Reviews with content warning for Colonisation - This Place: 150 Years Retold

Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'

This Place: 150 Years Retold by David A. Robertson, Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley, Jen Storm, Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair, Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm, Chelsea Vowel, Brandon Mitchell, Richard Van Camp, Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley, Katherena Vermette, Sonny Assu

22 reviews

yourstrulytay's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

The illustrations are beautiful, and the authors and illustrators are as diverse as the stories they tell. These are the stories that have been hidden from us in history class. I loved this.

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littlecake's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.75

This is my first own voice book by native people, and I have learned so much ! This anthology has some remarkable work and really tries to put the native voices at its center. It decolonizes Canadian history and sheds light on the realities of living on stolen land. I have also discovered so many native authors and artists ! It's great for people like me who whant to continue reading on the matter.

Little remark though : I am living in Belgium so I am not that familiar with Canadian history in general. So, for each story, it took me some time to understand the general historical context and then, what is the native take on it. If you are in a similar situation as me, I really recommend you to do the effort because I have learned a lot. This book is written for Canadian audience and not international audience - which isn't a bad thing ! On the contrary, it's very much necessary. But if you are an international reader like me, just keep it in mind while reading.

Each story is intersting and well illustrated but, of course, I had some preferences. I will briefly review each one of them.

Annie of Red River was a great start to te anthology. It think it was great to start with a story of resistance and from a female perspective. I really enjoyed this one and how it showed the hidden figures who inspire the bigger movement. It was also one of the easiest to understand and grasp for me. 4/5
Tilted ground : was an interesting outlook about how traditions were being suppressed in the name of civilisation. The informations in the story were really insightfull but it's not the most memorable of the anthology. The art was great though ! 3/5
Red clouds : was my absolute favourite story ! It covered so many topics : colonialism, famine, gender disparity, spirituality, resistance, subjectivity of what civilisation is. The art was a delight and complimented the story so well. The magical realism really added an extra layer here. This story will trully stick with me for a long time. 5/5
Peggy showed assimilation, even through something as though as war, was never a strategy trully rewarded. The racism still continues, even for heroes. It was informative but again, not my favourite of the bunch 3/5.
Rosie : I really really liked the art ! It was probably my favourite artist of the whole anthology. But I found the story sometimes confusing. Maybe I am not well informed to understand trully what is happening here. I promised my self that I would read it again to try and grasp it. 2,5/5
Nimkii : is my second favourite story. I was really ignorant about the Indian act and the residential schools... This was really informative, mooving, and shaking story for me. Again, it will stick with me for a long time. 4,5/5
Like a razor slash : this story was my third favourite. It managed to make a public speech so engaging and show what was at stake in the fight against pipilnes. Although the art style isn't my favourite, I found some of the images and the eyes of the characters so powerfull and engaging. The story makes want to know more about Frank and the author's admiration for him is contagious. 4/5
Warrior nation : talks about generational struggle, ecology, and police violence - with a simple yet powerfull story. Everything was well narrated but the art is not my style. 4/5
kitaskinaw 2350 : is a very hopefull sci-fi story to end this anthology on. It really shifts our mind into thinking less about who should dominate the land but about a resolution where we do reparations to the native communities.

I still have so much to learn about the topic but I am glad that I strated from this amazing piece of work ! I am giving this work an overall rating of 4.75/5 because I really enjoyed it and I think that more people should read it.

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poemsandponds's review against another edition

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challenging informative medium-paced

4.0

This book covered a lot of different issues First Nations peoples have faced since the colonization of the land that is now Canada. I enjoyed the anthology aspect in the sense that it highlighted lots of Indigenous authors and illustrators. However I felt that some of the stories were too short for me to fully “get” them or feel their impact.

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battybookworm's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

4.5

This was mainly an informative text about Indigenous history in Canada. It's beautifully illustrated and each other tells a compelling part of their history. Some specific ones that stood out to me were Rosie and the fight and speech against The Mackenzie Pipeline. Much of the book feels like a jumping off point, and I now have a list of other pieces to check out or historical events/figures to look into.

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jazhandz's review against another edition

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hopeful medium-paced

4.0

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therainbowshelf's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

An incredible collection of indigenous Canadians' histories. Each comic starts with an author blurb and a timeline of events present in or influencing the story. Canada's history of abusing indigenous people is sickeningly similar to how things have gone for the native people of the US. Whether you're familiar with indigenous history of Canada or want to start somewhere, this is an excellent read.

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piperlee's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

this collection brilliantly mixed timelines, statements from authors, and colorful comics to tell the stories of Indigenous peoples over the past 150 years. Each comic was just a glimpse into the time period/narrative the authors were sharing, but simultaneously brought clarity to the bigger picture of collective struggle and perseverance in the face of colonialism and state violence. This felt very accessible & will be one that sticks in my mind for a long time.

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