The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie

A young adult novel written by Native American, Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian recounts the story of Arnold Spirit Jr.'s life on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Spokane, Washington. The main element upon which Alexie's novel focuses is Arnold's frustration at having the same English textbook that his mother had used thirty years prior at his reservation school. Disgusted by the poor quality of his education, he promptly throws the textbook at his teacher. However, his teacher later comes to his house and convinces him to attend the all-white school outside the reservation, holding extremely different individuals and experiences than his life on the reservation.

 Arnold must decide whether to abandon his traditional Native American culture and seek the best education for himself or continue to be a part of his Native American culture which is often only described as drug-infused, abusive, poor, and delinquent. The book has gained some controversy because of its explicit content dealing with sex, violence, and racial inequality; however, Alexie's novel also won the National Book Award for Young Adult Literature. Therefore, the teacher, along with the school administration must weigh the benefits and consequences of exposing adolescent readers to this extremely realistic depiction of Native American life.