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

Summary: Arnold Spirit, better known as Junior, decides to leave the reservation that he grew up in and attend an all-white public school. While it is a difficult decision for Junior to make, he realizes that it is the right one. If he stays on the reservation, he will not have any hope for a better future. When Junior transfers to Reardan High School, everyone turns on him except his family. Even Rowdy, his best friend, wants nothing to do with him. As Junior embarks on a new adventure, he struggles to fit in. The fact that he is the only Indian makes him an easy target to pick on. Eventually, he begins to get accepted by the teachers and students. He even becomes the basketball hero and makes the varsity basketball team as a freshman. Even though Junior faces a lot of hardships along the way, he learns that he has to keep on moving just like life.

Age/Ability Level: This book is an easy read, but since it deals with many controversial topics I would teach it at the 11th-12th grade level in an Honors or AP class.

Rationale: "The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" is one of the best books that I have read in years.  It captivated me from the beginning with its raw emotions and characters.  Throughout the book, I felt all of the emotions that Sherman Alexie was trying to convey to me. Sometimes I laughed at the ridiculous things that Junior would say or do. Other times my heart would break for Junior when he was bullied because of his brain damage,  had to walk all 22 miles home, and experienced the death of loved ones. This book needs to be read in schools to teach students that  everyone is facing their own internal struggle. Moreover, I think that it would be a great book to teach Indian culture since there are many misconceptions. Lastly, it is incredible that this book is based on a true story and written by a local author. The names of characters are different, but Alexie actually experienced everything written in 230 pages.  Students will find this book relatable because it is based on a true story and they may be facing internal challenges of their own as growing teenagers.

Teaching Ideas:

1. Since there are numerous comics in the book, students could create their own comics detailing moments or experiences in their life. This activity would not only add an element of creativity, but also help them connect with the protagonist.
2. At the back of the book, there are discussion questions. Students could discuss these questions in a socratic seminar. This activity would ask students to analyze the book in further detail to better understand some of the main events and characters' motives.
3. Students could interview someone in their class or community and create a video about their history. This activity would allow students to take what they have learned inside the classroom and apply it outside if possible. 
4. Students could do a jigsaw and explore themes and motifs in the novel including race, bullying, friendship, family, basketball, alcohol abuse, etc.  Then, they could go back to their groups and share what they found. This activity would break up the work for students and ask them to focus on a specific theme or motif of the novel that they can become experts on and share with the rest of their classmates. 

Obstacles: There are many obstacles in teaching this book.  It has been banned in multiple schools across the country and received mixed reviews because of its controversial topics. Students who have been bullied or have brain damage may not want to read this book because it reminds them of past traumas that they have endured.  Both parents and administrators would probably be against students reading this novel because it contains cultural insensitivity, profanity, alcoholism, and sexual innuendos. The best solution to this problem would be offering an alternative book to read that deals with a coming of age story and allowing students to take a step outside of the classroom when necessary.

References: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Absolutely_True_Diary_of_a_Part-Time_Indian#Reviews