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heathersem's review
5.0
A short, timely and impactful read. I was slowing myself down as I read it to make sure I was truly absorbing his messages and advice. Harold is an Indigenous lawyer, and is recounting how he feels the Canadian justice system does extensive harm to Indigenous communities.
Would recommend this to all Canadians, especially those in the legal profession.
It was more focused on Saskatchewan than I anticipated, but the lessons are relevant for most of Canada.
Would recommend this to all Canadians, especially those in the legal profession.
It was more focused on Saskatchewan than I anticipated, but the lessons are relevant for most of Canada.
micheala's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.5
I don't tend to read a lot of non-fiction and when I do pick it up, it tends to be nature/science based. The times that I do venture out of that comfort zone are mostly with Canadian racial injustice books. Therefore, as I don't have as much practice at it, I'm not as good at expressing my feelings concerning non-fiction, especially when it's not just discussing the presentation of facts in a neutral topic such as trees.
Peace and Good Order is an accounting of how the justice system is failing the Indigenous peoples of Canada from the perspective of an Indigenous retired lawyer.
The majority of the book examines /why/ the justice system has and will continue to fail Indigenous peoples and how the cultural lens that is used to apply "justice" must take into account the individual.
"You [participants in the justice system] are never going to find solutions if you continue to have conversations about us [Indigenous Peoples] without us." pg 162 in the ebook
Canada has continuously failed to respect and acknowledge sovereignty and rights of Indigenous peoples. We all need to be part of changing that, and the first step is always to listen and acknowledge those affected and harmed by current policies, beliefs and actions.
Peace and Good Order is an accounting of how the justice system is failing the Indigenous peoples of Canada from the perspective of an Indigenous retired lawyer.
The majority of the book examines /why/ the justice system has and will continue to fail Indigenous peoples and how the cultural lens that is used to apply "justice" must take into account the individual.
"You [participants in the justice system] are never going to find solutions if you continue to have conversations about us [Indigenous Peoples] without us." pg 162 in the ebook
Canada has continuously failed to respect and acknowledge sovereignty and rights of Indigenous peoples. We all need to be part of changing that, and the first step is always to listen and acknowledge those affected and harmed by current policies, beliefs and actions.
charlyreads's review
4.0
“To say that law and justice have failed Indigenous Peoples in Canada is a vast understatement. Law and justice appear to be the tools employed to continue the forced subjugation of an entire population.”
Harold Johnson is from Montreal Lake Cree Nation in northern Saskatchewan and has worked as a Crown prosecutor amongst other things. This book is him “taking responsibility, for has actions and inactions.”
Really interesting content and condemnation of the current justice system from someone who has seen both sides, working within it and seeing the effect on Indigenous communities. I would’ve enjoyed it even more if the writing throughout had flowed a bit better.
Harold Johnson is from Montreal Lake Cree Nation in northern Saskatchewan and has worked as a Crown prosecutor amongst other things. This book is him “taking responsibility, for has actions and inactions.”
Really interesting content and condemnation of the current justice system from someone who has seen both sides, working within it and seeing the effect on Indigenous communities. I would’ve enjoyed it even more if the writing throughout had flowed a bit better.
snixo048's review
5.0
What a timely book. In very simple and easy to understand language, peppered with heart breaking stories, Johnson systematically demonstrates how the Criminal justice system in Canada discriminates against Indigenous peoples. This is a very easy read and should be mandatory in every high school civics class. Highly recommend.
sadieruin's review
5.0
I really think this book should be mandatory Canadian reading.
Solid non-fiction about the justice system and indigenous people in Canada.
Solid non-fiction about the justice system and indigenous people in Canada.
justabean_reads's review
challenging
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
5.0
Short, snappy read. I only took a couple days to get through because I wanted to think about it. The author used to be a crown prosecutor and knows how to make an argument that's snappy, engaging and backed up by facts. In this case, he's arguing that when it comes to Indigenous people in Canada, the settler-imposed justice system is not only broken, but unfixable, that the law is often stacked against Indigenous people, and has been for hundreds of years, and that the best solution would be for the First Nations, Métis and Inuit to take back legal sovereignty and run their own justice systems based on redemption, not deterrence.
I was convinced.
I was convinced.
banksynb's review
4.0
“The more we rely on incarceration, the more we are forced to incarcerate.” I listened to this on audio book (which I do recommend) but I think it deserves a reread in physical format so I can spend more time sitting with the ideas presented here. This book made me uncomfortable, and rightly so. As someone who has spent 6 years studying in the post-secondary environment, and almost 7 years working on the admin side of various universities, the reflection on law school as a gatekeeper rather than bridge to the profession, implicitly and explicitly designed to limit access, was easy to extrapolate to academia as a whole and left me with much food for thought on my own experience as a student, teaching assistant, and administrator. It is easy to see why I personally connected most to this first section of the book as my experience with the justice system is limited and indirect at best, which in the context of this work is a privilege as a white settler Canadian I need to spend more time thinking critically about.
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