The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America
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- Create Date：2021-06-28 10:52:55
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Thomas King
- ISBN：0385664222
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Summary
Rich with dark and light， pain and magic， The Inconvenient Indian distills the insights gleaned from Thomas King's critical and personal meditation on what it means to be "Indian" in North America， weaving the curiously circular tale of the relationship between non-Natives and Natives in the centuries since the two first encountered each other。 In the process， King refashions old stories about historical events and figures， takes a sideways look at film and pop culture， relates his own complex experiences with activism， and articulates a deep and revolutionary understanding of the cumulative effects of ever-shifting laws and treaties on Native peoples and lands。
This is a book both timeless and timely， burnished with anger but tempered by wit， and ultimately a hard-won offering of hope--a sometimes inconvenient but nonetheless indispensable account for all of us， Indian and non-Indian alike， seeking to understand how we might tell a new story for the future。
This is a book both timeless and timely， burnished with anger but tempered by wit， and ultimately a hard-won offering of hope--a sometimes inconvenient but nonetheless indispensable account for all of us， Indian and non-Indian alike， seeking to understand how we might tell a new story for the future。
Reviews
Charles
，
This is a very discouraging & depressing account of how Aboriginal peoples in North America have been repeatedly repressed & swindled of their land， their autonomy， their languages & cultures by the invasive white European settlers who flooded in & displaced them， supported by their governments， the Christian churches， and the capitalist economy。 The purported aim was to convert First Nations， Metis & Inuit into whites who would disappear into the ambient culture， but without consulting them or This is a very discouraging & depressing account of how Aboriginal peoples in North America have been repeatedly repressed & swindled of their land， their autonomy， their languages & cultures by the invasive white European settlers who flooded in & displaced them， supported by their governments， the Christian churches， and the capitalist economy。 The purported aim was to convert First Nations， Metis & Inuit into whites who would disappear into the ambient culture， but without consulting them or asking for their input。 Dispossessed， isolated， victimized though they were， they have managed to survive & have an increased birth rate & have continued to press their claims to land & the promises of earlier treaties which dealt with them as sovereign nations on the surface， but failed to follow through。 There is a lot of humor in spite of the subject， and occasionally a little bit of hope， as when discussing the Alaska & Nunavut sttlements。 。。。more
Sofia W。 S。
，
The combination of rather dense legal and historical information， and satirical humour， was sometimes odd to follow。 Each aspect taken separately was great， however。
Aly
，
Foisonnant d'histoire， résultat de recherches et d'anecdotes à travers les années， Thomas King retrace de nombreux événements à travers le Canada et les États-Unis， du tout début à l'année de la publication du livre dans sa version originale （2012）， qui nous font connaître ou approfondir l'histoire des peuples autochtones en Amérique du Nord。 Parfois avec une dose d'ironie， il nous explique en détails ces moments charnières de l'histoire et aborde aussi en début de parcours la représentation de Foisonnant d'histoire， résultat de recherches et d'anecdotes à travers les années， Thomas King retrace de nombreux événements à travers le Canada et les États-Unis， du tout début à l'année de la publication du livre dans sa version originale （2012）， qui nous font connaître ou approfondir l'histoire des peuples autochtones en Amérique du Nord。 Parfois avec une dose d'ironie， il nous explique en détails ces moments charnières de l'histoire et aborde aussi en début de parcours la représentation de "l'Indien" au cinéma。 Je crois aussi que cet homme met le doigt sur le gros bobo de notre société， notre "dépendance irrationnelle au profit。"L'indien Malcommode est un essai qui nous donne un sacré cours d'histoire。 Assurément un livre à lire pour s'instruire et comprendre。 L'apprentissage va se continuer dans les semaines à venir car j'ai noté des événements dont on a moins ou pas entendus parler et je veux en savoir plus。Je ne peux pas résister à vous partager un passage du livre qui est tellement d'actualité: "Bien sûr， personne au Canada ou aux États-Unis ne serait d'accord avec un jour férié qui ne serait pas une célébration de la puissance nationale ou de la générosité nationale。" 。。。more
Muhammed Nijim
，
Great book and an excellent way to address such a complex topic。
Lori
，
Thomas King manages to cram a whole lot of information into this book， somehow managing to give us a history lesson told with humor and wit。 This book tackles everything from how indigenous people are portrayed in the media， to failed treaties and stolen land - and all of the history in between。 I learned so much from this book， and in a way that made it feel accessible and conversational。 Truly a brilliant read - highly recommend。
Abbey
，
Big big fan！！ This book is a great starting point for learning about indigenous relations in North America。 I loved that it read like King was telling you a story （especially loved the bonus sarcasm❤️）
Florence O'Neill
，
King is informative while being entertaining， a clever trick。 Though written a while ago， it is certainly timely。
Faithe
，
Much more story telling， tongue in cheek commentary than chronological， academic history。 He addresses "dead indians" vs "live indians" vs "legal indians"， Native status， residential schools， treaties， modern laws， ecology， and much more。With historical background provided by other Indians History books， I did not feel lost in this conversation。 Much more story telling， tongue in cheek commentary than chronological， academic history。 He addresses "dead indians" vs "live indians" vs "legal indians"， Native status， residential schools， treaties， modern laws， ecology， and much more。With historical background provided by other Indians History books， I did not feel lost in this conversation。 。。。more
Ross Beck-MacNeil
，
（read as physical book> What's it about？It's a very chatty and personal account of relations between Native American and European settlers。 It focuses on a limited number of themes， and draws connections between the current situation and past events。 What did I think？This is a good book。 It is well written and easy to read。 Thomas King has many asides （such as saying that his wife Helen wanted him to mention this and that） - these help with making the book more engaging。It is good that the book （read as physical book> What's it about？It's a very chatty and personal account of relations between Native American and European settlers。 It focuses on a limited number of themes， and draws connections between the current situation and past events。 What did I think？This is a good book。 It is well written and easy to read。 Thomas King has many asides （such as saying that his wife Helen wanted him to mention this and that） - these help with making the book more engaging。It is good that the book is engaging because it deals with pretty important and heavy stuff。 I think that every Canadian should have an appreciation of how harshly and unfairly the government has treated Indigenous people's in the past and how this has contributed to the current issues that we all need to face。 My biggest is takeaway is that I personally want to live in a country with a government that keeps it promises， and the Canadian government has not done so most of the time with Indigenous people。 。。。more
Heartz
，
I found this book very informative and learned a lot more about the history of Indigenous Peoples。 King’s humour help lift some of the heaviness of the topic， but I also found myself getting slightly annoyed at times by the tone。 Overall， though， it is an excellent read and I would argue a necessary one to help one better understand Indigenous-settler history in North America and the role of the land in this history。
Mara Shaw
，
A must read to start， just start， moving beyond being completely in the dark about Indigenous peoples in North America - some history， some insight， the genocide， silencing， lumping into one stereotypical vision， their diversity， legal status/non-status。 The US and Canada has different ways of horrifically dealing with “the Indian Problem” and they continue today with no attempt at subtlety， although plenty of duplicity。 But we must learn， learn， read， read， listen。 Then， start to make serious r A must read to start， just start， moving beyond being completely in the dark about Indigenous peoples in North America - some history， some insight， the genocide， silencing， lumping into one stereotypical vision， their diversity， legal status/non-status。 The US and Canada has different ways of horrifically dealing with “the Indian Problem” and they continue today with no attempt at subtlety， although plenty of duplicity。 But we must learn， learn， read， read， listen。 Then， start to make serious reparations for the centuries of damage done to human beings who share humanity， yet have been， and continue to be， subjugated as less than human。King has compressed so much knowledge and insight into this book。 He sprinkles humour throughout despite the seriousness of the subject。 This book is a gift to all of us。 Read it， then keep reading and learning。 Then act in whatever way your Indigenous communities think is best。 。。。more
Megan
，
"。。。historians are not often appreciated because their research tends to destroy myths。"Damn this book was fantastic。 I knew who Thomas King was but had never read any of his work until this book and wow！ I am truly blown away。The Inconvenient Indian， covers a lot but with a wit that was totally surprising。 The sarcasm and humour throughout added an entirely new dimension to history。 Don't get me wrong it's all enraging， disgusting and frankly embarrassing （as in how the hell are we still not ge "。。。historians are not often appreciated because their research tends to destroy myths。"Damn this book was fantastic。 I knew who Thomas King was but had never read any of his work until this book and wow！ I am truly blown away。The Inconvenient Indian， covers a lot but with a wit that was totally surprising。 The sarcasm and humour throughout added an entirely new dimension to history。 Don't get me wrong it's all enraging， disgusting and frankly embarrassing （as in how the hell are we still not getting it？）。 But it's told in a way that made it entertaining as well。 No doubt in a way that will make a lot of this information stick and appeal to those of us who tend to shy away from non-fiction。This book should be required reading for high school students and should be in every colonizer home in North America。 If you're looking to educate yourself more on the history of North America's Indigenous People and their relationship to the colonizers， this book should be at the top of your list。 。。。more
Sarah
，
Entertaining， at times enraging， and above all educational。 I loved that King chose a broader scope and encompassed all of North America in his history， yet still provided tons of tangible， specific examples to ground his arguments。 Such a fantastic read， I highly recommend the audiobook！
Cate
，
I can't say enough good things about this book。 I look forward to when a few months have passed so I can listen to it again， because I learned so much from it， but I know there are many more nuances for me to pick up on with a second （or third， or fourth） reading。 It was a relatively broad covering of some of the histories （or "accounts"， as he explains in the introduction） of various nations and tribes across North America （as the title would suggest）， but it dove into enough depth that I learn I can't say enough good things about this book。 I look forward to when a few months have passed so I can listen to it again， because I learned so much from it， but I know there are many more nuances for me to pick up on with a second （or third， or fourth） reading。 It was a relatively broad covering of some of the histories （or "accounts"， as he explains in the introduction） of various nations and tribes across North America （as the title would suggest）， but it dove into enough depth that I learned new things as well as having areas for further learning/growth。 Thomas King's writing style， while educational， was interesting， engaging， and often witty or sarcastic， but never in an unkind way。 His chapters flowed together beautifully。 It also leaned more toward a Canadian perspective， which I appreciated。I listened to the audiobook version， which I highly recommend。 It was narrated by one of my favourite Indigenous actors， Lorne Cardinal。 I've always found his voice fun yet soothing/comforting， so to have him read the audiobook was just excellent。 His voice seemed well-suited to the humour and temperament King conveys in his writing。I recommend this book to anyone and everyone， and I look forward to reading more by Thomas King。 。。。more
Megan
，
this book taught me so many things that I did not know about。 historical events that I had never heard of， and really opened my eyes to better understand what life would be like living as an indigenous person today。 Thomas kings humour and sardonic wit really made this book stand out amongst other historical narratives I have been reading。
Ashleigh
，
A book everyone should read。 Super informative about heavy， serious， topics but told in a really accessible way。
Ella
，
"The history I offered to forget， the past I offered to burn， turns out to be our present。 It may well be our future。"3。75 stars。I loved Thomas King's Massey lectures and I think he is an eloquent speaker with excellent prose。 This book was basically his lecture in written form。Did I learn something？ Yes。Is the information covered in the book important？ Absolutely。However， the way it is written has the facts and figures muddled together in order to fit them all in a 20ish pages-long chapter。 I t "The history I offered to forget， the past I offered to burn， turns out to be our present。 It may well be our future。"3。75 stars。I loved Thomas King's Massey lectures and I think he is an eloquent speaker with excellent prose。 This book was basically his lecture in written form。Did I learn something？ Yes。Is the information covered in the book important？ Absolutely。However， the way it is written has the facts and figures muddled together in order to fit them all in a 20ish pages-long chapter。 I think King would have benefitted from making the book a bit longer， and spacing out the information。 I struggled to focus on all the stats that were mentioned in the book。 This book still brought up some excellent arguments and I think it is one that anyone should read if interested in learning about reconciliation。 。。。more
Jane
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Important info
Ashley Bratina
，
This book is AMAZING！ For a look at the honest history of the Indigenous people in North America， you NEED to read this book。 This needs to be a required read for any USA/Canadian history course。 I can very easily say I learned very little of any of this in school。 If you don't read this book and end up extremely pissed off at your country， there's something wrong。 This book is AMAZING！ For a look at the honest history of the Indigenous people in North America， you NEED to read this book。 This needs to be a required read for any USA/Canadian history course。 I can very easily say I learned very little of any of this in school。 If you don't read this book and end up extremely pissed off at your country， there's something wrong。 。。。more
Nancy Millwood
，
Kept my interest because of the use of humour， but was clear about the truth of matters。
Stephanie
，
Really well written to keep reader engaged， while giving essential information and history that everyone living in North America should know
John Dawson
，
There's no doubt Thomas King is a good writer and this book is a much needed addition to the largely ignored history of the indigenous of the North American continent。 It's hard to take anything good from this sorry history， but King makes an attempt， I think by acknowledging that all cultures have to change and adapt， and the "Indians" have already proved adept at that， which perhaps challenges the pessimism that is so easy to yield to。 There's no doubt Thomas King is a good writer and this book is a much needed addition to the largely ignored history of the indigenous of the North American continent。 It's hard to take anything good from this sorry history， but King makes an attempt， I think by acknowledging that all cultures have to change and adapt， and the "Indians" have already proved adept at that， which perhaps challenges the pessimism that is so easy to yield to。 。。。more
Tonya OK
，
I have realized that while I love King’s prose， his storytelling style is not for me。 At the start of the book， he specially writes that this is not a “typical” history in part because the account includes a lot of personal stories。 If only it were true。 I am not sure what King means by “personal，” but the number of stories or examples involving individual people （past or present） is limited。 This is a problem because those stories that make history engaging and relatable。 For the most part， thi I have realized that while I love King’s prose， his storytelling style is not for me。 At the start of the book， he specially writes that this is not a “typical” history in part because the account includes a lot of personal stories。 If only it were true。 I am not sure what King means by “personal，” but the number of stories or examples involving individual people （past or present） is limited。 This is a problem because those stories that make history engaging and relatable。 For the most part， this is a collection of events， names， legislations and dates written in King’s （undeniably） beautiful and humorous prose。 So at the end of the day， this is pretty much another history textbook （nicely written though it may be） and is about as engaging as one。 I also found King’s thought process hard to follow and found his story-telling meandering and fragmented。 However， I will admit that， in every chapter， his point came through very clearly。 The points being made are important and one that need to be brought into wider public awareness。 I just wish it had been done on a more accessible manner。 。。。more
Christina Fazio
，
An absolutely must read！ Eye opening and crushing。
Heather
，
Thomas King is my favourite fiction author of all time， and this is the first time I've read his nonfiction。 Before I get into the contents of the book， I'll talk about the tone: in typical Thomas King fashion， devastating topics are delivered in a storytelling fashion， with plenty of humour and irony。 The mixed emotions is very on-brand and made this a quick read for me。In spite of that， it took me 4 attempts to actually get into the book。The reason is the history behind the contents。 The treat Thomas King is my favourite fiction author of all time， and this is the first time I've read his nonfiction。 Before I get into the contents of the book， I'll talk about the tone: in typical Thomas King fashion， devastating topics are delivered in a storytelling fashion， with plenty of humour and irony。 The mixed emotions is very on-brand and made this a quick read for me。In spite of that， it took me 4 attempts to actually get into the book。The reason is the history behind the contents。 The treatment of Indigenous people in North America is， and always has been， horrific。 While I knew most of the events laid out in the book， I knew them through a white lens。 King has fleshed out the important pieces that white media doesn't want to discuss， that white schools don't want to teach， that white people don't want to admit。King is also unafraid to be vulnerable with personal stories （often cloaked with humour）。 He did not owe the reader that， and his vulnerability allowed these moments in history to resonate on a more personal level。This is not an emotionally easy read， but it is a necessary one。 King has made it accessible to non-Indigenous folks without compromising his lived experiences。 I will be reflecting on this book for a long time。 Thank you。 。。。more
Melanie
，
Another must-read （or listen） for colonisers of North America。 We need to relearn our history and take steps to change the direction of the future for Indigenous Peoples。 It's in all our interests as inhabitants of this earth。 Another must-read （or listen） for colonisers of North America。 We need to relearn our history and take steps to change the direction of the future for Indigenous Peoples。 It's in all our interests as inhabitants of this earth。 。。。more
Dc
，
sarcasm， pain， cruel history， pride。 fantastic book。
Ada
，
A must-read for all Canadians， especially in light of the horrific grave recently discovered in a Kamloops residential school。 King's narrative provides an approachable （and almost humorous at times！） quality to a heavy topic， weaving in his own personal experiences along with historical facts。 His explanation of the 3 types of Indians （Dead Indians， Live Indians and Legal Indians） crudely yet effectively explained to me the inherent issues we and our government have in our relationship with our A must-read for all Canadians， especially in light of the horrific grave recently discovered in a Kamloops residential school。 King's narrative provides an approachable （and almost humorous at times！） quality to a heavy topic， weaving in his own personal experiences along with historical facts。 His explanation of the 3 types of Indians （Dead Indians， Live Indians and Legal Indians） crudely yet effectively explained to me the inherent issues we and our government have in our relationship with our Native American neighbours。 It is truly a shame that our history with the Native Americans of this land is not fully taught or explained in our school curriculums nearly at the same level of importance as other history。 I didn't agree with certain colourful adjectives King used in describing Christianity， but it is undeniable that we as Canadians have alot of educating and unpacking to do。 Would recommend to all。 。。。more
Camden
，
A thought provoking perspective of a seldom talked about aspect of the USA - even for someone who grew up in "Cherokee County" and went to "Sequoyah High School。" A thought provoking perspective of a seldom talked about aspect of the USA - even for someone who grew up in "Cherokee County" and went to "Sequoyah High School。" 。。。more
Stacey
，