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A review by simonlorden
Bad Indians: A Tribal Memoir by Deborah A. Miranda
5.0
This book is absolutely brutal, and I don't think I can translate that into a star rating. It is very well-written and well-researched. I learned a lot. I didn't enjoy it at all.
There are two timelines as such - this book is both a personal memoir and a history book. First, it tells about the history of California Indians at the white-priest led Missions. The history is of course bloody, including rape, slavery, racism, violence and more.
But even though these parts were hard to read, you sort of expect those topics when you think about the history of Indigenous people. The parts that were truly "too much" for me were the memories of the author's own life. There are some quite explicit descriptions of child sexual abuse she suffered, as well as the physical abuse she and her siblings suffered at the hands of their father, and the sexual crimes his father committed against others. I admit I wasn't prepared for this and I don't really know how I feel about reading all of it. I hope the author got some catharsis or healing out of writing it down, though.
There are two timelines as such - this book is both a personal memoir and a history book. First, it tells about the history of California Indians at the white-priest led Missions. The history is of course bloody, including rape, slavery, racism, violence and more.
But even though these parts were hard to read, you sort of expect those topics when you think about the history of Indigenous people. The parts that were truly "too much" for me were the memories of the author's own life. There are some quite explicit descriptions of child sexual abuse she suffered, as well as the physical abuse she and her siblings suffered at the hands of their father, and the sexual crimes his father committed against others. I admit I wasn't prepared for this and I don't really know how I feel about reading all of it. I hope the author got some catharsis or healing out of writing it down, though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, Rape, and Sexual assault