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allikay14's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Colonisation, Racism, Cultural appropriation, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, and Religious bigotry
rhollister's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
5.0
What more could you want from a book? Essential reading, especially for non-native peoples
nickscoby's review against another edition
4.0
A bold and truly important book that has a simplistic premise: the way that we teach about the California mission and the history of indigenous people is MESSED UP. And she develops through point through satire, poems, and personal reflections about her own family, namely her father. Those personal stories are the ones that affected me the most, especially when she writes about her father's abusive and drunken behavior. I highly recommend.
totoreo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
jamielea86's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
simonlorden's review against another edition
5.0
This book is absolutely brutal, and I don't think I can translate that into a star rating. It is very well-written and well-researched. I learned a lot. I didn't enjoy it at all.
There are two timelines as such - this book is both a personal memoir and a history book. First, it tells about the history of California Indians at the white-priest led Missions. The history is of course bloody, including rape, slavery, racism, violence and more.
But even though these parts were hard to read, you sort of expect those topics when you think about the history of Indigenous people. The parts that were truly "too much" for me were the memories of the author's own life. There are some quite explicit descriptions of child sexual abuse she suffered, as well as the physical abuse she and her siblings suffered at the hands of their father, and the sexual crimes his father committed against others. I admit I wasn't prepared for this and I don't really know how I feel about reading all of it. I hope the author got some catharsis or healing out of writing it down, though.
There are two timelines as such - this book is both a personal memoir and a history book. First, it tells about the history of California Indians at the white-priest led Missions. The history is of course bloody, including rape, slavery, racism, violence and more.
But even though these parts were hard to read, you sort of expect those topics when you think about the history of Indigenous people. The parts that were truly "too much" for me were the memories of the author's own life. There are some quite explicit descriptions of child sexual abuse she suffered, as well as the physical abuse she and her siblings suffered at the hands of their father, and the sexual crimes his father committed against others. I admit I wasn't prepared for this and I don't really know how I feel about reading all of it. I hope the author got some catharsis or healing out of writing it down, though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, Rape, and Sexual assault