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The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie Publishers Weekly™ - 08-20-2007 Starred Review Screenwriter, novelist and poet, Alexie bounds into YA with what might be a Native American equivalent of Angela's Ashes, a coming-of-age story so well observed that its very rootedness in one specific culture is also what lends it universality, and so emotionally honest that the humor almost always proves painful. Presented as the diary of hydrocephalic 14-year-old cartoonist and Spokane Indian Arnold Spirit Jr., the novel revolves around Junior's desperate hope of escaping the reservation. As he says of his drawings, "I think the world is a series of broken dams and floods, and my cartoons are tiny little lifeboats." He transfers to a public school 22 miles away in a rich farm town where the only other Indian is the team mascot. Although his parents support his decision, everyone else on the rez sees him as a traitor, an apple ("red on the outside and white on the inside"), while at school most teachers and students project stereotypes onto him: "I was half Indian in one place and half white in the other." Readers begin to understand Junior's determination as, over the course of the school year, alcoholism and self-destructive behaviors lead to the deaths of close relatives. Unlike protagonists in many YA novels who reclaim or retain ethnic ties in order to find their true selves, Junior must separate from his tribe in order to preserve his identity. Jazzy syntax and Forney's witty cartoons examining Indian versus White attire and behavior transmute despair into dark humor; Alexie's no-holds-barred jokes have the effect of throwing the seriousness of his themes into high relief. Ages 14-up. (Sept.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.
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I wanted to thank all of the teens who submitted their writings. The four judges all agreed that it was very tough to choose one winner. The Salem teens have a great deal of creativity, and each teen who submitted their work in this contest should be extremely proud. The runner up winners are listed below. All winners can pick up their prizes at the Salem Public Library on Monday, May 12 or after.
Ages 11-14 1. Jack Shannon’s “Two Minutes For Toothbrushes” & “Springtime” 2. Daniel Keller’s “The Secret Mission” 3. Marisa McKnew’s “Running With a Beat”
Ages 15-18 1 . Emily Green’s “The Secret To Low Fat Cookies” 2. Laura Cooper’s “The Party” 3. Corey Hayes’ “ Untitled” |
