thislibrarianisreading's review against another edition

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challenging informative sad fast-paced

5.0

eleanorlafleur's review against another edition

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challenging hopeful informative sad medium-paced

2.75

justsomejerk's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced

4.0

wallsc's review against another edition

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3.0

A scathing indictment of Canadian law practices and the ways they continue to hurt indigenous peoples. I found the references to the early 20th century particularly troubling, along with the incriminating data around the dramatic/disproportional increase in incarceration of indigenous men in the last 50 yrs.
The final chapter is a great summary of steps that can be taken toward both indigenous autonomy in adjudicating justice AND settler reckoning with misguided practice and ignorance.

frasersimons's review against another edition

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5.0

Fantastic stuff. This primarily comes at indigenous community problems from a a criminal justice angle. It analyzes why the system needs to be decriminalized and suggests substantive changes and the thinking behind them. It’s a great text to round out other reading on the subject.

It is incredibly thoughtful and backed up with actual data and lived experience. The author is an indigenous lawyer and he’s been practicing for some time in those communities, and has also had personal interactions with the justice system on multiple levels.

It’s a short, clear, and important read.

ebweeks's review against another edition

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5.0

This is such a great read, especially considering all the conversations happening right now in the BLM movement and with talk of how our First Nations communities need a change. Our current justice system doesn't really work for anyone, but through reading this book, it's easy to see how it *especially* doesn't work for indigenous folks in Canada. I don't know how we do better (start listening to these people and following their ideas would be a start), but we need to figure it out.

oenophile_bibliophile's review against another edition

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4.0

Important read for all Canadians.

stace_elizabeth's review against another edition

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5.0

“The problem seems to be about hope. . . When you have no hope, no promise of a future, judicial principles of deterrence have no meaning”

This book was extremely well written, and easy to follow and understand. A great place to start! Harold describes his time working in the justice system, lays out statistics, and plainly puts what is and isn’t working.
Deterrence isn’t working, but redemption does.

Harold calls for Immediate action, and a much needed change.

dianacarmel's review against another edition

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4.0

3.5 ⭐️ This is a unique style to write a memoir in (I actually wasn’t expecting it to be a memoir). I didn’t find it as in-depth as I’d hoped. I’m already aware of how the judicial system fails Indigenous peoples. I would have liked to see more concrete steps we could take to move forward.

averyfranken's review

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informative fast-paced

4.0