Fitting In

I recently finished the novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. This novel is great for the adolescent target group of readers. Reading this book was really great experience for me because it was funny and quick. Alexie makes the book fun and easy to read as far as moving the plot along with his use of humor. Some people may think it is a bit dicey for a younger reader, however, the book brings up issues that people of all ages can relate to and is an excellent coming-of-age story. 

One of the great things about this novel is all of the issues that it raises. The subject matter in this book is relatable, not only to the targeted adolescent demographic, but to everyone. It raises awareness about issues such as racism, finding a niche and fitting in, socio-economic status, and alcoholism. One of the ways Alexie deals with racism is by making jokes about it. He deals with a lot of issues through his use of humor. He uses several stereotypes to make fun of Native Americans while at the same time he brings to light the plight that the Indians face to a non-Indian audience. The novel is also mainly about the main character’s, Junior’s, struggle to fit in somewhere. He doesn’t fit in on the reservation, so he moves to a white high school where he is accepted even less. It is this issue that most people can relate to and find a kind of connection to Junior. There are a couple particular scenes that stuck out in my mind dealing with Junior’s economic class status, at the same time as dealing with the alcoholism he has to face in his daily life. Around Christmas time, Junior’s father goes out with what little money the family does actually have and blows it on booze. However, he comes back and passes out, right after giving Junior the left over five dollar bill for his Christmas gift (Alexie 151). This shows how he combines the two issues into one. He then remedies those situations with comedy such as the cartoons seen on pages 120 and 170. These cartoons depict the topics “How to Pretend You’re Not Poor” and “How to Get the Last Sip of Wine From the Bottom of the Bottle”.

These issues raised are strung along in a nice linear plot line that make the novel a quick read. The nontraditional cartoons added in to give the book the sense of humor that it has, creates a way to deal with the hard issues brought up in the story and bring a sense of comic relief to the novel. Overall, this book makes things relatable to the reader, makes the tough parts easy to swallow, and is accessible to all ages. It is a fantastic read for anyone who has ever felt out of place or has struggled with his or her family life. I would strongly suggest it to any literature class ranging from seventh grade to tenth grade to introduce racism against Native Americans, dealing with family issues, death, isolation, and friendship.

Works Cited: Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely Tru Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company, 2007. Print.

Word count: 523

Don't be a slave to high school.

I just recently finished reading the novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. I thought it was an excellent example of how victimizing high school can be, especially to the young quiet freshmen. It was a beautifully written account of Melinda, the protagonist, and her struggle to blend in to the background and keep quiet after experiencing a rape by one of the senior boys at a party the summer prior to her freshmen year. It is rich in sarcasm and vaguely reminds me of MTV's old cartoon series "Daria", but with a bigger underlying theme that runs a little deeper than simply hating high school and thinking that the social hierarchy is ridiculous.
Anderson captures the feelings of invisibility that a lot of young kids wish to find when they first enter high school in Melinda's character and longing to fit in, in her sort-of friend Heather. Melinda takes great comfort in her art class where she feels some sort of belonging, and in the abandoned janitor's closet that she has made into a second home. Heather on the other hand, a kind of foil to Melinda, wants desperately to fit in and is looking to be invited into a prestigious group, a a clique that could offer her friends, popularity, and a sense of belonging. The two girls' different social views eventually draw the two apart, but Heather's attitude cause Melinda to grow in a different direction in the end. She begins to speak to people, she gets motivated to do some things around the house, like cleaning up her long forgotten yard, and eventually finds her voice to fight back against her rapist and win back some of her old friends that she had lost in her depressing struggle and silence.
The writing style of Anderson makes the book a quick read, and it keeps you turning the pages, ready to find the next sarcastic joke with a bit of dark humor. All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book. It is an excellent book for any adolescent struggling with their identity or the urge to find a social circle in high school to read. It also helps bring up important issues like sexuality, and how to speak up for oneself if something bad happens to you (like rape). I would recommend this book to teachers of 7th or 8th graders definitely to prepare them for high school, and I would recommend this book to any young girl searching for inner strength and identity.

From "The Foot Book" to "The Rum Diaries"

Ever since I was very little I remember getting excited about reading. I asked my dad everyday when I would get to go to school and get books to read like the big kids in my neighborhood. The day I finally got to head off to kindergarten, I was terrified, but I came home with a smile on my face because I realized, I already knew how to read!
I had gained this knowledge thanks to my parents starting me off right, with Dr. Seuss, still one of my favorites. I ate all of his beginner reader books up until (with the help of my mom) I built myself up to "The Lorax". After these beginning books, I moved on to bigger and better things, like chapter books in first grade. Wayside School provided hours of entertainment. By the second grade I was hungry for more and was constantly checking out books from the school library.
In junior high, in order to get kids to read more, our school participated in a program called "Reading Counts" in which we were required to read and take quizzes on books in our lexile (or reading level). The more books you read, the more rewards you were eligible for at the big and highly anticipated end of the year party! I was ready around thirty books a semester at that point but it was hard to find many in my lexile... the only ones that I can remember were "Little Women" and "Little Men"... AWFUL! However, I made up for the boring books by reading my beloved nerd books, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings.
In high school I was in the school's book club. We read one book every 2 weeks. I grew to love my now favorite author, Kurt Vonnegut, my freshmen year of high school. From there I kept exploring and with the help of some very excellent literature teachers, I learned more than I could have imagined possible.
I gave up my love for literature by attending Purdue University 3 years ago majoring in apparel design... no more reading time. However, I realized how much I missed it, so I transferred to Indianapolis and am now an English Literature major! YAY! I've taken several literature courses, my favorite by far being children's literature. I also completed my Kurt Vonnegut collection this year at Christmas with the help of my boyfriend! THANKS! ...and I now own every Vonnegut book published... and I can't wait to keep reading!