The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian | Banned Book Project

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian Synopsis:

Arnold Spirit Jr. (“Junior”) tells about his early life on the Spokane Indian reservation. How doctors predicted he would die from complications of hydrocephalus—his being born with excess spinal fluid on the brain. But, of course, Junior survived. The early condition, however, left Junior with a lisp and stutter. He had too many teeth and had to have some removed, and he is far-sighted in one eye and near-sighted in the other. Worst of all, as a small child, he had seizures. Even today, other Indians on the reservation or, as Junior calls it, the “rez,” bully him and call him names like “hydrohead.” Junior’s best friend, Rowdy, often promises to protect him, but Rowdy’s own violent tendencies sometimes prevent him from being all that helpful. Junior’s parents are alcoholics and his sister, Mary, spends all her time in the family basement. Junior loves drawing cartoons, and many of his drawings are included in the book. Rowdy is extremely supportive of Junior’s art, and Junior thinks this proves his and Rowdy’s friendship.

— From SparkNotes

Awards:

2007:

• National Book Foundation award for Young People’s Literature.
• “Best Books of 2007”, School Library Journal.

2008:

• American Indian Youth Literature Awards. American Indian Library Association Best Young Adult Book. In 2018 AILA rescinded this award.
• “Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults”, Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).
• Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, Fiction and Poetry.

2009:

• Odyssey Award as the year’s “best audiobook for children or young adults”, read by Alexie (Frederick, MD: Recorded Books, LLC, 2008, ISBN 1-4361-2490-5).
• “Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults”, YALSA

2010:

• California Young Reader Medal, Young Adult Book (eligible to win once during its first four years).

Reasons:

Profanity, Sexual Content, Racism, Bullying

Locations Challenged:

Crook County, Oregon, 2009 – A parent in Prineville brought concerns about the book’s references to masturbation and its general inappropriateness to the school board. In response, the Crook County School District temporarily removed the book from reading lists and curriculums. The removal was upheld, but the book remained available to students in school libraries.

Alexie defended his book in the central Oregon newspaper The Bulletin:

“Everything in the book is what every kid in that school is dealing with on a daily basis, whether it’s masturbation or racism or sexism or the complications of being human,” Alexie told the newspaper. “To pretend that kids aren’t dealing with this on an hour-by-hour basis is a form of denial.”

Antioch Township, Illinois, 2009 – Challenged as required reading for freshmen English classes at Antioch high school.

Helena, Montana, 2010 – Challenged but retained in the Helena School District despite a parent’s objection that the book contained “obscene, vulgar, and pornographic language.”

Stockton, Missouri, 2010 – Banned in the Stockton School District because of violence, language, and some sexual content. School administrators banned the book from the school because of its language and sexual content. The school board decided it no longer wanted the book to be taught in the classroom or available in the school library.

Newcastle, Wyoming, 2010 – Added to the Newcastle Middle School 8th grade English curriculum. Parents challenged the book and the school allowed students to read it with a signed permission slip. Two weeks later, the school board banned teaching the book in the curriculum but still allowed it to remain in the library.

Mattapoisett, Massechuttes, 2011 – Challenged at Old Rochester Regional Junior High School as an eighth-grade English assignment. Despite being called “a great little book” by the parent heading the charge against the book’s inclusion in the 8th-grade class, some parents didn’t think the book’s mention to sex, erections, masturbation, and racism was age-appropriate.

Trenton, Georgia, 2011 – Pulled from the Dade County (GA) library shelves and the required high school reading list because of complaints about “vulgarity, racism, and anti-Christian content.”

Richland, Washington, 2011 – Banned, but later returned to the Richland (WA) school district’s 2011 reading list despite objections to the “coarse themes and language in the young-adult novel.”

Westfield, New Jersey, 2012 – Challenged as required reading in at least three freshmen English classes. As parents became familiar with the text they objected to “some very sensitive material in the book including excerpts on masturbation amongst other explicit sexual references, encouraging pornography, racism, religious irreverence, and strong language (including the f- and n-words).”

Yakima, Washington, 2013 – Challenged at the West Valley School District because some parents found the sexual references and profanity in the novel inappropriate for high school students.

Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, 2013 – Removed from the Jefferson County schools because a parent complained about the novel’s “profanity and sexual content.”

Billings, Montana, 2013 – Challenged by a parent for the second time. The parent requested that the book be removed from the 10th grade required reading list at Skyview High School:

“[t]his book is, shockingly, written by a Native American who reinforces all the negative stereotypes of his people and does it from the crude, obscene, and unfiltered viewpoint of a 9th-grader growing up on the reservation.”

Belle Harbor, New York, 2013 – Some parents had planned on boycotting the book due to references to masturbation. The principal removed the book from the required summer reading list at Public School/Middle School 114 in Queens.

Wilmington, North Carolina, 2014 – Challenged at the Cedar Grove Middle School by a single parent because “the book contains numerous depictions of sexual behavior, as well as instances of racism, vulgar language, bullying, and violence.”  A review committee at the school unanimously decided to keep the book. The parent appealed the decision.

Meridian, Idaho, 2014 – Removed from the Meridian high school’s 10th-grade supplemental reading list in a 2-1 vote by the Meridian school board. Parents complained that the novel “discusses masturbation, contains profanity, and has been viewed as anti-Christian.” A  review committee suggested that the book remains on the supplemental reading list with parental permission. The suggestion was denied.

Sweet Home, Oregon, 2014 – Challenged in an 8th-grade Sweet Home Junior High English class because of concerns about its content, particularly what some parents viewed as the objectification of women and young girls. Parents of the 8th-graders in the language arts classes received information summarizing the novel’s most provocative subjects before the unit began and had the opportunity to choose an alternative book.

Highland Park, Texas, 2014 – The superintendent of the Independent School District temporarily removed the book from the school’s approved reading list. The ruling sparked a backlash that drew national attention which caused the superintendent to reinstate the book. In February 2015, the school trustees adopted policy reforms that dictate how the district picks books and manages parental concerns.

Bolivia, North Carolina, 2015 – Challenged, but retained in Brunswick County schools. A grandmother, for the second time, complained that the book “portrays bestiality and is pornographic.” The board stated that: “Appeals to a book the school board has previously ruled on will not be considered for two years.” Not dissuaded by the board’s verdict to keep the book as part of the curriculum, she claimed she’d achieved her goal with the latest challenge – to notify parents regarding the book and its contents.

Thousand Oaks, California, 2017 – Delayed because of the school board president’s objections to sexuality and profanity in the book, it was sequentially approved in August 2017 for use in the curriculum at the Conejo Valley Unified School District.

New London, Minnesota, 2017 – Challenged by several parents in the New London-Spicer School District who petitioned for its removal from 8th grade English student’s required reading list because of “gratuitous and unnecessary” profanity and reference to sexual acts. A 3-2 vote by the school board kept the book on the reading list.

Las Vegas, Nevada, 2017 – Challenged but retained at Democracy Prep where 7th-graders are required to read the book. Parents protested language and sexual references in the book and urged administrators to withdraw the book from the curriculum. The Democracy Prep executive director held firm in favor of the book.

Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin, 2017 – Challenged and retained at Sauk Prairie Schools after parents raised concerns about teaching the book in 9th-grade classes. Their criticisms over profanity, violence and sexual references were considered by a review committee. The committee and superintendent formally recommended preserving the book. Parents then appealed the administration’s ruling to the school board which voted unanimously to retain the book in the school’s curriculum.

Alton, Illinois, 2017 – Restored to the 10th-grade curriculum at Alton High School following a review committee meeting. In October, the book was pulled provisionally from the instruction after a single parent opposed to its contents. The 10th-grade teacher worked with the parent and the administration to return the book to the curriculum and present a choice for concerned parents.

Midland, Michigan, 2019 – Parents protests the book’s placement on at freshman reading list. The parents were concerned with the book’s content relating to alcohol, bullying, violence, sex, profanity, and racial slurs. The book was reviewed by the school board and was retained, but restricted as extracurricular reading material only.

Waverly, Kansas, 2019 – A high school English teacher was suspended after considering teaching the novel.

North Albany, Oregon, 2020 – The novel was used in an eighth-grade language arts class when a parent from a different class challenged the title for language and mentions of masturbation. The Reconsideration Committee retained the title.

Sources:

Banned Books (date unknown). Marshall University Libraries. Retrieved September 27, 2018, from http://www.marshall.edu/library/bannedbooks/books/parttimeindian.asp

Belsky, Elizabeth (2017, May 19). A Part Time Indian Challenged in Minnesota School District; UPDATE: After NCAC Action, Principal Recommends Book Remain in Curriculum. National Coalition Against Censorship, Retrieved September 27, 2018, from https://ncac.org/news/blog/a-part-time-indian-challenged-in-minnesota-school-district

Clark, Anika (2011, October 27). Off-color book stirs debate at Old Rochester junior high. South Coast Today, Retrieved October 1, 2018, from  http://www.southcoasttoday.com/article/20111027/NEWS/110270349

Fuller, Ruth (2009, June 22). Some parents urge board to ban book. Chicago Tribune, Retrieved October 2, 2018 from http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2009-06-22-0906210159-story.html

Gomez, Betsy (2017, November 17). Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Under Fire in Las Vegas. Comic Book Defense League, Retrieved October 1, 2018, from http://cbldf.org/2017/11/absolutely-true-diary-of-a-part-time-indian-under-fire-in-las-vegas/ retrieved Sept 27, 2018.

Gomez, Betsy (2017, May 2). Part-Time Indian Survives Wisconsin Challenge. Comic Book Defense League, Retrieved October 1, 2018, from http://cbldf.org/2017/05/part-time-indian-survives-wisconsin-challenge/

Rogers, Rob (2013, November 8). Following complaint, SD2 holds hearing on Sherman Alexie novel. Billings Gazette, Retrieved October 1, 2018, from https://billingsgazette.com/news/local/education/following-complaint-sd-holds-hearing-on-sherman-alexie-novel/article_6099ef20-017e-5b4d-8704-e997b1f996b7.html

Stockton, MO School Bans Award-Winning Book (2010, April 28). OzarksFirst.com, Retrieved October 1, 2018, from https://www.ozarksfirst.com/news/education/stockton-mo-school-bans-award-winning-book/71974156

Trapasso, Clare (2013, August 1). Queens sixth-graders no longer must read racy ‘Diary of Part-Time Indian’. New York Daily News, Retrieved October 1, 2018, from http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens/nyc-sixth-graders-no-longer-read-racy-article-1.1414308#

Van Kuren, Lynda (2015, April 28). Brunswick County turns down grandmother’s book challenge a 2nd time. Breakingnews@StarNewsOnline.com, Retrieved October 1, 2018, from http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/NC/20150428/News/605041897/WM/

Webb, Jaci (2014, October 17). Author Sherman Alexie likes stirring up ‘small-town, white conservatives’.  Billings Gazette, Retrieved October 1, 2018, from https://billingsgazette.com/entertainment/books-and-literature/author-sherman-alexie-likes-stirring-up-small-town-white-conservatives/article_29963f22-401d-5575-8f2b-b6f186577100.html

Williams, Maren (2013, December 3). Absolutely True Diary Pulled From Classrooms at West Virginia Middle School. Comic Book Defense League, Retrieved October 1, 2018, from http://cbldf.org/2013/12/absolutely-true-diary-pulled-from-classrooms-at-west-virginia-middle-school/

Zuckerman, Laura (2014, April 4). Idaho School System Removes Book From Curriculum After Parental Outrage. Reuters, Retrieved October 1, 2018, from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/04/idaho-bans-native-american-book_n_5094525.html