The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Should Absolutely Not Be Banned
Quotes like, "Did you know that Indians are living proof that n*****s fuck buffalo?" (Alexie 64) is one of the reasons some parent may have challenged The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian written by Sherman Alexie. The novel is set in 2006 surrounding the life of a teenage Native American boy, Arnold (also referred to as Junior). He is going to school outside his reservation and faces trouble with the people on the reservation as they bully him and treat him even worse once he leaves. They view him as a race traitor and terrorize him. The white people in his new school are not so kind either, as they treat him as an outsider until he eventually makes …show more content…
In 2015, it was banned in Wilmington, North Carolina since it contains violence and bullying (Marshall University Libraries Banned Books). Again, the novel makes no attempt to hide this factor and openly discusses it. Arnold 's best friend has an extremely short temper and the root of this problem can be traced back to his harsh upbringing. Arnold recalls, “His father is drinking hard and throwing hard punches so Rowdy and his mother are always walking around with bruised and bloody faces.” (Alexie 16). Understandably the topic is harsh, but it 's not as though these incidents don 't happen daily. If anything Alexie is raising awareness so that students also coming from a dysfunctional family can relate and connect more easily. The violence doesn 't stop there, though, as the reader can see the protagonist struggle with bullying on a daily basis. Arnold was talking to his teacher at the time Mr.P when the topic came up. “‘I don 't like to cry,’ I said ‘Other kids they beat me up when I cry. Sometimes they make me cry so they can beat me up for crying.’” ( Alexie 41). This excerpt explains the struggle that Arnold was going through at the time fairly simply. These few lines of dialogue explain the aftermath of bullying. It 's a harsh reality that some parents may want to protect their child from. However, the resist to this is futile as most young adults have already witnessed bullying first …show more content…
Some of the intended audience may be turned off due to the controversy previously stated and some older adults may just deem the entire plot too vulgar for any reader. That, however, is a tragic mistake on their part. The rawness of the entire story is what makes it so powerful and important. Everything from bulimia to masturbation is discussed with zero censorship. Alexie does an excellent job with connecting to the adolescent by putting a light-hearted twist on things teens do that’s frowned upon in society. He really goes out of his way to connect with everyone from all different backgrounds as he mentions homosexuality and encourages the reader to be content and happy in their own skin. He also addresses his own people making sure their voices are heard as well. Many times he speaks out against the wrongdoings of his people 's oppressors along with the tragic aftermath that occurred because his people were targeted throughout American history, “Alexie continues to explore the quirks and tragedies of Native American legacies with irreverent wit,” (Baez). Sherman also heavily dips into alcoholism, managing to create three deaths in the novel related to people not drinking responsibility. Not only does he relate to the reader but he’s a master of informing the reader from the ups and downs in life instead of protecting them from things they’re bound to find out
Quotes like, "Did you know that Indians are living proof that n*****s fuck buffalo?" (Alexie 64) is one of the reasons some parent may have challenged The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian written by Sherman Alexie. The novel is set in 2006 surrounding the life of a teenage Native American boy, Arnold (also referred to as Junior). He is going to school outside his reservation and faces trouble with the people on the reservation as they bully him and treat him even worse once he leaves. They view him as a race traitor and terrorize him. The white people in his new school are not so kind either, as they treat him as an outsider until he eventually makes …show more content…
In 2015, it was banned in Wilmington, North Carolina since it contains violence and bullying (Marshall University Libraries Banned Books). Again, the novel makes no attempt to hide this factor and openly discusses it. Arnold 's best friend has an extremely short temper and the root of this problem can be traced back to his harsh upbringing. Arnold recalls, “His father is drinking hard and throwing hard punches so Rowdy and his mother are always walking around with bruised and bloody faces.” (Alexie 16). Understandably the topic is harsh, but it 's not as though these incidents don 't happen daily. If anything Alexie is raising awareness so that students also coming from a dysfunctional family can relate and connect more easily. The violence doesn 't stop there, though, as the reader can see the protagonist struggle with bullying on a daily basis. Arnold was talking to his teacher at the time Mr.P when the topic came up. “‘I don 't like to cry,’ I said ‘Other kids they beat me up when I cry. Sometimes they make me cry so they can beat me up for crying.’” ( Alexie 41). This excerpt explains the struggle that Arnold was going through at the time fairly simply. These few lines of dialogue explain the aftermath of bullying. It 's a harsh reality that some parents may want to protect their child from. However, the resist to this is futile as most young adults have already witnessed bullying first …show more content…
Some of the intended audience may be turned off due to the controversy previously stated and some older adults may just deem the entire plot too vulgar for any reader. That, however, is a tragic mistake on their part. The rawness of the entire story is what makes it so powerful and important. Everything from bulimia to masturbation is discussed with zero censorship. Alexie does an excellent job with connecting to the adolescent by putting a light-hearted twist on things teens do that’s frowned upon in society. He really goes out of his way to connect with everyone from all different backgrounds as he mentions homosexuality and encourages the reader to be content and happy in their own skin. He also addresses his own people making sure their voices are heard as well. Many times he speaks out against the wrongdoings of his people 's oppressors along with the tragic aftermath that occurred because his people were targeted throughout American history, “Alexie continues to explore the quirks and tragedies of Native American legacies with irreverent wit,” (Baez). Sherman also heavily dips into alcoholism, managing to create three deaths in the novel related to people not drinking responsibility. Not only does he relate to the reader but he’s a master of informing the reader from the ups and downs in life instead of protecting them from things they’re bound to find out