The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian
Who were the first citizens of the United States?
The Indian american were the first people who live on U.S. but as we know they were no count as american citizens. The white people came to this country, and they pushed out the Indian american,however; they called themselves as american citizens. The book what I read it is about a boy who live on the reservation.
A summary:
Junior was born with water on the brain, but this boy likes to makes cartoons to express his feelings and thinking. At the start it’s book tells about his best canine friend who is dying, and his family is too poor to afford veterinary care, so his dad shoots the puppy. Then tells about Junior’s best friend named Rowdy. I see that Rowdy is Junior’s main protector. Moving on, at the school Mr. P comes to visit and tells Arnold not ever to give up. He encourages Arnold to leave the reservation, but Rowdy Junior’s best friend, is totally ticked off. Rowdy is so upset that he punches Junior in the face. The two become more enemies than friends. The reservation Indians also shun Junior for his choice.
Junior starts Reardan High School, where he meets Penelope and gets picked on by the jock Roger. Arnold stands up to Roger and punches him in the nose. Roger doesn’t fight back, but begins to respect Arnold.
Arnold hears the cute blonde Penelope puking in the school bathroom one day, and learns that she is anorexic. The two become close, even going together to the winter dance. Penelope finds out that Arnold is poor and feels sorry for him. “They become semi-girlfriend and boyfriend and Arnold lusts after her with a passion”.
Arnold also becomes friends with a kid named Gordy who is the school genius.
Arnold decides to try out for basketball. With a little encouragement from the Coach, he makes the team. During the first basketball match against his old school, Rowdy then knocks him in the head and Arnold falls unconscious. In the rematch, Arnold’s team wins, and he feels a bit guilty about this.
Also tells about sad histories as: his grandmother is hit by a drunk driver, then his dad’s best friend Eugene is shot in the face at a 7-11 and his sister Mary, who dies in a trailer fire. These are all alcohol-related accidents.
The end of the book is a reconciliation between Rowdy and Arnold. They play a one-on-one game of basketball. Arnold has decided that he is multi-tribal. He has found a way of looking at himself that is not solely based on “white” or “Indian.” He belongs to many different tribes.
Quote: “I realized that, sure, I was a Spokane Indian. I belonged to that tribe. But I also belonged to the tribe of American immigrants. And to the tribe of basketball players.
And to the tribe of bookworms.
And the tribe of cartoonists.
And the tribe of chronic masturbators.
And the tribe of teenage boys.
And the tribe of small-town kids.
And the tribe of Pacific North-westerners.
And the tribe of tortilla chips-and-salsa lovers.
And the tribe of poverty.
And the tribe of funeral-goers.
And the tribe of beloved sons.
And the tribe of boys who really missed their best friends. It was a huge realization.
And that’s when I knew that I was going to be okay.
But it also reminded me of the people who were not going to be okay”
Recommendation: The book is easy to read and understand. I personally, I’m learning English, so the vocabulary this book has is not hard to understand because it is like a diary vocabulary. Also this books has funny parts as: when he meets Penelope, he describe her as a hot blonde, and as this phrase “They become semi-girlfriend and boyfriend”.
For information on what life is like on an American Indian Reservation today:
Here is a link about spokane reservation
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian video