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selinayoung's review against another edition
5.0
So witty!! An incredibly well written and clever/sarcastic account. I learned a lot and wished the book was longer. Incredibly accessible account of Indigenous history in N. America.
cgcar12's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.5
markwdoiron's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.5
rachelmariereads's review
4.0
[The term “Indians” is used in this review because it is the term that King uses.]
This is one of the most important books I’ve ever read. Thomas King is a storyteller and that really comes through in The Inconvenient Indian. There are so many dates, events, treaties, and people talked about in here, but King creates a narrative flow. He’s telling you the story of American Indians, and he often interjects with his own thoughts and stories from his personal life. I could read this a dozen times and take something different away from each read.
There were so many different moments throughout this book that showed me just how little I know about Indigenous People. I really appreciated the way King laid out the book, starting with the lighter, more superficial topics like media portrayals at the beginning, before diving into the horrors that were Indian Residential Schools, and ending with the drawn-out legal battles to do with treaties & land claims. This is clever, because it’s easy to think about Disney’s factually-inaccurate Pocahontas movie, but King masterfully increases the complexity of the topics without the reader even realizing.
I can’t believe we were never taught about Indian Residential Schools. These were aimed at “assimilating” Indians to American culture, and resulted in children being removed from their homes and brought to boarding schools where they were lucky to survive. This is a horrible stain on North American history, and I can’t believe that this book was the first I’d ever heard of it. I also couldn’t believe the amount of times the government decided to go back on its treaties, or ignore them altogether. It’s disheartening but important.
Please read this book if you live in North America. I cannot state enough how disappointed I am in the American education system for failing to teach us about the people who were here first. About the people who’s land we stole, who continue to be marginalized and taken advantage of. This book was so well-written and enlightening, and I feel that everyone in North America needs to understand this history to be a better person and a better citizen.
This is one of the most important books I’ve ever read. Thomas King is a storyteller and that really comes through in The Inconvenient Indian. There are so many dates, events, treaties, and people talked about in here, but King creates a narrative flow. He’s telling you the story of American Indians, and he often interjects with his own thoughts and stories from his personal life. I could read this a dozen times and take something different away from each read.
There were so many different moments throughout this book that showed me just how little I know about Indigenous People. I really appreciated the way King laid out the book, starting with the lighter, more superficial topics like media portrayals at the beginning, before diving into the horrors that were Indian Residential Schools, and ending with the drawn-out legal battles to do with treaties & land claims. This is clever, because it’s easy to think about Disney’s factually-inaccurate Pocahontas movie, but King masterfully increases the complexity of the topics without the reader even realizing.
I can’t believe we were never taught about Indian Residential Schools. These were aimed at “assimilating” Indians to American culture, and resulted in children being removed from their homes and brought to boarding schools where they were lucky to survive. This is a horrible stain on North American history, and I can’t believe that this book was the first I’d ever heard of it. I also couldn’t believe the amount of times the government decided to go back on its treaties, or ignore them altogether. It’s disheartening but important.
Please read this book if you live in North America. I cannot state enough how disappointed I am in the American education system for failing to teach us about the people who were here first. About the people who’s land we stole, who continue to be marginalized and taken advantage of. This book was so well-written and enlightening, and I feel that everyone in North America needs to understand this history to be a better person and a better citizen.
lesbrary's review against another edition
4.0
It's too bad that Thomas King prefers writing fiction to nonfiction, because I love his nonfiction. This feels like a fleshed-out version of The Truth About Stories, and though it gets bleak at times, King's wit kept me turning the pages.
maddy_de's review against another edition
1.0
so boring! I had to read this for school but it was so bad. its just to much facts right after one another. I regret choosing this book I wish I choose one of the others. he was kinda fun and sarcastic at points so that made up for it.
literaryalessia1128's review against another edition
4.0
4.5
loved the book, i read it for Indigenous Studies !
but i found it sometimes hard switching between america and canada
loved the book, i read it for Indigenous Studies !
but i found it sometimes hard switching between america and canada
whichthreewords's review against another edition
3.0
Nothing I didn't know, but lots of specifics to convince those new to the subject. Wonderfully typical writing/storytelling style; anyone who has heard elders will recognize it.
sarah_emtage's review against another edition
3.0
Difficult to review. At times it was difficult to read, but definitely worthwhile.
The parts I found most difficult to read were descriptions of true crime events and the parts where the author related his hostility towards my faith. I understand why the horrific events were included in this book; and, though I can't agree with the author's position on Christianity, I understand how he got there and pray he may come to know the real love of Christ.
The book is a lot more than those points. It's incredibly informative and made palatable by a generous dose of levity. It's given me a lot to think about, and I'm very glad I read it.
The parts I found most difficult to read were descriptions of true crime events and the parts where the author related his hostility towards my faith. I understand why the horrific events were included in this book; and, though I can't agree with the author's position on Christianity, I understand how he got there and pray he may come to know the real love of Christ.
The book is a lot more than those points. It's incredibly informative and made palatable by a generous dose of levity. It's given me a lot to think about, and I'm very glad I read it.
jdintr's review against another edition
4.0
With a mix of humor and rage, King retells the history of the United States and Canada from the perspective of those nations aboriginal inhabitants, called Native Americans or First Nations, respectively.
North Americans on both sides of the 49th Parallel will recognize many of the historic events King discusses in his book: the welcome given by natives to the first European settlers on the continent, the series of Indian wars and resettlements, and the broken treaties that sought peaceful compromise.
There are new perspectives King adds and new horrors glossed over by the history books. I, for example, was unaware of the savage and murderous brutality of the Indian boarding schools that existed for 100 years from the 1870s through to the end of the 1960s.
Even moving into the present day, King points out continuing flaws in Indian policy. Starting at an arbitrary date, 1983 (within my lifetime at least), he shows egregious actions that harmed native populations and reneged on treaties.
I'm so grateful for this book and King's strong voice. I highly recommend it for those interested in aboriginal voices and re-examining American history through the perspective of its true "founding fathers."
North Americans on both sides of the 49th Parallel will recognize many of the historic events King discusses in his book: the welcome given by natives to the first European settlers on the continent, the series of Indian wars and resettlements, and the broken treaties that sought peaceful compromise.
There are new perspectives King adds and new horrors glossed over by the history books. I, for example, was unaware of the savage and murderous brutality of the Indian boarding schools that existed for 100 years from the 1870s through to the end of the 1960s.
Even moving into the present day, King points out continuing flaws in Indian policy. Starting at an arbitrary date, 1983 (within my lifetime at least), he shows egregious actions that harmed native populations and reneged on treaties.
I'm so grateful for this book and King's strong voice. I highly recommend it for those interested in aboriginal voices and re-examining American history through the perspective of its true "founding fathers."