Recap: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

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

We discussed this in July 2012. Some things that came up:

• the format of it and the fact that it's described as a 'true diary' - in some ways it felt a little bit like a memoir and some of us were aware that it was slightly autobiographical, which fed into how we read it.
• we talked about how it handles the Native American/Indian issues, e.g. violence, alcoholism, poverty, and discussed whether it was at times too self-aware and preachy (aimed at educating readers than being true to the character).
• basketball and success at sports - what would it be like for someone who didn't have that skill set in a mainstream school, was it too easy for him?
• what age group we thought the book might be for - particularly with the UK cover it seemed as though it was aimed at younger teens or preteens, but with the subject matter it seemed more an older teen book.