Rating: Three Stars
Recomendations:
The Hot Zone, Richard Preston
The Last Shot, John Fienstien
October 31, 2011 at 10:57 am |
Summary: In this book, Junior is a boy, growing up on the Spokane Indian reservation, who is a cartoonist. He was born with lots of medical problems, he gets picked on by everyone except for his best friend Rowdy. He wanted a better education then the one he was getting, so he left the rez to attend an all the white school. The only other Indian at that school is the their mascot.
Evaluation: I think this book had some good and bad parts. When the people were dying and when Junior and Rowdy stopped talking, I felt bad and didn’t like the book too much then, but when Gordan talked to Junior about how he shuold get horny because of a book, also when his dad told him about his dirty adventures of him and his mom was funny. I would definitely read it again next year.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Recommindations: Worst Case, Anne of Green Gables, The Book Thief, The Hunger Games.
October 31, 2011 at 10:56 am |
Summary: Arnold lives on the Spokane Indian reservation. Arnold was born with many medical problems that relate to his head. Even with his many medical problems, Arnold is very smart. Arnold is bullied a lot, so in an effort to get a better education, he decides to transfer to a white people school called Reardan. Reardan is about 22 miles away from the reservation and Arnold us the only Indian from his reservation to transfer to Reardan. Arnold is poor so it’s sometimes hard for him to get to and from school everyday. Even though Arnold is surrounded by a bunch of rich white people, he soon learns that he made a good chocie by going to Reardan, even though his tribe and his best friend Rowdy are mad that he left the reservation. Arnold soon makes new friends, and he makes the varsity basketball team. Life is good for Arnold for awhile, until three very close family members die.
Evaluation: I like the concept of the book, but at some moments I didn’t like the wording used in the book. But over all the book was good. The book was funny, entertaining, and enjoyable. I loved the beginning of the book but I didn’t like the ending as much; I thought that too many people died.
Rating: 5 stars.
Recommendations: The Secret Life of Bees, The Wedding Girl, The Princess Bride.
October 31, 2011 at 10:51 am |
Summary: Junior was a boy living on the Spokane Indian Reservation. He had a sister living in Montana with her husband. Junior lives with his parents in a small home. His best friend Rowdy was the strongest, most athletic, boy on the Rez. Junior’s Grandmother was very close to Junior, so he would go to her for lots of advice. When she got killed by a drunk driver, Junior was devistated. Junior transfered to a white high school, so he and Rowdy got in a fight, but toward the end they became friends again.
Evaluation: I really enjoyed this book, especially how the author would incorporate drawings and cartoons in funny situations. The cartoons were great because if you couldn’t visualize a situation in the book, then you could get an understanding of it from the pictures. Sherman Alexie stayed positive most of the book. If something sad or bad happened, then he would follow it up with a joke or something funny would happen.
Rating: 4.5/5
Recommendations:1. Lord of the Rings Trilogy because the action is great, all three are written well, and it reminds me of WWII.
2. Any WWII through Afghan War books because you get political views, historic references, and you learn things you didn’t know.
October 31, 2011 at 10:49 am |
Summary: This book is about a poor Indian teenager named Junior, that decided to leave the reservation school, hoping for a better life. He decides to go to Reardon (a school with all white people). By doing this, he loses his best friend and creates a new life at his new school thanks to his new white girlfriend Penelope.
Evaluation: I liked this book because it was usually a funny book, and it was well written.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Recomendations:
Flight by Sherman Alexie
A Child Called “It” Series by David Pelzer
A Child Called “It”
The Lost Boy
A Man Named Dave
October 31, 2011 at 10:47 am |
Summary: This book is about how a smart Indian boy overcame people’s expectations of Indians. Despite many obstacles such as discrimination, betrayal, and family problems. Arnold fought to achieve what he set out to do.
Evaluation: I love the book! It was easy to read and hella funny. It’s like a half-comic book. The illustration really helps me to understand the content, although the plot resemebles those cheesy teenager books (unpopular boy becomes popular after dating popular girl).
Rating: 4/5
Recommendations:
Fight Club (Chuck Palahniuk)
Desperation (Stephen King)
October 31, 2011 at 8:33 am |
Summary:
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian is about Junior (Arnold Spirit) who is a young Native American cartoonist picked on by everyone but his best friend Rowdy on the reservation due to a variety of medical problems. He is given advice by a teacher to leave the reservation high school for the much better Reardon High School. He then leaves the reservation school and goes to Reardon. With changing schools he is faced with even more problems.
Evaluation:
I really enjoyed this book; it is humorous and makes light of a bad situation. This book is an easy read, relatively short, but this is a sad book.
Rating: 4/5
Recommendations:
Reservation Blues, Ten Little Indians, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight In Heaven
October 31, 2011 at 8:30 am |
Summary:
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is about a boy named Junior (Arnold Spirit), a reservation Indian. After getting advice from his geometry teacher to leave the reservation for the hopes of a better school, he drops out of Welpnit, and starts to attend Reardan (a white-bias school). Junior faces many troubles and problems with his life such as racism from the whites and being called a traitor from the Indians. Junior struggles through death and ridicule that, in the end, make him stronger and wiser. After time Junior makes friends and gets a better life.
Evaluation:
I really enjoyed this book and give it 4.5/5 stars. The only reason it missed the fifth star is because at times the plot became repetitive.
Rating:
4.5/5
Recommendations:
Some other books you may enjoy are some of my personal favorites: The Hunger Games, The Demon King, and Little Brother.
October 31, 2011 at 8:27 am |
Summary: Junior starts as the main character in The Absolutely True Diary of A Part-Time Indian. In this book Junior is a picked on loaner who always hangs out with the school bully. Even after that he continues to be picked on because of his big head and giant hands. Junior gets sick of being ridiculed and transfers to an all white school where he awaits his fate.
Evaluation: I loved this book, even though it gets slow sometimes. It has a great plot and a lot of “Awww poor kid” scenes. This book has great characters and a fun sense of humor.
Rating: 4 1/2 (5)
October 31, 2011 at 8:25 am |
Summary: Arnold Spirit is an Indian boy that lives on the Spokane Reservation. Everyone knows him as Junior. When he gets into trouble one day, he decides that he doesn’t want to live as a poor Indian boy anymore. He tells his parents about his wishes of going to Reardon, a public school in Spokane 20 miles away from the reservation. His parents let him transfer to Reardon. The rest of the book is about the ups and downs of going to Reardon while living on the reservation.
Evaluation: I enjoyed reading this book by Sherman Alexie a lot. There was never a boring moment. He writes in a way that I can not put the book down. He is very descriptive and detailed, and you can visualise what’s going on at every second.
Rating: 5 Stars
Recomendations: ~A Summer To Die ~The Outsiders
October 31, 2011 at 8:23 am |
Summary: Arnold Spirit, or “Junior”, is an Indian living on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Washington State. He decides to transfer to Reardan, an all-white school in a tiny town by the same name, outside the reservation in persuit of a better education. The book follows his freshman year as he goes through the many hardships of being an Indian immersed in a different race and culture.
Evaluation: I thought this book was alright. It had some funny parts, and the cartoons were great and really added to the story; they were my favorite part of the book. I didn’t like it to the fullest because some of the humor seemed a little dragged-out, and I didn’t feel much of a connection to characters. Some of the humor I didn’t think was funny.
Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5
Recommdations: The Book Thief, I Am the Messenger, (both by Markus Zusak) and How I Live Now. I think these, especially I Am the Messenger, would be great books for students!