by Sherman Alexie ★★★☆☆
Sherman Alexie's most successful work, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, is not a new book -- in fact, it celebrated its 10th anniversary more than six years ago -- but it was a book club pick for me, and one I had never stumbled upon (or, if I'm being honest, ever heard of). The title of the book is pretty much on-the-nose: this is Alexie's mostly autobiographical story of growing up on a poor Spokane Indian Reservation. The main character is Arthur Spirit, Jr., modeled, of course, after Alexie. He's a weird kid, born with "water on the brain" and "forty-two teeth instead of the typical thirty-two". He spent his early years on the reservation regularly being bullied and beaten up, but he was a good student. Arthur's life takes a turn when a teacher has a heart-to-heart with him. The teacher has seen the continuous cycle of failure on the reservation, because "the only thing you kids are being taught is how to give up." He implores Arthur to leave.
The message hits home, and Arthur decides that evening that he needs to make a change. He talks to his parents, and explains that he wants to transfer schools. He wants to go to Reardan, the high school in the "rich white farm town that sits in the wheat fields exactly twenty-two miles away from the rez." It's also the hub of the most success in the area. "The kids in Reardan are the smartest and most athletic kids anywhere. They are the best." Arthur's parents immediately agree, and with seemingly no difficulty get him enrolled at Reardan.
The remainder of the book details his time with a foot in two worlds: the reservation and the life he knew, where he is suddenly viewed as an outsider, and the rich white high school where he's also an outsider, the only Indian there, but where he begins to find ways to fit in, mostly through basketball. Despite his giant glasses and frail frame, he's a surprisingly good basketball player, having spent hours playing with and against his friend Rowdy on the reservation. That, combined with an unlikely romance with the "it" girl in school, and Arthur is befriended and accepted relatively quickly.
The commentary from Alexie surprised me. He has criticisms for both of the cultures he straddled, but far more harshly criticizes the majority of life on the reservation and the choices that his people there made. While he praises the parts of the Indian culture that focus on traditions and community, he unflinchingly calls out the pervasive alcohol and drug use, domestic violence, the culture of fighting on the reservation, and the lack of ambition from his family and friends. I also expected more of a scathing rebuke of white culture, and frankly expected him to encounter more racism at Reardan as the only Indian at the school. Instead, his time there is surprisingly positive. He's shocked when his white classmates aren't ready to fight over any perceived slight, and despite one initial racist encounter, he's fairly quickly accepted, and ultimately is the beneficiary of some true friendships and kindness from his Reardan classmates.
The writing isn't anything spectacular, and at under 250 pages, it's something you can easily read in an afternoon. While I found it interesting and mostly enjoyable, I'm frankly a bit surprised that this was a National Book Award winner. I suppose the subject matter helps it shoot to the top of the list for consideration, but if I think of all of the books that I have read, in school or otherwise, dealing with the challenges of being part of multiple cultures at once, this pales in comparison to most. Something like Firekeeper's Daughter is so much more nuanced and insightful on the subject, and one I would recommend if you're interested in reading about a Native American main character trying to be part of two worlds and cultures. Part-Time Indian is fine, it's an entertaining and quick read, but it's not going to make any Barlin "Best Of" lists.