As an adolescent and a high school student, I can attest to the fact that teenagers can and have benefited from reading the book Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, or ATDPTI for short. ATDPTI is about a boy who realizes he must leave his home, the Spokane Indian Reservation, and go to a white school in order to find hope. The author, Sherman Alexie, wrote the book specifically for the benefit of young adults. In the city of Richland, Washington this book was banned and removed from curriculum throughout the Richland School District. The primary reason for the ban was the use of profanity and other offensive language in the book. Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian should be used in high school curriculum, regardless of any minor inappropriateness found in the book.
Adolescent readers can benefit from reading about and connecting with characters from the book. For example, when the main character Junior said, “I realized I might be a lonely Indian boy, but I was not alone in my loneliness” (Alexie 217). A lot of teens can relate to having this feeling of loneliness. Reading and connecting with this can really help them to have a more positive outlook on life. “I looked and talked and dreamed and walked differently than everybody else” (Alexie 110). The narrator writes about the main the character, Junior, being different. Teens often worry about not fitting in and can relate to how the character is feeling. "I especially liked the book because of its realism in describing the high school experience and its overwhelming message of perseverance," said a Richland High School student (Tri-City Herald). Young readers are able to recognize and connect with the ‘realism’ in describing the high school experience that they are currently experiencing. Teens enjoy reading books that they can relate to and this is something that should not be taken away from them.
The positive messages in the book far outweigh any offensive language used in the book. Students themselves supported the book, although a few acknowledged that some readers might be offended by sections of it. The students at Richland School District have shown support for the book, despite the fact that certain content could potentially be offensive to some readers. "This is the best freaking book I've ever read," said one Richland High School student (Tri-City Herald). It is very clear that adolescents have enjoyed reading the book, and have felt very comfortable with the book’s content despite the fact that some parents do not find the content appropriate. In the book, the main character Junior starts to feel more confident in himself and say things like, “But there was no way Penelope and I were gonna sit still. Nope, we both wanted to fly” (Alexie 112). The book contains some bright positive messages that are often overlooked. The parents of these students tend to focus more on the minor profanity and offensive content than on the positives.
Books have the power to change the lives of teenagers for the better. I have read a large number of books in my years of being a high school student and I can honestly say that I have been inspired and motivated by the majority of them. This opportunity should not be taken away from high school students. One local newspaper went as far as saying, “Students in Richland school classes won't read an award-winning book by a Northwest author in the foreseeable future” (Tri-City Herald). Students at Richland would truly be missing out on reading a book that has proven to be inspirational to many young teens. “And now I write books for teenagers because I vividly remember what it felt like to be a teen facing everyday and epic dangers” (Sherman Alexie). Sherman Alexie makes it very clear that his reason for writing books aimed towards young adults is because he believes that they can benefit from reading them. A book as powerful as ATDPTI should not be taken away from high school students.
ATDPTI is simply too motivational and inspirational to young adults to be removed from the high school curriculum. Many high school students struggle with different problems in their lives, and need to read a book like this. After reading the book, it becomes clear that the positive messages outweigh any use of profanity in the book. A lot of students can relate to the different problems that the characters are dealing with, which makes the book really come to life for them and speak to them in a positive way. In the end, the ban on ATDPTI was removed from Richland School District and the book was brought back into the curriculum. Board members acknowledged the value of its uplifting theme of perseverance. In closing, I will say that often times teens only read books that are assigned to them at school and would not otherwise have the chance to read an uplifting book such as ATDPTI. This is why it is important that the book retains it’s place in the high school curriculum.
Adolescent readers can benefit from reading about and connecting with characters from the book. For example, when the main character Junior said, “I realized I might be a lonely Indian boy, but I was not alone in my loneliness” (Alexie 217). A lot of teens can relate to having this feeling of loneliness. Reading and connecting with this can really help them to have a more positive outlook on life. “I looked and talked and dreamed and walked differently than everybody else” (Alexie 110). The narrator writes about the main the character, Junior, being different. Teens often worry about not fitting in and can relate to how the character is feeling. "I especially liked the book because of its realism in describing the high school experience and its overwhelming message of perseverance," said a Richland High School student (Tri-City Herald). Young readers are able to recognize and connect with the ‘realism’ in describing the high school experience that they are currently experiencing. Teens enjoy reading books that they can relate to and this is something that should not be taken away from them.
The positive messages in the book far outweigh any offensive language used in the book. Students themselves supported the book, although a few acknowledged that some readers might be offended by sections of it. The students at Richland School District have shown support for the book, despite the fact that certain content could potentially be offensive to some readers. "This is the best freaking book I've ever read," said one Richland High School student (Tri-City Herald). It is very clear that adolescents have enjoyed reading the book, and have felt very comfortable with the book’s content despite the fact that some parents do not find the content appropriate. In the book, the main character Junior starts to feel more confident in himself and say things like, “But there was no way Penelope and I were gonna sit still. Nope, we both wanted to fly” (Alexie 112). The book contains some bright positive messages that are often overlooked. The parents of these students tend to focus more on the minor profanity and offensive content than on the positives.
Books have the power to change the lives of teenagers for the better. I have read a large number of books in my years of being a high school student and I can honestly say that I have been inspired and motivated by the majority of them. This opportunity should not be taken away from high school students. One local newspaper went as far as saying, “Students in Richland school classes won't read an award-winning book by a Northwest author in the foreseeable future” (Tri-City Herald). Students at Richland would truly be missing out on reading a book that has proven to be inspirational to many young teens. “And now I write books for teenagers because I vividly remember what it felt like to be a teen facing everyday and epic dangers” (Sherman Alexie). Sherman Alexie makes it very clear that his reason for writing books aimed towards young adults is because he believes that they can benefit from reading them. A book as powerful as ATDPTI should not be taken away from high school students.
ATDPTI is simply too motivational and inspirational to young adults to be removed from the high school curriculum. Many high school students struggle with different problems in their lives, and need to read a book like this. After reading the book, it becomes clear that the positive messages outweigh any use of profanity in the book. A lot of students can relate to the different problems that the characters are dealing with, which makes the book really come to life for them and speak to them in a positive way. In the end, the ban on ATDPTI was removed from Richland School District and the book was brought back into the curriculum. Board members acknowledged the value of its uplifting theme of perseverance. In closing, I will say that often times teens only read books that are assigned to them at school and would not otherwise have the chance to read an uplifting book such as ATDPTI. This is why it is important that the book retains it’s place in the high school curriculum.