You're Luckier Than You Think

“We all have pain. And we all look for ways to make the pain go away.” Sherman Alexie describes his pain and how he deals with it in his own unique way, in his book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. While reading this book, it really opened my eyes up to how much pain and suffering some people go through. I, personally, have been lucky and have never had to experience a death of anyone in my immediate family so I have a hard time relating to this pain. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian helps me understand a little bit of what this type of pain is truly like. I felt bad for this kid, I could tell that he was really hurting and I kind of hurt alongside him.

This book was written in first person about a Native American teenager, Arnold Spirit Jr., living on the Spokane Indian Reservation and his struggles to try and escape the poverty and struggling the rest of family had been living with. He tells his story in a very personal way and really allows you into his thoughts and opinions on what is going on around him. At the very beginning of his high school career, Arnold decided he wants to go to school off the reservation, in order to pursue a better education and hopefully break the cycle of poverty for his family eventually. When he first gets of the reservation he feels like an outcast everywhere he goes, the Spokane Indians think he is a traitor and the students at Rearden (the high school he attends) think he is an alien. Eventually, however, he breaks out of his shell and people start accepting his decisions and who he is as a person.

Alexie’s first person tone,allowing you to always be inside the narrators head really helps you get a feel for what is going on in the story. It forces you to feel how the other characters are feeling. The way he explains each decision he makes and what he is feeling at every moment makes it interesting because you get to love this guy and be on his side throughout.

Although this book is at a very elementary level, I would recommend it for a quick, yet inspiring, read. Anyone who really wants to understand what it is like struggling as a teenager living in a drastically different situation should pick this book up. Arnold Sprit Jr. brings you into his heart and you being to truly appreciate how hard his life is and how truly passionate people can be about changing their situation.