To whoever pushed for this book to be banned, shame on you. Unless you’re incensed that this is not the “absolutely true” diary its title describes, and is instead a fictionalized pastiche of author Sherman Alexie’s childhood, I can’t figure out what’s bothering you so much.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is about 5 years old now, but only popped up on the American Library Association’s annual “Top Ten Challenged Books” list in 2010. It debuted at an impressive #2 on the list considering folks have had half a decade to get angry about the book and complain.
Published in 2007
I have a theory as to why there’s been a delayed effect: the book has won some awards since it was first published and is now available in paperback, which means it’s an alluring candidate for inclusion in public school reading lists and curriculum. More exposure equals more challenges and more parents who feel the school’s selection is “forcing” the book’s content on their students.
Having read The Absolutely True Diary for the first time in the last couple weeks, I have to say I’m hoping that the book makes an equally sudden exit from the ALA’s “most challenged” roster, as its content is only going to be more relevant to students and young people with each passing year.
Few readers can claim to be a “part-time Indian” as Albert Spirit, Jr., the book’s main character, deems himself. Frustrated with the school on his reservation, Albert Spirit, Jr.’s family pushes him to enroll in a mostly-white school in the mostly-white, nearby town of Reardon. The transition leaves Albert feeling half-Indian while at his new school, half-white at home on the rez, and all-confused in his day-to-day life.
I think a lot of students feel this way for a lot of reasons. The public schools I’ve worked in are filled with first-, second-, and third-generation immigrants of all ethnic and national backgrounds. Few of those kids are Native American, but I’d bet a lot of them could sympathize with feeling “part-time” as they move between school and home. Minority kids aren’t the only ones either; high schoolers of all types are navigating the tricky Venn diagram that is home life and school life for an infinite variety of reasons. Poverty. Religion. Sexual orientation. Being “part-time (whatever)” is probably one of the defining experiences of high school.
Sherman Alexie, author of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
So why ban a book that addresses such a common issue and does it with great insight and realistic humor? Here’s the sad, likely answer: because it’s honest. Albert’s home life sucks. His dad drinks. The kids in Albert’s school call him nasty names. He calls them nasty names in return. He gets into fights. He runs into racists, and confronts his own, less obvious racism. He lusts after the object of his freshman-year affections, Penelope, in frank (though not lurid) detail. He doesn’t bother to censor himself as he puts his sometimes profanity-laced thoughts down on paper.
Is this enough to ban a book? Seemingly, yes. Pulled from the ALA website for challenged books, these were the most frequently cited reasons for complaints about The Absolutely True Diary: “offensive language, racism, sex education, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, and violence.”
I’ve seen this book in the resource rooms of middle schools, and I could possibly get behind the idea that it isn’t suited to sixth-graders. Seventh-graders, I could go either way. But I think an eighth-grader, on the cusp of entering high school, would find enormous value in Albert Spirit, Jr.’s trials and tribulations. There are a lot of universal truths in it. The House on Mango Street has become a middle- and high-school staple, and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian ought to join it as a counterpart, voicing a male experience on the same stage of life.
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I love House on Mango Street! That is really interesting Nate, I never would have thought of Absolute Diary as being House on Mango Street’s male counterpart. It has been a few years since I read Absolute Diary, I think I need to read it again.
To Ban Or Not To Ban
After doing some research on the web of various sites from parents opinions, to the NCTE (the National Council of Teachers of English) and their guidlines.
I have put some thought into why it is my opinion that The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian should not be banned from high school
libraries. The book might have made some parents feel uneasy with it’s reference to sexual orientaion, poverty, and or vulgarity, but having read the book and
being the mother of two teenage boys, one seventeen, and the other fourteen. I instantanly thought of how I wanted them to read it. I felt this was a great
book for them both to read, not only because I knew that the character in this story would be able to connect with them on current issues of bullying, and
not feeling like you belong any where like many of our high school kids do these days, but because of the message itself. How the main character Arnold
“Junior” Spirit portrayed himself throughout the story was one of a champion. His mere grit and tanacity shine through over and over again as he battles his
day to day life as a poverty-striken, outkast native-american teenage boy with his more than fair share of medical problems and sorrow. His yearning for a
better education seem to be all he have left and even if that meant that he would be banished by his tribe Jr. never gave up on his dream of becoming more,
even when his world was crashing in around him, thus showing true spirit of a warrior and pioneer. Something I feel more children should have these days.
Therefore I hope this book gets the chance to be read by as many high school students as posible, if not just for the mere fact that this was a great interesting
book to read but more hopefully to inspire them to fight a little harder to make their lives as best they can no matter what their circumstances may be.
by Renee’
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie, should be required reading in every high school. While the book was written from the perspective of a fourteen-year-old, the book’s themes of loneliness, isolationism, alcoholism, poverty, and teenage angst resonate with readers in their teens and older. Sometimes humorous and at other times heartrending, the overall message is one of hope and perseverance. Arnold is a fighter from birth, and his ability to overcome great odds, even when others have given up, is inspiring. Critics, who argue that the book should be banned because of its mature themes and language, are out of touch with today’s teens, most of whom are exposed to objectionable material on a daily basis through newspapers, music lyrics, television shows, and the internet. The book reveals raw, honest feelings that have attracted readers and stirred debate. In a country where our freedom of choice is celebrated, it is a crime to ban a perfectly great book. To rephrase an old idiom, don’t judge a book by its cover and don’t ban a book for its content.
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No book should be banned. This is the United States, not Iran.
Or Ancient China, or Nazi Germany, or Communist Russia, or North Korea. The thing that gets me is that we come out strong against internet censorship, but we barely even whimper when writing gets censored. I feel that since the internet is a much more important asset in our society, we do as much as we can to preserve it and keep it as free as possible. Since books are an old idea that has been censored throughout history, it’s not as big of a deal when they are banned. But then again, it’s not as urgent since you can still read it outside of school, but I digress. I guess my long-winded point is we’re hiding kids from topics they are already exposed to, and that is a major issue.
I agree that The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian should be taken off of the banned list. It’s content is blunt, yes, but it’s completely relavent to today’s generation. It teaches students of the dangers of alcoholism, and it shines a light on the severity of racism and shows that racism isn’t something that’s been left in the past. In response to Anon, I agree that Part-Time Indian would be a great required book in schools. It shows Junior as such a strong, persevering young man, and I think he’s a great role model for students. Junior shares the harsh realities of his childhood, but he uses illustrations and humor that make it easier for students to relate to and overall conveys great messages throughout the book; Therefore, I don’t believe that it should be banned.
I absolutely agree that “Part-Time Indian” should not be banned, but I think that we should understand that some people might not be comfortable reading it. I just read it in my tenth grade English class, and I thought that its blunt honesty was fantastic and unique, but not everyone agrees with me (nor should they). I think that this book should be a recommended reading choice, but if someone is truly offended by it, we should not wave it in front of their face and force them to read it. I do think that it is an incredibly thought-provoking book, though, so everyone that wants to should have the chance to read “Part-Time Indian.” By banning it and deciding that teenagers are not mature enough to handle it, we would deprive them of all of the valuable lessons in the book. We need to have a little bit more faith in our teenagers’ maturity. How can they ever become mature, free thinkers if we make all decisions for them and shield them from the truth?