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katharines's review against another edition
4.0
My only criticism of this book is that I wish it had more indigenous voices. However, I reflected a lot while reading this and feel like I've come away with a growing understanding.
karimorton33's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed how this book combined a variety of voices reflecting on reconciliation. I found lots of opportunities for personal reflection and growth in my knowledge. All of the content was local, even much of it to Alberta, which made it better resonate with me.
pipn_t's review
informative
fast-paced
3.0
A good introduction to these issues if you haven’t thought about them before.
sawyerbell's review against another edition
5.0
This collection of essays was a thought-provoking and powerful read. Not only did it deepen my understanding of what has happened to indigenous people since contact with Europeans, it also forced me to stop and have a hard think about my own interactions with the indigenous people I've met. Even though my heart was (I believe) in the right place, I can see now, with a lot of discomfort, that I have probably said things that have caused unintentional hurt. Some reviewers of this book have criticized it for the number of essays written by non-indigenous people but I do think--for me at least--that they served a purpose of helping me to see indigenous experience through both lenses.
The most powerful section of the book was the closing conversation between Shelagh Rogers and Honourable Justice Murray Sinclair in which he offers up a vision of how Canada might have been, had settlers arrived with better morals and more open-hearts:
"Canada had the potential to be one of the most unique nations in the world with its relationship with Aboriginal people. Initially it was intended to be on a footing of partnership, of solidarity, of moving forward together as the original plan had been. When Confederation occurred, the original peoples of his country didn't oppose it, didn't fight against it. They were prepared to work with it - even those who didn't sign treaties at the time. They had different kinds of relationships that weren't treaty relationships, necessarily, in the same way as we understand them now, but they had alliance relationships. They had friendships that were formed, Partnerships that were created - economic, military, and otherwise--that allowed them to believe they could move forward together with Canada into the future. In western Canada, when the government approached First Nations people, the original peoples - the Métis and First Nations-- agreed to certain things that would occur. Agreed that they would share the use of the land and resources, and that there would be no interference with the way they governed themselves, as had been originally proposed in the Royal Proclamation of 1763.... Yet Canada immediately chose to betray that loyalty, that partnership, that relationship, by trying through legislation (it was basically war through law) to subjugate them, to assimilate them, to wipe them out as a distinct people. And Canada lost on the opportunity to enjoy that full and equal relationship with people who wanted to have a very significant relationship with them. So the opportunity for our languages to contribute to the language of this country, for our stories and history as indigenous people to become enmeshed with the stories and history of this country, so that Canada could talk about its existence from the beginning of time instead of from 1867 ... Canada lost out on all that. (emphasis mine)
"People come to this country now thinking that before 1867 there was nothing, but in reality there was this rich, vibrant economy, political system, military system in those years and going back to the beginning of time. Understanding all of that has been lost to the people of Canada. And so those who come here - newcomers - are literally only being given half of what they can be when they want to be part of this country. Or less than half."
My heart aches not only at the pain that has been endured, but also at this vision of what we have lost as a nation.
The most powerful section of the book was the closing conversation between Shelagh Rogers and Honourable Justice Murray Sinclair in which he offers up a vision of how Canada might have been, had settlers arrived with better morals and more open-hearts:
"Canada had the potential to be one of the most unique nations in the world with its relationship with Aboriginal people. Initially it was intended to be on a footing of partnership, of solidarity, of moving forward together as the original plan had been. When Confederation occurred, the original peoples of his country didn't oppose it, didn't fight against it. They were prepared to work with it - even those who didn't sign treaties at the time. They had different kinds of relationships that weren't treaty relationships, necessarily, in the same way as we understand them now, but they had alliance relationships. They had friendships that were formed, Partnerships that were created - economic, military, and otherwise--that allowed them to believe they could move forward together with Canada into the future. In western Canada, when the government approached First Nations people, the original peoples - the Métis and First Nations-- agreed to certain things that would occur. Agreed that they would share the use of the land and resources, and that there would be no interference with the way they governed themselves, as had been originally proposed in the Royal Proclamation of 1763.... Yet Canada immediately chose to betray that loyalty, that partnership, that relationship, by trying through legislation (it was basically war through law) to subjugate them, to assimilate them, to wipe them out as a distinct people. And Canada lost on the opportunity to enjoy that full and equal relationship with people who wanted to have a very significant relationship with them. So the opportunity for our languages to contribute to the language of this country, for our stories and history as indigenous people to become enmeshed with the stories and history of this country, so that Canada could talk about its existence from the beginning of time instead of from 1867 ... Canada lost out on all that. (emphasis mine)
"People come to this country now thinking that before 1867 there was nothing, but in reality there was this rich, vibrant economy, political system, military system in those years and going back to the beginning of time. Understanding all of that has been lost to the people of Canada. And so those who come here - newcomers - are literally only being given half of what they can be when they want to be part of this country. Or less than half."
My heart aches not only at the pain that has been endured, but also at this vision of what we have lost as a nation.
ella0910's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
emwilliams's review against another edition
4.0
When I first started this book, the placement of the essays made me think it was more an exercise of white writers checking their privilege about reconciliation -- it's not, fortunately. Many of the essays are by First Nations people and those were the pieces I found most powerful. I wish the editor had led with those; it would have given the responses from settler writers (which are definitely needed as part of the wider T&R project) more context. Overall, it's a powerful collection and has given me more writers to follow on Twitter. I thought closing with the conversation between Rogers and Sinclair was a particularly strong choice. I could listen to them talk about Canada and how we move forward together as treaty people any day, and that's how the transcription of their conversation reads.
nicolepants's review against another edition
3.0
I was really surprised at the number of essays written by non-indigenous people in this book. There's definitely a place to read an essay about a white woman's "aha moment" and realization of systemic racism, but... did I really have to read so many? I'm a white woman, and I don't think my voice is as important as someone who's lived the experiences of racism in Canada, where we think of ourselves as pretty tolerant and accepting.
Some of the stories are really good, and overall I think this is a really important book for everyone to read, I just think 15 stories was too many, considering if they'd cut 3 of the ones written by well-meaning white people, or maybe even just spaced them out, instead of having them mostly at the beginning of the book, it would have been much more powerful.
Some of the stories are really good, and overall I think this is a really important book for everyone to read, I just think 15 stories was too many, considering if they'd cut 3 of the ones written by well-meaning white people, or maybe even just spaced them out, instead of having them mostly at the beginning of the book, it would have been much more powerful.
dianacarmel's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
2.0
It’s difficult to rate a book of essays; each one is so unique and some are more engaging (The Perfect Tool; Mother Tongues; Colonialism Lived) or more poetic (Drawing Lines) than others. Those might be worth four or five stars. But I’m surprised at how many white-authored essays were included - especially those which specifically detail their “aha” moment. To me, including multiple similar accounts is unnecessary and borders on performative allyship. Moreover, Carol Shaben (a non-Indigenous WOC) writes an essay about a woman who had originally trusted Shaben with her story, then changed her mind and asked Shaben not to publish it even with names changed. Why Shaben wrote about the woman anyway (as part of Shaben’s aha moment, no less) is beyond me, and highly inappropriate.
If I could give To Kill An Indian negative stars for its insistence on the “good intentions” of the Catholic Church and the many times the author implies that the residential school system and it’s aftereffects were inevitable parts of history (to quote him directly, the abuses were due to “the law of unintended consequences”), I would.
quietmidden's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
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