For this week, I’m featuring a banned, challenged, or censored book each day of the week alongside your regularly scheduled line-up!
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pub Date September 12th 2007
Genres YA, Fiction, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Humor
Goodreads
Description
Bestselling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.
Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is based on the author’s own experiences, coupled with poignant drawings by Ellen Forney that reflect the character’s art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he was destined to live.
With a forward by Markus Zusak & interviews with Sherman Alexie and Ellen Forney
REASON FOR BEING
BANNED OR CHALLENGED
Consistently challenged since its publication in 2007 for acknowledging issues such as poverty, alcoholism, and sexuality, this National Book Award winner was challenged in school curriculums because of profanity and situations that were deemed sexually explicit.
INITIAL REACTION
Not gonna lie, I don’t really remember much about this book. I remember I didn’t like it all that much (like, it just wasn’t my cup of tea). I didn’t HATE it or anything, I just wasn’t the biggest fan. It was ok for me. Probably a 3 star book or something. I honestly didn’t think it was worth all the fuss (AGAIN) especially since it was bringing to light topics and issues that are IMPORTANT ONES and part of life… part of many children’s lives, regardless of whether adults like it or not.
DISCUSS
What do you guys think? Have you read this one? What were your thoughts on it and does the challenges brought upon it stand or are wildly exaggerated?
Reckless Indulgence 