The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America

by Thomas King

English language

Published Nov. 23, 2012

ISBN:: 978-0-385-67405-8

(11 reviews)

The Inconvenient Indian is at once a “history” and the complete subversion of a history - in short, a critical and personal meditation that the remarkable Thomas King has conducted over the past 50 years about what it means to be “Indian” in North America. Rich with dark and light, pain and magic, this book distills the insights gleaned from that meditation, 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 …

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.

1 edition

Martin reviewed The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America by Thomas King

Review of 'The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I started this one more than two years ago... Probably should get the book back to my parents sometime soon. I put it down when other things in my life crowded my brain and I found digesting the depth of historical information, the personal wisdom, and, to be honest, the tragedy of this to be too much. I've since wanted to get back to it and finish it. It was definitely worth it... particularly reading the final chapter and considering the evolution of public opinion since the book was published nine years ago, and the promise that holds for a reconfigured future for all North Americans.

Sean Bala reviewed The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America by Thomas King

Review of 'The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

"The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America" is far funnier than it should be given its subject matter. But perhaps that is partially the point. King (called by some "Canada's Mark Twain") uses humor combined with penetrating insights to examine the twisting story of Native Americans / First Nations people in North America. A great introduction to the topic that will make you think afterwards.

WorzelFG reviewed The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America by Thomas King

Review of 'The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This makes a very hard history easy to read. Thomas King's wonderful black humour doesn't whitewash any of the tragedies but adds poignancy to the absurd errors and deliberate evil of colonialism in North America.