I decided to do my report on The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. This book is about a Native American boy who has to deal with various issues like racism, bullying, loss, health issues, and other more adolescent issues. At the beginning of the book, Arnold tells us about his complicated birth and how he was born with too much brain fluid. This led to him having many physical problems as he aged, such as poor eyesight, a rather large head, speech impediments, and seizures. Due to these issues, he is frequently bullied and it is usually up to Arnold's best friend Rowdy to protect him. Rowdy's father abuses him and as a result he is very unstable and angry. On Arnold's first day, he is eager to learn geometry, but when he inspects the books, he finds his mother's name there. Angered that the reservation is so bad that they have to use expired books, he throws it away and hits his teacher. He ends up getting suspended and during this time his teacher visits him and encourages him to leave the reservation and succeed. Arnold decides to transfer to Reardan High School, where white country kids go. The Indians on the reservation see this as an act of betrayal and as the intimidation intensifies, Rowdy decides to intimidate Arnold as well. The kids at school also decide to bully him, but when he fights back, they choose to ignore him. Arnold begins to have a crush on Penelope, the most popular girl in school. At first, she doesn't give him the time of day, but when he understands her bulimia, as well as her other insecurities, she begins dating him. They become very close and Arnold even tells him how poor he is... in the middle of a paper... to try to make him lose his ambition. After his first match against Wellpinit, he insisted on playing against them again despite their hostility, and his coach told him he was the most dedicated player he had ever seen. I've never been really good at writing conclusions, but I think this is the case. a good time to conclude otherwise I risk rambling (and who wants to read the ramblings of a teenager?). I guess enough of a lesson to learn from this book is to not allow others to dictate your life. We always have parents, friends, teachers and any number of other people giving their unwanted opinions about what you should or shouldn't do. There has to come a time when you just say, “To hell with your opinion” and go after your dreams. Ultimately, it's your life to live and you must deal with the consequences of your decisions or lack thereof..