The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian is a book about a boy named Junior who is a Native American and lives on a poor reservation in Washington. Junior has a best friend on the rez, Rowdy. When Junior realizes that if he stays at his school at the rez he’ll go nowhere, he transfers schools to Rearden which is in a rich white neighborhood. When Rowdy starts to physically hurt Junior because of his decision he realizes that he is on this journey by himself. Junior is constantly trying to find a way to fit in and trying to be like these new kids at Rearden. Along the way Junior will encounter conflicts, love interests, and new friendships, and even death. He will also learn how where he comes from and how much he has affects him in places other than the rez. But what lies will Junior have to make to fit in at this new school? Will it be worth it? I guess you’re going to have to read and find out. 

This book is a mix of lots of different writers' craft. You have comics and illustrations, letters, and vivid imagery. All of these things keep the reader engaged and feel connected to the book. 

I think the author was trying not only to give representation for Native Americans and young adults books but to also show young adults that class separation exists. Some young adults may not be so aware of how race and money affects people’s every day decisions and how it dictates people’s lives. I think Sherman Alexie is trying to show young adults that there will always be a division of people depending on what they look like, and how much money they have. Especially to small town readers, Sherman Alexie is opening their minds because they don’t know about their privilege or their non privilege. It’s important to teach that because it prepares young adults for the real world. Sherman Alexie is breaking barriers by reaching out to all audiences of all classes and races, not just one particular one.  By doing this, Sherman Alexie is educating more of tomorrow's leaders by teaching them how race and money influence the world. Sherman Alexie's style and humor also make the book not only educational but also entertaining. This is what makes the books so easy to read and learn from. 

I personally learned a lot about reservations and really how much effort isn’t put into making them better quality. I always thought that reservations were more high quality and had great schools. By reading this book I learned how poor the education can be on some of these reservations. Reader’s learn this by looking through Junior’s eyes and seeing his frustration because of the lack of education he’s getting. The most important and valuable lesson a reader could learn from this book is to not let things like money and race stand between friendships and relationships in general. This lesson has the potential to theoretically change the world by making everyone more accepting. This is why this book is so important. This book stretches to lots of different groups of people which spreads this lesson. 

As an 8th grader who is usually not in the mood to read, this book did. I am someone who gets distracted easily, doesn’t like a lot of words, and has trouble keeping interest in one thing for a long time, (except for Harry Potter) but this book was written so brilliantly because it feels like a comic book and there are pictures and good descriptions and relatable content that isn’t boring but entertaining and engaging. I could also relate to a lot of the humor in this book because I have the same type. This book was just really well written and fun to read. 

This book will make you cry, laugh, and empathize with these characters who feel like real people. With the Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian, you’ll never want to stop reading. All of the events and lessons in the book all go back to the influence of money and race, and the power that it has to take over peoples emotions and actions towards one another. There will always be that division but the best thing you can do as a reader is be aware of it and defy it. At the end of the day skin is skin and money is just glorified paper.