Book Club

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Our book for the last Nine weeks is The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie. Junior is a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. His story told through his cartoons and narrative reveals many instances of unfairness, and prejudice both inside and outside the Reservation.
Assignment for Luncheon and Book Discussion
Recount two such instances from the book. Then, explain how the characters involved coped with the instances of unfairness or prejudice. Secondly, compare one of the the experiences with something you have experienced in your life (or some life experience that was unfair or prejudiced that you know about) with the instances you picked from the book. Do not use anyone's real name as you write about this. Also, compare how the fictional characters coped to how your "real life" characters coped with their experiences.
Post your papers online (Web Blog) or submit them to Mrs. Ducot e or Mrs. Purcell in the Media Center. Completing this assignment will guarantee you an invitation to the Sophie's Choice Luncheon and Book Discussion. Deadline for this assignment is Friday, May 23rd. If you have any questions about this assignment, please don't hesitate to ask us.

No Easy Answers

Book Club
The book for the 3rd Nine weeks is No Easy Answers, edited by Donald R. Gallo. It is a collection of short stories about Teenagers making tough choices. The short stories are arranged according to 5 themes:
(1.) How Did I Get Myself Into this? (2.) It Seemed Like A Good Idea at the Time (3.) What Do I Do Now? (4.) How Do I Get Myself Out of This? (5.) I’m Sorry.

Sophie’s Choice Assignment:
Read the stories. Summarize your favorite story from each themed section, and write/post your reaction to it. Be sure to apply the story to your life or experience, and explain how the story affected or changed you. What did it remind you of or make you think about? You will be responding to five different stories from each of the five themes listed above. We look forward to reading your papers/posts and discussing your thoughts and reactions at our upcoming book discussion and luncheon.  Post on the blog or turn in your papers to Mrs. Ducote or Mrs. Purcell in the Media Center by Tue. March 25th.