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Jot Down A Book Review: Growing Up On The Spokane Indian Reservation

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2) Jot down a brief plot summary of the book. Junior is an aspiring cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian reservation. Born with a variety of medical problems, he is picked on by everyone but his friend Rowdy. Living on a reservation is not easy. He is living in poverty and his father is an alcoholic. Determined to receive a good education, he leaves the reservation (rez) to attend an all-white school in a neighboring farm town where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Despite being denounced as a traitor to his people and undergo tragedies, Junior attacks life with judgement and humor and discovers a strength inside of himself that he never knew existed. 3) What is the central or main idea of the book? Even with adversity, one has the ability to overcome challenges and shape their own life. In the beginning of the book, Junior says that living on the reservation has generations of Indians losing hope. They accept their lives as their ancestors did.. His parents couldn't follow their dreams because they didn't have a support system. Junior is the example of how one can break the path of the traditional life on the reservation if one has the motivation and a good support system. Junior had the love and emotional support of his parents and was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to attend a prestigious Prep school based on the suggestion of Mr. P, a teacher at the rez school. …show more content…

In other words, what is the overall message the author is trying to relay to you, the reader? Find 2-3 quotes to prove your insight. Use ICE to explain each

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Junior is a young American Indian who had grown up on a reservation in the western United States. As he grew older, he realized that living on the reservation would lead him nowhere. His only chance of hope at a better life is to leave “the Rez”. Sherman Alexie perfectly captures the culture of an American Indian in his novel, “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian”, by introducing white culture by sending Junior to Reardan High School. Junior’s experience in Reardan allows him to draw conclusions about his own culture and Alexie has surely done research on American Indian culture.

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703 Words | 3 Pages

And to the tribe of basketball players. And to the tribe of bookworms” (Alexie 217). Although Junior is a Spokane Indian, he realizes that he cannot allow himself and others to label himself as one specific thing; he, like everyone else, is unique and special. If he convinces himself that he is simply Indian and nothing else, then he condemns himself to a life of monotony and a lack of idealism. However, his experience at Reardan has changed that.

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Following up to Mr.P, Junior goes to the rich white school. Consequently, it is not easy for Junior because there are no first nations at this school. Both of his parents have enough problems to deal with already and Junior cannot find his parents so he turns to his grandmother for advice. His grandmother has a lot of wisdom to share with others. In this case, her grandmother gives him insight of how to fit in and to get more friends.

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887 Words | 4 Pages

Junior is from a poor Indian family. He has brain surgery when he was very little. One day after he finds there is no future in the reservation, he decides to go to a school in Reardan where is full of white children. After a year studies in Reardan “I realized that, sure I was a Spokane Indian, I belonged to that tribe … And to the tribe of basketball players.

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694 Words | 3 Pages

Thesis: Junior’s story is a powerful one with trials and tribulations that many of us can relate to; the author Sherman Alexie is able to capture these dynamics of teenage life by using raw and relatable dialogue. In this review, I will summarize the story, review the issues Junior faces, go over the strengths and weaknesses of the writing, and lastly share my opinion of the book. Writer Sherman Alexie starts the book by introducing us to Junior, a Native American teen living on the Spokane Indian Reservation. When Junior was born, he had too much cerebrospinal fluid, giving him many physical problems, along with brain damage.

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482 Words | 2 Pages

Junior is a young boy that lives on a indian reservation in the novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. As a result of living on the reservation, Junior is forced to deal with all the horrible consequences such as poverty, drunks, and bullies on the reservation. First off Junior lives on the reservation and has to deal with how poor his family is and he has to help them deal with the poverty. In the beginning of the story Junior tells us about the struggles of being poor by explaining “empty refrigerator + empty stomach= poverty”(8). Sometimes Junior and his family have to go without eating a meal because they can not afford the food.

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771 Words | 4 Pages

And because you're Indian you start believing you're destined to be poor. It's an ugly circle and there's nothing you can do about it,” (Alexie 19). In addition, Junior remarks that it’s not just him that is poor, but his tribe in the reservation too. It shows how much poverty is affecting him and the people on the reservation. According to Sherman Alexie, he mentions in the novel, “My school and my tribe are so poor and sad that we have to study from the same dang books our parents studied from.

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671 Words | 3 Pages

He realizes that his team has numerous economic and social advantages. Junior’s ability to address topics like poverty, racism and bullying with humor is a significant characteristic of his voice. For Junior, as well as his friends Rowdy and Penelope, part of growing up is recognizing that the world is more complicated than a strict division of opposites, it’s possible to be more than one thing—part of countless different “tribes”—is what enables him to unify his split identity and, as someone destined to travel beyond the reservation, navigate the world both figuratively and

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744 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout the book, Junior faces many challenges with his identity. Junior navigates his way through the challenges between living on the reservation and going to school in Reardan by playing basketball and drawing cartoons. Making a change like Junior did takes a lot of courage. Junior started out the year going to his school on the reservation, he soon

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1121 Words | 5 Pages

Faced with many obstacles from poverty to racial stereotypes, Junior must override them if he is to make his life better than that of fellow Indians. Interestingly, rather than letting the obstacles hold him back Junior understands that his destiny is in his own hands and he must celebrate who he is even if it means fighting. In the end, we see a boy who have managed to overcome all hardships to get to the top, even if it means making tough choices such as changing schools, therefore is could be seen that race and stereotypes only made Junior

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716 Words | 3 Pages

Junior’s life as a Native American on a reservation is different from a non-native American's life

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735 Words | 3 Pages

Junior loses a lot of friends and family at the young age of fourteen. He gets bullied because he was born with too much cerebral spinal fluid inside his skull, but he has his best friend Rowdy there to help him. Junior realizes that he needs to leave the reservation to get a better life for himself. He goes to a new school off the

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1297 Words | 6 Pages

He has come to terms with his identity, bravery, and success. Junior could not figure out what his identity was while he was living on the reservation, but he wanted to fix this by changing his way of life which ultimately proves that he is a survivor. Throughout Juniors years in the reservation, he has felt hopeless and trapped by his culture and race resulting in Junior not being able to fully understand his identity. Junior has been through many difficult situations such as making the decision with transferring schools, but he knew that these situations he is going through will only make himself stronger. Junior has accomplished many wonderful things in Reardan such as his school work and basketball, which will lead him to great success in the future.

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736 Words | 3 Pages

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie discusses the harsh reality that can be growing up on an Indian reservation. Junior is someone who knows what's it like based on those around him and his own personal experiences. Through alcoholism, poverty, and racial/cultural differences we learn about the pain Junior has experienced while living on an Indian reservation. Seeing the people not have a future is why he left. His dream is to be remembered for something he did in life.

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702 Words | 3 Pages

Overcoming a challenge, not giving up, and not being afraid of change are a few themes demonstrated in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Perhaps the most prominent theme derived from the novel is defying the odds, or in other words rising above the expectations of others. Junior Spirit exemplifies this theme throughout the entirety of the book. As Junior is an Indian, he almost expects that he will never leave the reservation, become an alcoholic, and live in poverty like the other Indians on the reservation—only if he sits around and does not endeavor to change his fate. When Junior shares the backstory of his parents, he says that his mother and father came from “poor people who came from poor people who came from poor people, all the way back to the very first poor people” (11).

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