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AI Book Club: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie In-Person

Politics. Humor. Identity. Let’s talk about it, with a little AI help.

Our AI Book Club dives into Sherman Alexie’s frequently challenged coming-of-age novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Why do stories about poverty, adolescence, and Indigenous identity generate so much pushback? How can AI help us compare narratives of representation—without flattening cultural nuance?

Why it’s banned: profanity, depictions of poverty, sexuality, and “age-inappropriate content.”
Credible links:
• Marshall University Libraries banned book summary: https://www.marshall.edu/library/bannedbooks/the-absolutely-true-diary-of-a-part-time-indian
• Banned Books Week coverage: https://bannedbooksweek.org/banned-spotlight-the-absolutely-true-diary-of-a-part-time-indian

Copies of the book are available at the front desk.

You’ll learn how to:

  • Map character development using AI visualization tools

  • Explore how AI summarizes Indigenous stories (and where it fails)

  • Compare cultural reception across time

This is an interactive book club, so please bring a laptop or tablet to participate in the exercises. 

Date:
Wednesday, January 7, 2026 Show more dates
Time:
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Time Zone:
Eastern Time - US & Canada (change)
Location:
Art Room
Audience:
  Adult  
Categories:
  Book Clubs     Digital Literacy Series  

Registration is required. There are 10 seats available.

About the Moderator

Autumn Hassett is the Executive Director of the Cotuit Library and holds a Master of Library and Information Science. With a background in technology and a passion for intellectual freedom, Autumn leads the library’s digital literacy and AI programming initiatives. She created the AI Book Club to help readers explore big ideas, challenge assumptions, and learn to use AI tools thoughtfully and responsibly.

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Autumn Hassett

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