What a book! I am not privy to life on the Reservation,
but I have heard stories (stereotypes) of what life is like growing up Native
American. Unfortunately, Alexie
continues the stereotype through Arnold’s family. The poor kid has everything going against
him, he looked weird, he sounded weird, he came from an unstable family. Most kids would have given up, but Arnold didn’t. He kept going when the going got tough-and
boy, was it tough for him!
What’s cool about this book? It’s
local. The entire book is based in
Spokane and surrounding areas and students would be able to connect with that
aspect. Also cool? The experiences
Arnold had, actually happens in real life.
Some kids have it really rough, so this story of perseverance can really
hit home and teach kids that tomorrow can be different, and one day their world
can change. What’s not cool? The language…Arnold
uses many (too many for a youth book) expletives to express how he feels. Realistically speaking, adolescents use these
words, but are they too young and impressionable to understand when and where
to use the curse words? I don’t
know. The subject matter is pretty
rough, too. Even though the main
character is a young teen, I don’t think I would assign this book until 11 or
12th grade just because of the subject matter and language. Yes, it’s reality, but kids live this stuff every
day and they shouldn’t have to relive it through literature. Learning opportunity? Yes. Curriculum book? No.
I did some education research on
this book, and parents have tried to have this book banned from certain school
districts. Banning a book is a bit of a
wild venture, but taking excerpts from it can be beneficial. As an educator and mom, I am on the fence
about whether or not I would teach this book, or allow my 9th grader
to read it. It might just depend on the
group, the situation, and maturity levels.
I enjoyed the story, and I was proud of Arnold, but we should probably
be careful with which kids we share it.
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