TATDOAPTI (I'm way too lazy to write the title out.)

     This six weeks I read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.  It is a work of fiction written in 2007 by Sherman Alexie with artwork by Ellen Forney.  The book follows Arnold Spirit, who is a boy living on an Indian reservation.  He enjoys drawing, and some of the story is told through his sketches.  Over the course of the book, Arnold transfers to Reardan high school, and he must find out who he really is.  He befriends a girl named Penelope, and a jock named Roger, and a nerd-type guy named Gordy while there.
     The story is written in first person from Arnold's point of view (Arnold has both a stutter and a lisp, but the book is written normally.)  He lives on an Indian reservation with his mother, alcoholic grandfather, grandmother, his best friend Rowdy, and his dog Oscar  (even though Oscar gets put down on the 14th page.)  On his first day of school, he receives a textbook that has his mother's name on it.  He becomes infuriated at how poor his reservation is, and smashes the book in his teacher, named Mr. P's, face.  Later that day, Mr. P. comes over and tells Arnold that he must "leave" the rez or he will die.  Arnold listens to him and enrolls in Reardan High School, an almost all-white high school 22 miles from the rez.  There, he meets Gordy, and falls in love with Penelope.  He befriends Roger a while after getting into a fight with him.  However, Rowdy becomes furious with him, calling him a "white-lover", and they split up.  After that, he begins to lose his other friends and family.  His grandmother gets hit by a drunk driver, his dad's best friend gets shot in a 7-11 parking lot, and his sister Mary runs away to Montana to get married.  He finds himself on the basketball team, and soon becomes a star-player and earns the appreciation of his coach.  At a basketball game held at the rez, he realizes that his entire reservation was against him.  He then got injured when someone threw a quarter at him.  The book reaches its climax when they play again at the Reardan court, and wins.  However, soon afterwards his sister dies in a trailer fire.  He then gets Rowdy back, and all is well.  I suppose.  This book is probably for people between thirty and very, VERY mature 13 year olds, because this book contains LOTS of swearing and some racial slurs.  This is a normal fiction book.  The book never really seemed to have a boring or uninteresting moment.  The book really makes you feel that the entire world is against Arnold.
     Every time I pick up this book, I  can't seem to let it go until I reach the end.  This book really made me realize how spoiled I am compared to Arnold, who is lucky to have a TV.  Please don't tell anyone I typed that.  I can't think of any other books that this book brings to mind, but for some reason it reminds me of my friend, who's name I will not reveal, who gave the book to me.  That's kind of weird, since she doesn't seem like any of the characters in the book at all!
     The book doesn't elaborate on very many things, like Arnold's childhood, or Rowdy's abusive father.  What isn't covered in text is usually described in one of Arnold's many sketches (like the wondrous Mr. P, shown below)

Overall, the book was almost flawless and is definitely one of the best books I've ever read
Kyle Randal
12/14/13
RATING: 6/5 (It's that good.)