<P> The Absolutely True Diary of a Part - Time Indian is a novel by Sherman Alexie and illustrated by Ellen Forney . The book won several awards, and was the first young adult fiction work by Alexie, a stand - up comedian, screenwriter, film producer, and songwriter who has previously written adult novels, short stories, poems, and screenplays . Alexie stated, "I (wrote the book) because so many librarians, teachers, and teenagers kept asking me to write one ." </P> <P> Despite the novel's high acclaim and several achievements, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part - Time Indian has also received a lot of objections and has consistently appeared on the annual list of frequently challenged books since 2008 . The novel is controversial for its discussion of alcohol, poverty, bullying, violence, and sexuality, as well as for the tragic deaths of characters and for the use of profanity and slurs related to homosexuality and mental disability . As a result, some schools have banned the book from school libraries or inclusion in curricula . </P> <P> The Absolutely True Diary is a first - person narrative from the perspective of Native American teenager Arnold Spirit Jr., also known as "Junior", a 14 - year - old budding cartoonist . The book is a coming of age story, detailing Junior's life on the Spokane Indian Reservation, and his decision to go to an all - white public high school off the reservation . The graphic novel includes 65 comic illustrations that help further the plot . </P> <P> The book follows one school year in the life of Junior, a fourteen - year - old boy living with his family on the Spokane Indian Reservation near Wellpinit, Washington . It is told in episodic diary style, moving from the start of the school year to the beginning of summer . It includes both Junior's written record of his life and his cartoon drawings, some of them comically commenting on his situations, and others more seriously depicting important people in his life . </P>

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