Reviews

Unsettling Canada: A National Wake-Up Call by Arthur Manuel

jakinabook's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging informative slow-paced

4.0

aviv18's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Very clear and readable explanation of the links between the violation of Indigenous rights and the state enforced poverty of Indigenous peoples. Also good overview of a variety of different activist strategies.

kimuchi's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

When the grassroots are demobilized, for whatever reason, our cause does not move forward, it falls back. —Arthur Manuel

benrogerswpg's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

This was a good read - an important Indigenous book.

It was not as good as [b:21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act: Helping Canadians Make Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples a Reality|38620150|21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act Helping Canadians Make Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples a Reality|Bob Joseph|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1519061949l/38620150._SY75_.jpg|60235394], but I still enjoyed it.

Would definitely recommend for those interested in reconciliation.

3.8/5

lemoneverdeen's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

megelsewhere's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

I really appreciated the personal stories presented with the essential history in this book. The afterward with some ideas about what reconciliation might look like was really interesting as well. I enjoyed it when I thought I was just going to learn from it.

dashadashahi's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

In Unsettling Canada Manuel provides an insider's analysis of Indigenous rights movements that grew in the second half of the nineteenth century. While Manuel begins with Trudeau’s infamous White Paper in 1969, Manuel also uses the book to detail his life story. Therefore, readers become privy to Manuel’s childhood, including his parents’ involvement in activism and struggles they faced, his time in the Residential School system, and his awakening to Indigenous rights and activism which began with writings from international rights movements such as the Black Panthers. Manuel, through a semi-autobiographical standpoint, uses the book to demonstrate the Indigenous rights movement within Canada but also their work on the international stage and the challenges they met, the changes they struggled for, and the ongoing battles they face such as the fight for Indigenous governance and economies that operate in sustainable manners. The latter is taken up by Derrickson in the afterword.
This book’s strength comes from the insider view it presents on Indigenous activist struggles within Canada and globally. Manuel does an excellent job of presenting the struggle for recognition in Canada and the opportunities the global sphere presented. The transnational aspect of this book demonstrates that Canada’s Indigenous activism did not occur within a vacuum but drew on groups and strategies outside of the country as well as how the global community provided a chance to finally have issues addressed in a manner Canada could not ignore as easily. Indeed, by putting Canada’s global reputation on the line Indigenous people pressured Canada to face their demands, although this varying degrees of success. For example, although Canada revoked their rejection of UNDRIP guidelines, they have yet to implement any of its recommendations. Moreover, the insider perspective complements work such as Sarah Nickel’s Assembling Unity: Indigenous politics, Gender, and the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (2019), which while an excellent analysis is written from an outsider perspective as someone who did not participate or lead such events.

blue_daffodil's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging informative inspiring slow-paced

5.0

mosssboy's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

This should be required reading.

lorenadh27's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

This book gives good insight to what's been happening in Canada from the 1960s to the present (with some information surrounding the issues prior to that, but it's definitely more focused on the author's lifetime). Interesting read because it is so relevant. Good insight into the legal situation and the key things to understand within that. Good blend of grassroots focus with an understanding of what is happening on other stages as well - and the importance of continuing to have grassroots movement, especially as what was once grassroots becomes institutionalized. Makes me want to protest more.