Book Talk Written Submission

For my book talk I chose to read and do a presentation on the novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexei. The way and reason why I came to choose this specific novel is fairly straight forward. Even though I had thought about using other novels, mainly ones that had were written by a Canadian author about a group of Canadian Indigenous people, I chose this one specifically because it was written by a Native American author about a group of Native American people. Speaking from experience, students currently learn a lot about Canadian Indigenous people in schools, but they do not really learn a lot about Indigenous people from other countries and this novel allows them to do that. It also allows students to learn about how Indigenous issues in America are similar or different to Indigenous issues in Canada. I also chose the book because I think it is very well written and students would enjoy reading it. I think that due to some of the controversial topics that are discussed in the novel and the fact that there are profanities used in it, the novel would be best suited to a grade twelve audience. Specifically, the course I would teach it in is ELA 30B as the novel is written by an American author and set in America, so it cannot be used for ELA 30A, which requires that all course readings be Canadian material. A teacher could use the novel in ELA 20, but I think that it is best suited for ELA 30B because student’s in grade 12 are generally more mature and will be better able to handle the controversial topics and language that are used in the novel. The novel deals with the issue of race by discussing the contrast between Native American people and communities and white people and communities in the Spokane Indian Reservation and the immediate surrounding area in Washington state. The novel discusses how Native American generally live in communities with less opportunities and worse infrastructure than white people who live in communities with substantially more opportunities and much better infrastructure. The novel also discusses how white people have often discriminated against and been racist towards Indigenous people in the Spokane Indian Reservation area. When it comes to class, the novel essentially represents class as being tied to race. In the novel those who are Native American are often poor due to the lack of opportunities on their reserve and the alcohol addictions that many of them suffer from. Because of this many parents in the novel have trouble providing for their children at times. While those who are white in the novel, particularly those who are from the white town of Reardan are described as being much wealthier and having access to much better jobs. Because of the wealth that white parents are described as having in the novel, their children have access to many opportunities and get whatever material things they want. The novel deals less with issues related to gender than it does with issues related to race and class. The novel discusses many people who are male and female, but it does not discuss people who fall outside of the gender binary or the problems that they face. The only real issue related to gender that the novel really discusses is domestic violence as one of the novel’s character’s fathers hits their mother (women are more likely to be victims of domestic violence than men). With all things considered, yes, I would definitely recommend this book to my students to read independently if I was not going to teach it to them. I think that many of them would enjoy the novel and learn a lot about Native American issues and history by reading it. I think students who would enjoy the book would be those who want to learn more about Indigenous people and issues in other countries, those who enjoy books that contain humour, those who are a fan of the author’s work, and/or those who enjoy novels that relate to young people and some of the issues that they face while growing up. With this book, there are many things that I could do with it, depending on the outcomes that I want students to meet while studying it. To meet the comprehend and respond outcomes of ELA 30B I could use chapter questions, summary of chapter events, character charts or analysis, unit essays and/or unit tests. To meet the compose and create outcomes of ELA 30B I could use PowerPoint presentation or poster assignments on an Indigenous issue detailed in the novel (describe the issue, how prevalent it is and what is being done to stop it), group work assignments/presentations on events described in the novel (ex. formation of the Spokane Indian Reservation or other reserves in Washington state) and/or group video assignments on a scene/event that occurred in the novel. To meet the assess and reflect outcomes of ELA 30B I could use self-assessments of an assignment (group activity, essay, etc.), self-assessments of understanding of the novel’s material and how to improve understanding, and self-assessments of effort put into the class and completion of course work.