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Reviews tagging 'Child death'
We Had a Little Real Estate Problem: The Unheralded Story of Native Americans and Comedy by Kliph Nesteroff
3 reviews
novella42's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
I read this book by accident, but by the time I got past the intro and realized it wasn't humorous essays from an Indigenous comic, it was also clear that this was a book well worth reading. I'm so glad I stuck with it. If this review seems long, forgive me, it helps me remember what I've read. Tl;dr: a good, accessible introduction to First Nations history and modern lived experience from an unusual perspective.
The book doesn't shy away from dark content, but doesn't dwell there, either, and shows that depictions of First Nations life fall short of reality if they only focus on suffering. Nesterhoff quotes numerous comics who agree on the need to highlight the humor and joy that is central to life among many of the nearly 600 tribes remaining in the US today.
I started with a surface-level knowledge of some of the topics covered, like colonialism, the massacres, the horrors of residential schools, the intergenerational trauma, and some of the more recent activism work at moments like Standing Rock. I never, ever thought I'd laugh about any of those topics, but hearing the sarcasm and biting wit of Charlie Hill and the 1491s opened my eyes.
After the intro, I looked up Nesterhoff and when I realized he wasn't Indigenous I had my misgivings. I decided to give the audiobook a little more time. Right away I was struck by how much of the book is structured around interviews and seeks to center the voices of First Nations people.
I like that each chapter title includes the name of the comic or comedy troupe, both to help you orient yourself in a somewhat chaotic book (the book meanders a lot, which is why I took off half a star) and also to help you go look up all these comedians so you can watch them online. (Ex. You get to hear the story behind this pivotal moment on the Richard Pryor show: https://youtu.be/kFSoWpYjkzc?si=YjZfN7Hm7NKvuY-C)
I learned so, so much. I had no idea that Will Rogers was Cherokee whose mother endured the Trail of Tears, and whose father was a judge, slaveholder, and Confederate Combat veteran. I was even more surprised to learn that Will Rogers basically became Jon Stewart in the 1920s, writing political satire for the NYT and cranking out "the most widely read newspaper column in the world" with a readership of 40 million people at a time when the population of the US was 117 million. From the chapter, "Will Rogers Learns Rope Tricks From an Enslaved Person" check out this gem, which almost could have been written today:
The book doesn't shy away from dark content, but doesn't dwell there, either, and shows that depictions of First Nations life fall short of reality if they only focus on suffering. Nesterhoff quotes numerous comics who agree on the need to highlight the humor and joy that is central to life among many of the nearly 600 tribes remaining in the US today.
I started with a surface-level knowledge of some of the topics covered, like colonialism, the massacres, the horrors of residential schools, the intergenerational trauma, and some of the more recent activism work at moments like Standing Rock. I never, ever thought I'd laugh about any of those topics, but hearing the sarcasm and biting wit of Charlie Hill and the 1491s opened my eyes.
After the intro, I looked up Nesterhoff and when I realized he wasn't Indigenous I had my misgivings. I decided to give the audiobook a little more time. Right away I was struck by how much of the book is structured around interviews and seeks to center the voices of First Nations people.
I like that each chapter title includes the name of the comic or comedy troupe, both to help you orient yourself in a somewhat chaotic book (the book meanders a lot, which is why I took off half a star) and also to help you go look up all these comedians so you can watch them online. (Ex. You get to hear the story behind this pivotal moment on the Richard Pryor show: https://youtu.be/kFSoWpYjkzc?si=YjZfN7Hm7NKvuY-C)
I learned so, so much. I had no idea that Will Rogers was Cherokee whose mother endured the Trail of Tears, and whose father was a judge, slaveholder, and Confederate Combat veteran. I was even more surprised to learn that Will Rogers basically became Jon Stewart in the 1920s, writing political satire for the NYT and cranking out "the most widely read newspaper column in the world" with a readership of 40 million people at a time when the population of the US was 117 million. From the chapter, "Will Rogers Learns Rope Tricks From an Enslaved Person" check out this gem, which almost could have been written today:
The rise of radio coincided with the collapse of the stock market... He wrote in his column of November 21, 1929, "there is one rule that works in every calamity, be it pestilence, war, or famine: the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer." He sounded more and more like a political radical. In another column he wrote, "you will say, 'what will all the bankers do?' I don't care what they do. Let them go to work if there's a job any of them can earn a living at." He said it was time to tax the rich, like himself. "People want just taxes, more than they want lower taxes. They want to know that every man is paying his proportionate share according to his wealth." And he condemned the hollow strategies of politicians. "When a party can't think of anything else, they always fall back on lower taxes. Presidents have been promising lower taxes since Washington crossed the Delaware. But our taxes have gotten bigger and their boats have gotten larger, until now the president crosses the Delaware in his private yacht."
I'm glad that Nesterhoff doesn't shy away from the controversies surrounding these figures, like Rogers' anti-Black racism that showed up in a 1934 radio broadcast where he used the n-word several times. That started a huge nationwide boycott, and eventually led to him giving a defensive non-apology. And though it tainted his legacy for millions of readers of color, you can't find a word about it on his extensive Wikipedia page.
Nesterhoff does a thorough job on many other First Nations comics. I had no idea what the Olympian Jim Thorpe had to do with representation of Indigenous actors onscreen, or the 1969 occupation of Alcatraz Island, or pranks people pulled to stay sane at Standing Rock, or the origins of the comedians that created the award-winning Reservation Dogs. I watched a couple episodes of that last year and admit I didn't really understand it, but a friend of mine from New Mexico said she couldn't stop laughing. After reading this book I want to give it another try now I have more context about comics like Sterlin Harjo and Dallas Goldtooth. I only wish there were someplace I could see Between Two Knees--apparently it's premiering in Manhattan this month!
Anyway, this was a fascinating book and I'm grateful to have stumbled onto it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Forced institutionalization, Death, Gun violence, Cultural appropriation, Genocide, Colonisation, and Racism
Moderate: Medical content, Medical trauma, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Torture, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Child abuse, Child death, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Bullying, Alcoholism, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicide, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Abandonment, Transphobia, Vomit, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Animal death, Car accident, Body shaming, and Pedophilia
zombiezami's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
5.0
This was such an informative book. I used to watch Comedy Central Presents every day as a teenager, and I don't think I ever once saw a Native comedian. I was impressed with how the author created a throughline from Buffalo Bill shows to stand-up comedy. I also really enjoyed how there were many examples in the book of comedians who truly care about and are sensitive to the needs of their communities. Mainstream comedy often seems obsessed with being provocative for the sake of being provocative, to the point where some comedians don't even seem concerned with actually making people laugh, but more with making jabs at groups they're prejudiced against. I appreciated how many of the comedians in this book didn't fall into this kind of trope. I will definitely be checking out the comedians referenced here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Grief, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Colonisation, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Hate crime, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Cancer, Car accident, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Vomit, and Abandonment
ninjamuse's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Kidnapping, and Physical abuse
Minor: Pedophilia and Terminal illness
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