In addition to the books and readings assigned to students by classroom teachers, all students entering Forms II – VI are asked to read one book in common. This year the book is The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by novelist, poet, comedian and screenwriter Sherman Alexie.
The committee to choose the common book believes that Alexie’s novel is a great choice because it’s a terrific summer read: quick, engaging, funny. It’s also a great autumn read: provocative, layered, eye-opening. Ms. Cohen has prepared a study guide for those students who would like a prompt to get them started with their reading. She has graciously permitted me to reproduce it here. Enjoy!
Form II-VI English
Ms. CohenSummer Reading
The Absolutely True Story of The Browning School Boy
Who Does His Summer Reading
A Study Guide in Three PartsPart One: Who? What? When?
Who: You, Sherman Alexie, Arnold Spirit, Jr., the rest of the gentlemen in Forms II-VI, and the faculty of The Browning School.
What: Reading the All-School Summer Reading book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.
When: Obviously, this summer. Preferably, before the start of the school year. Wisely, not too long before the start of the school year.
Where: Wherever.
Why: Well… there are a number of ways of answering this question.
A. Because it’s an assignment for school, and if you’re in one of my classes, you’ll be writing about this book within the first week. (This explanation, though not my favorite is, if nothing else, practical. And honest.)
B. The members of the Summer Reading Committee (me, Mr. Reynolds, Ms. Murphy, Ms. Jackson, Ms. Boland, Ms. Levine, and Mr. Ingrisani) thought that this would be an interesting, imaginative, not-too-long, not-too-challenging, boy-friendly novel. And we liked it better than Three Cups of Tea. True story.
C. Sherman Alexie, the author, won the National Book Award for this book. He is also the recipient of the Pushcart Prize, a Horn Book Award, and he has been a World Poetry Heavyweight Champion three years running (it’s true—check his website: www.fallsapart.com). He’s a pretty talented guy.How: Any way that does not involve using the Internet or someone else’s brain.
Part Two: Things Worth KnowingWhile many of the stats below are a little old (2001-2002), they’re still important for bringing an informed point of view to your reading of the novel. These stats are also mostly incredibly depressing, but the book is not—it’s funny, bawdy, gross, and it has pictures. Don’t be scared.
The Reservation, “The Rez”: Part of Andrew Jackson’s “removal policy” was an attempt to convince Native Americans (Indians) to sell their homelands east of the Mississippi River in exchange for land in Arkansas and Oklahoma. They weren’t really that interested, but Jackson had more money, more guns, and, more importantly, a powerful disregard for what the Native Americans wanted. In 1851, Congress passed the “Indian Appropriations Act,” formalizing the removal and concentration policies already in action, and consolidating western tribes on agricultural land. The Department of the Interior estimates that there are approximately 56.2 million acres of reservation land in 30 states. According to census reports, approximately 800,000 Native Americans live on reservations and another 1.2 million live in urban areas (.9% of the US population). If you are interested in this, see Supreme Court Cases Worcester v. Georgia, Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, and the US Bureau of Indian Affairs web site: http://www.doi.gov/bia/. From that site:
A federal Indian reservation is an area of land reserved for a tribe or tribes under treaty or other agreement with the United States, executive order, or federal statute or administrative action as permanent tribal homelands, and where the federal government holds title to the land in trust on behalf of the tribe.
Native Americans and Alcoholism: According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control), Native Americans have a “disproportionately high prevalence” of the following conditions: obesity, infant mortality, mental health issues, and substance abuse issues. In the years 2002-2005, Native Americans were more likely to have had alcohol abuse problems in the previous year than members of other races (10.7% vs. 7.6%) (From: The National Survey on Drug Use and Health). Native Americans also have among the highest rates of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in the nation (From: The US Department of Health and Human Services). A 2006 study reported that four of the top ten causes of death for Native Americans are linked to alcohol abuse: accidents, suicides, homicides, and cirrhosis. These causes of death occur at three to four times the national average (From: jointogether.org).
Native Americans and Poverty: According to a study done by the Indian Health Service in 2002, approximately 32% of Native Americans live in poverty (compared to 13% of the general population). In 40 counties, all located in areas of historic Native American presence or on Reservations, the poverty rate jumps to 41%. A full fifth of the entire population in those areas has an income 75% below the poverty line (From: Economic Research Service of the US Department of Agriculture).
Part Three: Questions Worth Asking (And Answering?)
These questions are big, overarching, “umbrella” questions that are meant to be considered after you’ve finished the novel. At the same time, taking a look at these questions before you start reading might also be helpful in guiding you through the book. They might also spoil the plot, so proceed with caution.
1. Is this an angry book? How would you characterize the tone of the novel (tone: the author’s implied attitude towards his subject and his audience)?
2. Who/What is the novel’s antagonist? What are the obstacles and hurdles in Arnold Spirit’s path? Are there many different obstacles, or do they all stem from one underlying source?
3. It is not unusual to have different name in each of the different facets of your life (the students on my XC team at Suffield were allowed to call me “Abby,” I have a family nickname, at Browning I’m Ms. Cohen—at least to my face… etc.). In Arnold’s case, his two names seem to carry more weight than the simple explanation of geography would suggest. Who is “Junior” and what, if anything, does he have in common with “Arnie”?
4. Why basketball? Of all the sports at which Alexie could have had Arnold succeed, why basketball? What can you come up with about the symbolic meaning of this particular sport?
5. Find your favorite illustration. What do you learn from it?
6. Using the book as your evidence, finish this sentence: The Spirit family…