American Indian Themes

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Common Read: Discussion 1
Common read themes this year include: awareness of the contemporary American Indian experience, resiliency, transitions, and community. Discuss if and how the book shed light on these themes. Which theme is particularly interesting or relevant in your own experience and why?
The common read book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian was an amazing story. The book did an excellent job of really covering the culture of Native Americans. While growing up my parents did an excellent job of raising my sister and I. I never really understood that there was any difference between being Caucasian and Native American until moving to Rapid City. Personally, I believe it was not until my mid-twenties that I began to realize that people felt differently. Since I began my nursing career I have been “fired” as a nurse by many families, most of those families being Native American. The excuses vary from “to intense, to strict, and not giving them what they require.” Since maturing past the …show more content…

However, as a culture they are more true to their families than I have ever seen by the Caucasian culture. Native Americans thrive from family and support one another unconditionally to the end. During a holiday weekend the parks are filled with families of fifty or greater celebrating and enjoying one another. Native Americans are a resilient culture that I learn from on a daily basis. When I go to the room of a patient and there are twelve family members present, I learn their meaning of family. When I see a grandmother raising her grandchildren, I see their commitment to family. Junior’s family is so familiar and transparent. Junior is a suffering poverty stricken child that overcomes the complications of illness. Perhaps, the strength from overcoming illness is what gave him the strength to be different and overcome the obstacles that he faced trying to obtain an