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lsparrow's review against another edition
5.0
I have been enjoying this playwright.
this is another essential read in this year of "Canada 150"
this is another essential read in this year of "Canada 150"
k_lenn's review against another edition
4.0
Dead White Writer on the Floor made me realize that I don't particularly enjoy reading plays, mainly because I'm not that good at it. I also didn't know the characters (aside from Pocahontas) and while I did a quick Google search for the non-OCs, I think the book would be better enjoyed by people who know all of nuances of the characters and stereotypes used in their original story. (Although it's more than possible to read this book without knowing them, so don't let that turn you off from it.)
Since I now know I don't like plays, which isn't the book's fault, I'll rate it more generously. The idea is great. The pacing was good, the plot was intriguing— just wonderful, really, and it makes you angry at how Indigenous peoples are portrayed in media while offering some humour. The switch at the end was a bit confusing, but I got through it.
I wish I could see the play preformed in person because I'm positive I'd enjoy it more then.
Since I now know I don't like plays, which isn't the book's fault, I'll rate it more generously. The idea is great. The pacing was good, the plot was intriguing— just wonderful, really, and it makes you angry at how Indigenous peoples are portrayed in media while offering some humour. The switch at the end was a bit confusing, but I got through it.
I wish I could see the play preformed in person because I'm positive I'd enjoy it more then.
kerryfriesen's review
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
isabeldotml's review
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
fizbiz's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
i actually really liked this. act 1 was definitely funnier and more enjoyable than the second one. i appreciated the writer not trying to spoon-feed us a straightforward conclusion and leaving it up to us to interpret the actual essence of the play and why it ended the way it did.
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i originally rated this 3.5 stars and didn't think much of it but as i'm writing my essay i'm noticing drew hayden taylor's subtle genius in the parallels between the aspirations of the characters and the experiences of their contemporary counterparts. the two that particularly struck me are pocahontas/sally and injun joe/fred.
with pocahontas her intersectionality as an Indigenous woman plays significantly into how her struggles differ from the rest of the characters. as pocahontas, a teenage girl sexualized to appease an audience that want to fetishize her identity, she wants to bear children rather than be one because she believes it will grant her more autonomy over her own body. this starkly contrasts with sally, a struggling mother of 11 children living off of welfare cheques and still not being able to gain absolute agency over her life.
all injun joe wants is to receive proper education "like the whites", but when we consider fred we see a man reeling from the trauma of his time at a residential school. he got access to education (particularly an education that strived to indoctrinate Indigenous children into becoming more "like the whites" hayden taylor you genius....) but that education came with its consequences.
the depiction of them wanting to escape their realities and wishing for better lives and all their desires coming true but with their own modern-day repercussions was so well done; thought-provoking but hilarious in its delivery. 4.5 stars.
i actually really liked this. act 1 was definitely funnier and more enjoyable than the second one. i appreciated the writer not trying to spoon-feed us a straightforward conclusion and leaving it up to us to interpret the actual essence of the play and why it ended the way it did.
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i originally rated this 3.5 stars and didn't think much of it but as i'm writing my essay i'm noticing drew hayden taylor's subtle genius in the parallels between the aspirations of the characters and the experiences of their contemporary counterparts. the two that particularly struck me are pocahontas/sally and injun joe/fred.
with pocahontas her intersectionality as an Indigenous woman plays significantly into how her struggles differ from the rest of the characters. as pocahontas, a teenage girl sexualized to appease an audience that want to fetishize her identity, she wants to bear children rather than be one because she believes it will grant her more autonomy over her own body. this starkly contrasts with sally, a struggling mother of 11 children living off of welfare cheques and still not being able to gain absolute agency over her life.
all injun joe wants is to receive proper education "like the whites", but when we consider fred we see a man reeling from the trauma of his time at a residential school. he got access to education (particularly an education that strived to indoctrinate Indigenous children into becoming more "like the whites" hayden taylor you genius....) but that education came with its consequences.
the depiction of them wanting to escape their realities and wishing for better lives and all their desires coming true but with their own modern-day repercussions was so well done; thought-provoking but hilarious in its delivery. 4.5 stars.
aseptemberwednesday's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
rachelsweeney's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0