The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie is a adolescent, hilarious  and insightful look at the life of a modern Native American. Alexie’s writing is beautiful, and even though it is an easy read, the story is hard hitting. The story moves from relatable, funny adolescent struggles to tough, difficult issues. It goes through girl problems to dealing with serious grief and conflicts with identity within seconds. This book leaves you remembering the story for a long time.

The novel is the story of Arnold Spirit, a boy born with brain problems but extremely intelligent. He leaves his reservation to go to school in a small, primarily white town, betraying his tribe and people. As he gets ostracized by both his Indian community and the white community, Arnold preservers in order to follow his dreams of going somewhere with his life. As Arnold goes through struggles, he hangs on and courageously keeps going. Facing death, violence and loss, Arnold’s determination to overcome poverty is shown through his simple pencil drawings and his actions.

Alexie delivers these adult themes in a soft manner, so you realize the message of the story nearing the end. Arnold’s spirit as an adolescent boy is hilarious, making dark situations lighter and more readable. Alexis conveys this perfectly.

Overall, The Absolutely True Diary proves to be an extremely insightful read. It gives amazing insight to the lives of the modern Native American and the problems they must face, but in an almost poetic manner by showing situations with a much deeper meaning behind them.