Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Alexie) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
This is a gem of a book....may be [Sherman Alexie's] best work yet.
New York Times


Sure to resonate and lift spirits of all ages for years to come.
USA Today


Fierce observations and sharp sense of humor...hilarious language.
Newsday


[Alexie] has created an endearing teen protagonist in his own likeness and placed him in the here and now.
Minneapolis Star Tribune


Exceptionally good....Arnold is a wonderful character.
Miami Herald


(Starred review.) Screenwriter, novelist and poet, Alexie bounds into YA with what might be a Native American equivalent of Angela’s Ashes, a coming-of-age story so well observed that its very rootedness in one specific culture is also what lends it universality, and so emotionally honest that the humor almost always proves painful (Ages 14-up).
Publishers Weekly


(Starred review.) Exploring Indian identity, both self and tribal, Alexie's first young adult novel is a semiautobiographical chronicle of Arnold Spirit.... The teen's determination to both improve himself and overcome poverty, despite the handicaps of birth, circumstances, and race, delivers a positive message in a low-key manner (Grade 7–10). —Chris Shoemaker, New York Public Library
School Library Journal


Alexie's humor and prose are easygoing and well suited to his young audience, and he doesn't pull many punches as he levels his eye at stereotypes both warranted and inapt. A few of the plotlines fade to gray by the end, but this ultimately affirms the incredible power of best friends to hurt and heal in equal measure. —Ian Chipman
Booklist


(Starred review.) [S]harp wit with unapologetic emotion.... The reservation’s poverty and desolate alcoholism offer early mortality and broken dreams, but Junior’s knowledge that he must leave is rooted in love and respect for his family and the Spokane tribe.... [His] fluid narration deftly mingles raw feeling with funny, sardonic insight.
Kirkus Reviews