Everything’s about to change for Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian reservation in THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN by Sherman Alexie --- he’s going to attend high school in all-white farm town.
First published in 2007, Alexie’s book has won multiple awards --- including the 2007 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature --- and his been praised for its authentic voice, searing wit and treatment of important issues like race and identity. It is also one of the most frequently banned books, earning the top spot on the American Library Association’s Frequently Challenged Books list this year.
Below, Sara Joiner, author of AFTER THE ASHES, and Teen Board members Bryn D. and Pranshu A. talk about why they love THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN --- and exactly what they’d say to the people trying to ban it.
1. Do you remember when you read this book for the first time? How old were you? Did you read it for school or for pleasure?
Sara Joiner: I'm a children's librarian and am regularly sent ARCs for upcoming books from some of our book vendors. THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN was in one of the boxes. The ARC had a white cover, as opposed to the black of the published version (I do like the black better), but I saw Sherman Alexie's name on it and snatched it out of the box to read immediately. I'm a big fan of his adult work, so I was thrilled to read it. The book was published in 2007, so that's probably when I read it. I was not a teenager; I was 30 or 31 years old. I read it for pleasure and for work, which I'm lucky enough to say is the same thing.
Bryn D.: I read this book a couple years ago for a project in my seventh grade English class. I was probably 13 at the time, and even though I read it for a project, I chose the book, so it was for pleasure!
Pranshu A. I have a vivid recollection of first reading this book because it was in such a strange place. I read this book for the first time at a summer camp between my 7th and 8th grade years. I had brought a huge stack of books with me to keep myself occupied during free time and one of the books happened to be THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN. I devoured this book in the three hours before lights out after a full day of activities and loved every second of it.
2. What do you like about this book, and how would you persuade somebody else to read it?
SJ: I fell instantly in love with this book on page one. Arnold is smart, funny and heartbreaking all at once. Although I'm not Native, I did some work on reservations when I was in graduate school, and I recognized the situation Arnold was in because of that work. However, even if I hadn't had that experience, I would have been able to empathize with Arnold. I grew up in a small town where everyone knew each other and most people were related. I remember teachers telling classmates, "I taught your mother" or "Your oldest brother was such a troublemaker when I taught him." As an only child and not related to anyone in town but my mother, I always felt a bit at a disadvantage during those times. Like I was a mystery, and teachers didn't know what to do with me.
That's what I love about this book. The specificity of Arnold's life is so universal in its appeal that even a 30-year-old white librarian could be brought right back to my own school years and the difficulties of that time. That's how I would persuade someone to read it. It's so universal that it’s perfect for readers who love comic books, sports stories, coming-of-age stories, tearjerkers, funny books --- there's something in THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN for every reader.
BD:There are many things I love about this book, most notably the humor, cartoon illustrations and the accurate depictions of real life issues that teenagers face every day. The diversity and representation in this novel is also very important. The main character, Junior, was born with hydrocephalus, meaning he is small for his age and suffers from seizures, poor eyesight, stuttering and lisping. You rarely find a main character who is a person of color and has disabilities. To someone who is unsure about reading it, know that it is hilarious but also sad, uplifting and heartbreaking, and one of the most unique novels I have ever read.
PA:The best part about this book is the way it gets an emotional reaction out of you. A good writer doesn't tell you how you should feel but writes in such a way that you can't help but be affected by his or her words. That is what Alexie managed to do and that was my favorite part about this book. That is also how I would persuade others to read it --- I’d tell them how effective it is in touching your heart.
3. A parent from Idaho challenged THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN, stating, “There's obscene material throughout, degrading slang words like the one used to describe a certain part of a woman's anatomy and an offensive depiction of (Jesus Christ).” If you had the chance to respond to that quote, what would you say?
SJ: Honestly I don't recall anything offensive in the book, but I recognize that I'm a much more liberal reader than some. I don't really think there's any way to change someone's mind when they believe a book is offensive. In those situations, I feel most sorry for that person's children because they are being denied the opportunity to experience another person's life, even if it's only in the pages of a book. They're being denied the opportunity to read something and make up their own mind. Children are amazingly intuitive about what they are and are not comfortable with reading in books. It's possible this woman's child might be uncomfortable with the same things that upset his/her mother and set the book aside, and it's unfortunate that this woman doesn't trust her child to make decisions on his/her own.
BD: I would ask her if she has ever been around a group of teenagers, because she might be surprised to find out that most teenagers use this kind of language or worse on a daily basis. What Sherman Alexie did so well was present an accurate depiction of a teenage boy and his teenage friends. Teenagers have sex. Teenagers use bad language. Teenagers aren't perfect. Teenagers are humans, too. Parents should stop trying to ban books with offensive language or other offensive things because there is a 99% chance we already know about it.
PA: Nothing is black and white. There are good and bad parts to everything in life. It is important to look at multiple perspectives of everything to make informed decisions and opinions. When you censor things like this for children, then you present to them a world with no faults, which is not real. It is important that children and parents talk about sensitive subjects like the ones presented in this book, but they should not be taboo.
4. You need to give the protagonist of this book a book recommendation. What would you recommend, and why?
SJ: It's a little bit older, but I would recommend the RUNAWAYS by Brian K. Vaughan. It's a comic book series about a group of teens who discover their parents are supervillains, so they run away, determined to fight their evil parents. I would also recommend SUPER INDIAN by Arigon Starr because Arnold would definitely be able to relate to that story, and it's funny! In a bit of meta-recommending, I would suggest anything by Sherman Alexie, of course.
BD:I would recommend WINGER by Andrew Smith. Like Junior, WINGER’s main character, Ryan Dean, loves to draw and wants to be a cartoonist. Junior feels out of place at his new school, and so does Ryan. Ryan feels very out of place at his new school because he is so much younger than all of the other students, while Junior feels this way because he is the only Native American at a mostly white high school. I think Junior would love WINGER and it would give him a load of inspiration to keep making cartoons, friends and a new life for himself.
PA:While not a specific answer, I would just want Junior to read a light, funny book. He has been through so much that I would not want him to read anything sad. I would like for him to read something that makes him happy and puts a smile on his face.
