Part-Time Indian

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie is my favorite book so far! I actually enjoyed reading it, maybe it was because I could relate to this book. I am an American Indian and every summer my family and I go to an Indian pow wow. This is where Indians gather and sell their creations and food. When I tell people that I attend these I usually get the comments like "Why would you go, was it dirty, what was it like" and then I would explain to them that I was Indian and that is what my family does! I am mostly Italian but have Indian in my blood. There are many stereotypes that Indians are poor and all they do is smoke and drink. This is seen in the book and also seen through my grandfather. He goes onto an Indian reservation every other month to buy Indian cigarettes, but he likes supporting his own kind. Yes most Indians are poor but they are so close to their families that there is a hard bond to break. Everybody works together to raise money, everybody shares the money that they make. This is seen when even though Juniors dad goes out and drinks he still makes sure to save money for Junior to look like he has money. With Rowdy and Junior they have a very close bond, but Indians get frustrated easily and thats why he got so mad when Junior told him that he was going. Yes, Rowdy should have gotten mad, but should have still been friends with Junior. He still lives on the rez, is still the same person, but just wants to better himself. The fact that he offered for Rowdy to go with him showed that he really cares about Rowdy. Alexie shows that they have adolescent behavior thought the language, cartoons, and comics. This is what makes this book such an easy read. It keeps your attention and also helps emphasize on the point he is talking about.

betsey brown

The novel portrays Betseys growth and development as she strives to understand who she is. During this age frame 10-15 children and young teens learn to express their identity in a mature way. Its sad at a young age to have to put up with racial inequality. While reading this book I started to feel bad for Betsey Brown. At such a young age she has had so much responsibilities put on her that it is causing her abnormal amounts of stress. This is found very often in homes today where the parents do not have enough time to do chores so they are putting it on their children at young ages. My cousin is already doing the family laundry at age 8! Chores are ok, but its not normal for a young child to have as many responsibilities as an adult. Because Betsey has had so much put on her, she has grown up and matured really fast. When she ran away, I thought to myself about when I was a child and had all these pressures put on me. She felt like she did not fit in and that nobody liked her. I always did the chores around the house and yet I felt like I was the one who was always getting yelled at and made fun of. There is plenty of tension and conflict in this book, its a sensitive novel for a young child who is ready to begin becoming a women, and experience life as a different person. The book did not interest me much, but it defiantly should be shared with young girls ages 10-16.