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.

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.

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."

Honestly something that every North American should read.

"The Inconvenient Indian: a curious account of native people in North America" by Thomas King has the one attribute that always makes a book worthwhile: it's readable. King is an academic who writes beautifully. It's not full of jargon. It's light. It's interesting. It's understandable. And there is wit and humour throughout. The topic is dead serious and I doubt I would have got through it had anyone else wrote it. I'm thankful that Tom King wrote this. Definitely would recommend it.

So well-written and engaging. King holds your hand through centuries of history, making sure you learn while ensuring your investment via his lively prose.

"Racism is endemic in North America. And it's also systemic. While it affects the general population at large, it's also buried in the institutions that are supposed to protect us from such abuses. " King does an excellent job of exploring the history of our racism in North America and how we have royal screwed Indigenous people. I learned a lot from this book, and King was able give many years of history in pieces that I was able to read and digest in its heart wrenching ways. I have set out to learn more this year and by reading Kings book, I feel that I have learned. I have learned that current issues, are not as the media portrays it, a one off event, but rather a history of years of systemic abuses. I appreciate what I have learned in this book.

A must read for everyone who lives in North America. Know your history, not just what you've been told or assumed.

Necessary reading!

• Page xvi — the Canadian vs American debate
• Focus on American history
• Page 34 — fought the cavalry
• Page 41 — Indians on the Hollywood walk of fame
• Page 45 — white actors playing POC
  • Cultural appropriation — dressing up as indigenous people
• Page 60 — too heavy to lift. WOW
• Page 94 — insanity or policy?
• Page 97 — moving Indians around like you’re moving house
• Chapter 5 — the genocide of a people / residential schools
  • We have no history of colonialism (124)
• Page 136 — Indians from India
  • You mean like cowboys and Indians??
• Page 179 — the new buffalo — Indian Gaming.
• Page 188 — “racism is endemic in North America. And it’s also systematic. While it affects the general population at large, it’s also buried in the institutions that are supposed to protect us from such abuses.”
  • Talking about racism in Alberta.
• Page 192 — “1985 — you see my problem. The history I offered to forget, the past I offered to burn, turns out to be our present. It may well be our future.”
• Chapter 8 — sovereignty argument — gaming profits, landfills, and coal mining? WOW *heavy chapter
• Chapter 9 — whites want land.
  • Using Alberta is a bad example.
• Page 225 — “Of course, no one in Canada or the United States is going to support a holiday that isn’t a celebration of national power and generosity, so we’d have to disguise it, much the way we do Thanksgiving.”
  • Victoria Day reference
• Page 236 — salmon people

• This book has not aged well. Environmental discussions did not age well. Race relations did not age well. Ethnic titles and language did not age well. Not my favourite. I want to learn about Canadian First Nations — not cowboys and Indians.