A review by ladyofthelake68
The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America by Thomas King
3.0
This book confuses me. I want to like it, but at the same time there is nothing to like. The author is funny, and yet completely serious. He throws a lot of stuff in your face that you would rather not think about.
For the most part this book is a list of many of the bad things that have happened to Native Americans since the first white people showed up. There is no happy endings or even happy times. It is just the truth, the ugly, blatant, offensive truth. I think that is the point though. King wants us (white, ignorant, Americans) to at least start to understand the scope of what we did to his ancestors, and what we continue to do. We continue to oppress Native Americans and the majority of us don't even know it. We are constantly pushing our culture onto them and making it almost impossible for them to practice their own. We want to integrate them into our European society, and yet as soon as they make progress, we have to stick our noses into their business and take more of their stuff. That is all we ever do to them, take.
For the most part this book is a list of many of the bad things that have happened to Native Americans since the first white people showed up. There is no happy endings or even happy times. It is just the truth, the ugly, blatant, offensive truth. I think that is the point though. King wants us (white, ignorant, Americans) to at least start to understand the scope of what we did to his ancestors, and what we continue to do. We continue to oppress Native Americans and the majority of us don't even know it. We are constantly pushing our culture onto them and making it almost impossible for them to practice their own. We want to integrate them into our European society, and yet as soon as they make progress, we have to stick our noses into their business and take more of their stuff. That is all we ever do to them, take.