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babble book club discussion 'The Inconvenient Indian' by Thomas King
December 19, 2013 - 1:46pm
Our next selection is The Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King and the final discussion date will be Friday January 17 at 2:00 p.m. EST RIGHT HERE on this thread.
Discussion encouraged before (and after!) the final date -- it is the advantage of an online book club.
We've already discussed the potential availability problems with this selection, so if you are having trouble let us know, and we'll try to figure something out!
More details can be found on the intro blog post, and of course questions can be left here in the thread.
Check out our new reading schedule as well!
Still waiting on my copy to come in, but have finished a few of the books on my list before then.
I'm guessing lots have been able to crack into their copies?
I read it in the fall. It's next to my bed waiting to be re-read in the week of the 13-17. I am currentlt reading Margaret Atwood's Maddadam and The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking.
I read it last spring and plan to re-read it (no, that's not a "resolution", just an overly ambitious notion). And I'm reading Oryx and Crake, so Caissa's ahead of me in the trilogy.
The nice thing about Maddadam was that Atwood gave a small summary of the first two books for those of us with short memories.
I didn't realize there was nearly a year's delay on publishing between Canada and the US of this book.
Anyways, interesting interview with King from Indian Country Media Network:
Also, I've always liked this review by Richard Wagamese.
Not to discourage his dilligence, but in case others think they NEED to emulate....
I just finished Year of the Flood, and had forgotten everything but the flavour of Oryx and Crake. Still, I could tell it did not matter. [and did go back to read pieces of O&C.]
The two narratives are concurrent in their time, but the events take place in entirely different worlds.... among different classes that live totally seperately, and with little understanding of each other.
The narratives make an interesting and instructive combination, but IMO it makes no difference which you read first. The characters common to each have very minor appearances in the second book written.... and I do not see that the dominant narratives of the second book are presaged in the narrative of Oryx and Crake. Logically, that is not mutually exclusive with a pretty tight overall unity of narrative, and in the person of the author.
So... I'm ahead of Caissa lol?
This thread seems to have been diverted into a discussion of what Babblers have been reading over the holidays before they get to (or get back to) The Inconvenient Indian. So I will just say that I am 2/3 of the way through Mandela's 'Long Walk to Freedom' - and it is excellent. Mandela's voice comes through crystal clear - through all the political complexities and personal dynamics of the different phases of the struggle. I do not read many 600+ page books - but this is one I will get through in the coming week.
And plan to see the related film this weekend, if only to compare notes.
ETA: But I will get the Inconvenient Indian read by the 17th. Promise.
That poses a good question. If you had to write an autobiography, how many pages would it be?
[Sorry for the thread drift.]
Five pages.
I read Inconvenient Indian back in September/October, when my hold came in on it at the library. Didn't quite finish it though, I only got to about page 200 or so before I had to return the book. I thouroughly enjoyed the read. Though not having the book on hand means I'll only be able to make more general comments during the discussion and won't be able to refer to specifics that would require having the book on hand.
You thread drifters are the worst (kidding!)
I'm still waiting for mine to come in -- I thought our discussion was this week and panicked, but it's okay as it is next week. WHEW.
I can't say much at the moment, been reading other reviews and stuff about it and all generally say the same thing: brilliant, must-read, hilarious
So... I'm expecting it to be GREAT
Sure... but will there be anything left to write after that?
OK, I am now 50 pages into The Inconvenient Indian. All good so far, though I am starting to wonder whether the narrative voice or "tone" King adopts (repeated use of irony, humour, sarcasm) which would be great in a magazine article might wear a little thin over the long run of a full book. We shall see ....
I found it wonderful throughout. I also enjoyed how he used his partner as a foil.
Uh-huh. By the end of Chapter 2, I was getting a little tired of King's repeated use of paragraph-long lists (wars with Indians, Indians on postage stamps, Indian actors, etc) when he notes in an aside:
"Helen, in her helpful way, suggested that I should cut all the lists in this chapter in half, suggested that no one likes to read lists, suggested that lists are, by and large, pedantic. She's right, of course. I just wanted to see the names, and I wanted to make sure that you saw them too."
I agree with Helen. But its a nice narrative device, I grant you.
You're King's perfect reader! He ticks you off, reels you in, and then instead of having a laugh at your expense, gets Helen to do so at his expense.
Re-read the first 200 pages yesterday. Enjoying it this time as much as I did the first time. I think King is using his lists to prove the pointbthat these events are not isolated occurences. My academic background is in history so I really appreciate his more causal approach to the past. I have read far too much dry pedantic stuff in the past.
Finished the book for the second time last night. My copy includes a discussion guide with 16 questions.
Send me the answers by PM.
Fortunately, they are of course open-ended questions.
The discussion is tomorrow at 2 p.m. EST.
Timely given today's discussion.
The experience of a Saskatchewan teen who wore a shirt with the message "Got Land? Thank an Indian" to her school and found herself in some hot water, is sparking animated discussions on social media about race and Aboriginal relations in Canada.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/thank-an-indian-shirt-generates-intense-reaction-1.2500043
All finished too! Yay discussion today!
Timely for many reasons sadly eh... I didn't realize our front page today would sync up so well (re: sigh) with todays conversation, but there you go.
Another being the Ezra Levant stuff and King's note on pg 105
Levant thought calling the liberal media the Borg and the CBC the death star more appropriate.
ETA: My editor-in-chief said "I thought that's what we were doing!"
T minus 1 hour.
T 4 2.
Meh, I'm gonna start.
Discuss.
ETA: Oh, and I have a big question:
Did King write this book for Whites, Indians, or both? (and should we use his terminology here without fear of giving offence?)
I'm typing out question 11 from the discussion guide in my copy of the book. "King enlists humor and satire througout The Inconvenient Indian. Does this make you consider things differently than you would in reading the same sentiments in a traditional history book? Why might maintaining a sense of humour be important to King in writing this book and persuading his readers? Is it an effective tool?"