The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

As a text I think that Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian would be remarkably effective for high school English instruction. The fact that it deals with things such as racism, cultural prejudice, socio-economic issues and many other aspects of modern life through an adolescent perspective and does so in a well written and composed manner is fantastic. My only concern with teaching the text personally is some of the language and sexually suggestive (and not so suggestive) material that is lightly peppered throughout the text. These things would not be overly difficult to deal with, however, and add sufficiently to the flavor of the narrative that I think arguments could be made for the inclusion and discussion of them in high school classrooms.

                The various drawings and comics contained within the pages further improve the application of this text with an adolescent audience and would provide a means whereby you can discuss the social issues represented from multiple different creative mediums, even allowing for the opportunity of students to create their own drawings or comics in relation to these issues. Arnold’s ability to express his emotions through these drawings can help students develop tools of their own to deal with issues that they are facing in an increasingly difficult, diverse and demanding world.

                Alexie’s ability to tap into the adolescent mind and deal with almost every difficult issue a teenager may face is truly amazing, his willingness to face things like death, sexual attraction, violence and alcoholism speaks volumes about this insight. I would hope that at some time in my career as an educator I would be able to teach this book to my students and get their take on Alexie’s perspective of these difficult issues. Plus, as Alexie is a local writer in Washington state, students would be able to relate to the locations and culture that much more readily than they might otherwise.