Module 15: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Book Summary

Junior, a cartoonist Spokane Indian, has always been the odd one out. He was born with a list of medical ailments and has been picked on by other Indians on the rez. The only person that would stick up for him was his rough and tough best friend Rowdy. After an incident at his school, he was encouraged and ultimately decides to attend Reardan, the "white school" across town. This is his ticket out of the rez. This action turns those living on the rez against him, especially his best friend Rowdy who now hates him. Junior, aka Arnold, has to navigate the world of his new school and his new, even lower, position on the rez. Just as he starts to find his place at Reardan, tragedy strikes his family. 

APA Reference of the Book

Alexie, Sherman. (2007). The absolutely true diary of a part-time indian. New York, NY: Little, Brown, and Company. 

Impression
This book was one of my favorites that I read this semester. The voice of Junior is so powerful. As a reader, you feel as if you are his friend. The language is crude, but realistic for a high school boy. The illustrations add to the book's charm, emotion, and builds the character of Junior. If I had to describe this book in one word, I would use the word REAL. This book is direct about the problems faced by Indians and Junior. It does not tread lightly in an attempt to spare the readers feelings. This book is one of the top banned books, but I think that is just because people are afraid of that realness. The profanity and crude language in this book is not overwhelming or superficial, it is used exactly how it would be used in real life. As I was reading this book, I was just happily going along and enjoying it. Then BAM. Tragedy strikes. And just like the tragedy in the book, I felt like I was hit by a car. The emotions were unexpected, but I was finally able to deal with them and move on. Then, BAM. Another tragedy. And BAM, again. The end of this book was far more emotional for me than I expected it to be, but I wouldn't change the ending. Fantastic read. I would recommend this to everyone. 

Professional Review

Part memoir, part graphic novel, part humor, and part pure heartbreak is the story of Arnold "Junior" Spirit. The first-person narration gives vivid details about what life is like for a teenager on an Indian reservation. Junior is bullied for not looking or acting like the other kids; his self-loathing voice compels the reader to learn more about this young man. The external conflict intensifies when Junior decides to attend the "white school" instead of the one on "the rez"; he is seen as someone who has rejected his culture and his home. What's worse is the internal conflict when Junior realizes he doesn't quite fit in at the white school, either; he expected to blend in based on intellectual ability but is isolated because of his external qualities. He describes the dichotomy with a brilliant visual (on page 57) that illustrates the dual identities he inhabits: white and Indian.

Unfortunately, Junior is bullied in both worlds and struggles to define himself and come to terms with who he really is. He wonders about the possibilities his life may hold but also fears the obstacles he will face simply because he is an Indian. He is split between these two ideas: the paltry and miserable opportunities on "the rez" just seem to discourage him, yet leaving and seeking out the great unknown is intimidating.

This text is rich in many ways and provides teachers with several topics and themes to discuss, yet the concept of the inner bully could be a powerful one to explore with students. The text is heartbreaking at times while humorous at others; adolescents will certainly enjoy the first-person narrative. Teachers could consider the theme of identity and defining yourself within the context of family, culture, high school, and society.

Schmidt, P. (2014). [Review of the book: The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian, by S. Alexie]. English Journal: 103(5), 84-84.

Library Uses
One use of this book that I thought about was using it during banned book week. I would definitely include it in a display in a high school or middle school library. Another idea that I would incorporate is to have students read a banned book, including this one, and make book commercials advocating for their book. It would also be a fun book to include in a mock trial event, where students have to argue for or against banning it from the library. 

The Crossover book trailer

One Crazy Summer book trailer

Doll Bones book trailer

Module 14: All the Broken Pieces

Book Summary

Matt Pin was adopted into an American family after being air lifted out of Vietnam during the Vietnam War. His birth father was an American soldier and his birth mother was Vietnamese. His birth mother was forced to give him up for a better life. Matt plays the piano and becomes the pitcher of his baseball team. Through his coaches, parents, and piano teacher, Matt is guided towards facing his past, the people who treat him badly because of where he is from, the political climate of the time, and his own mistakes he has made. 

APA Reference of the Book

Burg, Anne. (2009). All the broken pieces. New York, NY: Scholastic Press. 

Impression
This is an emotional, powerful book that explores the tensions and misunderstandings that faced our nation after the Vietnam War. I think choosing to write this novel in verse made it more powerful and was the best format for this novel. This is a heavy novel, but one that I feel is needed. The emotions are much better expressed through verse than if it were just a standard novel. Like a strong fiction book, the changes the main character experiences are profound. There are not many books that confront this time in our nation's history and I think it is an important one that needs to be addressed. I also felt that weaving sports and music into this book not only make it more realistic, but show how these forums can help us deal with our emotions and experiences. It's a tear jerker, but a much needed one. 

Professional Review

Seventh-grader Matt is haunted by his past, when his frantic Vietnamese mother, intent on keeping her elder son safe, sent him to America in the Saigon airlift when he was nine. On the surface, he seems to have settled in with his American family—he has joined the baseball team and become its star pitcher, and he's taking to the piano like a duck to water—but he's still tormented by grief and guilt over what he experienced, especially his younger brother's terrible injuries from encountering a land mine when he was under Matt's care. The free-verse text lacks tonal control, veering from sentimentality to flat prosiness to oversophisticated metaphor, and there's some cliché in plot elements such as Matt's misunderstanding of a parental conversation he overhears and his relationship with a racist bully on the team. The book tackles some subjects worthy of exploration, though, ranging from the parallels between the civilian and soldier experiences in the Vietnam War to the difficulty of reconciling a traumatic past with a peaceful present, especially when a child has left family behind; as a picture of older-child adoption, it's refreshing in its acknowledgment of the importance of the child's earlier life. With its accessible writing, this will help it bridge the historical gap for young readers, who may gain new understanding of some of the struggles of the previous generation.

Stevenson, D. (2009). [Review of the book: All the broken pieces, by D. Stevenson]. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books: 62(9), 35. 

Library Uses

This book could be used in a variety of scenarios: novels in verse, sports books, adoption stories, etc. I think this book would best be served as a study or display on books that have to do with the Vietnam War era. While this piece of history is more current than other wars and historical events, I think it gets some of the least recognition or study. To me, that's unfortunate, as I think a lot of our current political climate can be compared to this time. 

Module 13: Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea

Book Summary

This graphic novel tells about the time in Guy Delisle's life that he worked as an animator in the hermit country of North Korea. While the reader gets insight into Delisle's thoughts, feelings, and the work he did while he was there, the black and white illustrations give a feeling of the loneliness and oddness of North Korea. The reader also learns a lot of information about North Korea in another format. 

APA Reference of the Book
Delisle, Guy. (2007). Pyongyang: A journey in North Korea. Montreal, Quebec: L'Association. 

Impression
I was very excited to read this graphic novel because North Korea is big area of interest. I lived for three years in South Korea and have read extensively on North Korea and the issues the divided countries face. I think this was a great format to write this memoir, because the visual elements of it were better communicated than if it was just described. Many of the visuals in this were very powerful. Because I've read a lot on North Korea, there were not many new things that I learned about the country. But I think for someone unfamiliar on the nation, this would be an interesting read. I did not especially like Delisle's style of writing. There were a few underlying jabs towards Asians in general, especially about the Chinese. I'm not sure if this was his intention, but I did not care for this attitude. A huge issue that I took with this book was when he would write in Korea. While, I don't speak or have an extensive Korean vocabulary, his Korean was nonsensical. Some of the characters were not even real characters and many of the "words" he would write wouldn't even include a vowel, so they were not real words. While I don't expect everything to be in perfect Korean, a bit of research and translation would have gone a long way. 

Professional Review

Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea

by Guy Delisle

Jonathan Cape £12.99, pp184

Comic-book memoirs of life in dangerous locations have become a minor genre. Joe Sacco's Palestine was followed by Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis books, documenting life in revolutionary Iran. Now French-Canadian cartoonist Guy Delisle's Pyongyang chronicles his two-month stay in North Korea, supervising animation work, prior to 9/11.

As a foreigner, severely restricted in where he may travel, much of Delisle's account centres on official landmarks devoted to the state and its glorious leadership. Even a trip to the railway station requires several days' prior notice, and the pocket guide counsels sternly: 'Do not try anything on your own.' Delisle's evocative pencil drawings are suited to depicting a colourless, twilight world in which the state is all, with his rudimentary characters inhabiting vast and much more detailed architectural environments. Less well drawn are the inner lives of Pyongyang's citizens.

Even Delisle's ubiquitous 'guide' and translator remain little more than surfaces, etched only with party propaganda and moments of discomfort. Perhaps this is exactly how people behaved in the author's presence; perhaps they were genuinely inscrutable. Pyongyang effectively conveys a foreigner's experience of this Hermit Kingdom, though one can't help but wonder what lies behind those surfaces, especially now that North Korea has joined the nuclear club.

Thompson, D. (2006). [Review of the book: Pyongyang: A journey in North Korea, by G. Delise]. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/books/2006/oct/15/travel.features

Library Uses
North Korea is a huge area of interest because of the prominence of the country in the news and the mystery that surrounds the hermit country. Pairing this book with The Aquariums of Pyongyang would be an interesting comparison of the memoirs. It would lead to great discussion for a high school reading club.  

Module 12: Hank Aaron: Brave in Every Way

Book Summary

This book is the biography of Hank Aaron. It is a narrative account of his life starting at his childhood and ending at him beating Babe Ruth's home run record. The story along with its beautiful illustrations give a lot of information and facts about Hank Aaron's life, struggles, and successes. 

APA Reference of the Book
Golenbock, Peter. (2001). Hank Aaron: Brave in every way. Orlando, FL: Gulliver Books. 

Impression
This book was well written--interesting, yet simple enough to understand. It weaved facts seamlessly into an intriguing narrative about Hank Aaron. It reminded me a lot of a favorite picture book biography of mine--Roberto Clemente: Pride of the PittsburgPirates. The book did not include an author's note or any information about references, but it was clear throughout the writing that the author did do a lot of research before writing this book. I felt the author did a good way of addressing the negative attention and death threats that were received by Hank Aaron, but in a very age appropriate way. 

Professional Review
GOLENBOCK, PETER. (2001). Hank Aaron: Brave in Every Way. Illus by Paul Lee. San Diego: Harcourt. ISBN 0-15-202093-4.
    When Hank Aaron was born his father wanted him to know the joy of playing baseball and his mother wanted him to make a difference in the world. Hank did both of these things. Hank Aaron played baseball in the major leagues and in 1974 he broke Babe Ruth's homerun record.
    This biography would be interesting to cluster with several other recent baseball biographies such as Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man (Adler, 1997), Satchel Paige (Ransome, 2000); and Golenbock's earlier book, Teammates (1992) about Pee Wee Reese.

Brewer, J. & Bushner, D. (2002). Spotlight: nonfiction [Review of the book Hank Aaron: Brave in every way, by P. Golenbock]. New England Reading Association Journal: 38(2), p. 35.

Library Uses
This book could be used in a variety of purposes. It could be included in a biography study. I would highly recommend it to teachers looking for a mentor text for writing a biography. It would be a strong book to include when studying sports stars or African American history. Additionally, it could spark a discussion about how illustrations influence a story and provide information just through pictures.