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A review by oneeasyreader
The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America by Thomas King
5.0
When I announced to my family that I was going to write a book about Indians in North America, Helen said, "Just don't start with Columbus." She always gives me good advice. And I always give it my full consideration.
In October of 1492, Christopher Columbus...
So it turns out the last 500 years haven't been that great for the indigenous people of North America. Quite a disconcerting tale even. Probably worse than that if you're the one who's been exterminated, assimilated, disenfranchised, unwillingly franchised and, most constantly, expropriated from. You might take it badly.
Most of us think that history is the past. It's not. History is the stories we tell about the past.
So here's some stories. It's not pretty. And if there is a weakness to this book, it's easy for a reviewer to say "I knew nothing about this subject and this book really opened my eyes to the injustices visited on Native Americans. 5 stars." And on your merry way, perhaps somewhat more self aware, yet leaving any meaningful action to the various administrative bodies, often in the pocket of private interests that continue to undermine Native Rights.
Anyway, I knew nothing about this subject and this book really opened my eyes to the injustices visited on Native Americans. 5 stars.
The Inconvenient Indian provides citations for breaches of faith and law, a tome of injustices in 266 pages, even though 26,000 would not be sufficient. You can pick so many things to be vicariously angry about. Death rates in the native schools got up to 50 percent in some places. That's such a staggeringly high proportion that you forget that the lower rates elsewhere differed only by matter of degree rather than magnitude.
You can't judge the past by the present. One of history's grand maxims. It's convenient, and its specious.
This book isn't angry. It's wry, it's dry, it's expertly written by a professional historian who made an abortive attempt to join the Siege of Wounded Knee (not the Massacre, which was sometime before). And it's unfair to expect a book to be a call to arms. After all, we know nothing about the subject.
But I think you have to get angry. A little. It's good to know more, and to want to know more, but actions continue to be done in our name and we sit mutely when indigenous protests happen because it doesn't affect us directly (such as Ihumātao in my country).
Don't just judge the past by the present. Just your actions now, because, as The Inconvenient Indian shows, it's still happening.
In October of 1492, Christopher Columbus...
So it turns out the last 500 years haven't been that great for the indigenous people of North America. Quite a disconcerting tale even. Probably worse than that if you're the one who's been exterminated, assimilated, disenfranchised, unwillingly franchised and, most constantly, expropriated from. You might take it badly.
Most of us think that history is the past. It's not. History is the stories we tell about the past.
So here's some stories. It's not pretty. And if there is a weakness to this book, it's easy for a reviewer to say "I knew nothing about this subject and this book really opened my eyes to the injustices visited on Native Americans. 5 stars." And on your merry way, perhaps somewhat more self aware, yet leaving any meaningful action to the various administrative bodies, often in the pocket of private interests that continue to undermine Native Rights.
Anyway, I knew nothing about this subject and this book really opened my eyes to the injustices visited on Native Americans. 5 stars.
The Inconvenient Indian provides citations for breaches of faith and law, a tome of injustices in 266 pages, even though 26,000 would not be sufficient. You can pick so many things to be vicariously angry about. Death rates in the native schools got up to 50 percent in some places. That's such a staggeringly high proportion that you forget that the lower rates elsewhere differed only by matter of degree rather than magnitude.
You can't judge the past by the present. One of history's grand maxims. It's convenient, and its specious.
This book isn't angry. It's wry, it's dry, it's expertly written by a professional historian who made an abortive attempt to join the Siege of Wounded Knee (not the Massacre, which was sometime before). And it's unfair to expect a book to be a call to arms. After all, we know nothing about the subject.
But I think you have to get angry. A little. It's good to know more, and to want to know more, but actions continue to be done in our name and we sit mutely when indigenous protests happen because it doesn't affect us directly (such as Ihumātao in my country).
Don't just judge the past by the present. Just your actions now, because, as The Inconvenient Indian shows, it's still happening.