The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Alexie, S. (2007). The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian. NY: Little Brown.   Arnold is a teenage boy who lives on the Spokane Indian Reservation.  He is very poor with only one friend, a very rough boy named Rowdy.  Desperate to one day escape the poverty of the rez, Arnold transfers to the all white school near the reservation.  Not only does his best friend turn on him, but he also has a difficult time fitting in and being accepted at his new school.  Throughout the book, he is faced with many tragedies, but in the end he makes new friends, reconciles with Rowdy, makes the basketball team and is academically successful at his new school.  The author did a great job of combining serious issues with humor.  Students 14 to 17 would enjoy this book.  This book would be great for teaching cultural awareness, bullying, and social tolerance.  Havighurst's mentions the importance of adolescents learning to get along with their peers, and how these relationships often change.  Because Arnold had physical handicaps, Rowdy was the only friend who accepted him.  However, this peer relationship changed when Rowdy felt abandoned by Arnold when left the rez to attend the school in town.