logo

68 pages 2 hours read

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

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2012

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Book Brief

logo
Thomas King

The Inconvenient Indian

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2012
Book Details
Pages

272

Format

Book • Nonfiction

Genre
Setting

North America • Contemporary

Publication Year

2012

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

Roundup icon

Super Short Summary

The Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King explores the tumultuous history of Indian-White relations in North America, blending storytelling with historical analysis to critique cultural representations, government policies, and ongoing racial tensions. King examines the impact of myths, stereotypes in media, and policies like removal, assimilation, and allotment, while addressing issues of sovereignty and land disputes. The book discusses cultural and systemic challenges faced by Native peoples, driven by historical and contemporary injustices.

Informative

Contemplative

Mysterious

Melancholic

Humorous

Reviews & Readership

Roundup icon

Review Roundup

Thomas King's The Inconvenient Indian delves deeply into the history and ongoing struggles of Indigenous peoples in North America. Reviewers praise King's witty, candid writing and thorough research, which elegantly blends humor and sharp criticism. Some consider the narrative style meandering, which may detract from its academic rigor, but overall, it is widely lauded for its engaging and thought-provoking content.

Who should read this

Who Should Read The Inconvenient Indian?

Readers who appreciate nuanced, humorous, and thought-provoking examinations of history and culture, similar to Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States, will enjoy Thomas King's The Inconvenient Indian. Those with interests in Indigenous perspectives and social justice narratives will find this work compelling and insightful.

Character List

Thomas King

A writer of Cherokee descent who resides in Canada and is known for his fiction and nonfiction works focusing on Indigenous characters and history. In his nonfiction, he employs a personal and conversational style to discuss the history of Indigenous-white relations.

A member of the Powhatan tribe, who became well-known after being kidnapped by settlers, converting to Christianity, and traveling to Europe. Her story, particularly her supposed relationship with John Smith, has become a legendary narrative.

A leader of the Métis people in Canada, Riel led efforts against the Canadian government's unauthorized attempts to take Métis land. He became a martyr and legendary figure after being executed following the failure of a Métis rebellion.

A US military general known for his role in the 1876 Battle of Little Bighorn, where he was defeated by Lakota warriors. His death has been romanticized in American culture as "Custer’s Last Stand."

An American artist known for his sculpture End of the Trail, which has become an iconic image of Indigenous people in American culture with its depictions widely reproduced.

An army captain known for founding the residential school system to assimilate Indigenous youth into white culture, believed that children should be separated from their communities to adopt Western customs.

The seventh president of the United States known for passing the Removal Act in 1830, which forcibly moved Indigenous tribes from their Eastern homelands to Western territories. The act led to the notorious relocation known as the "Trail of Tears."

Book Details
Pages

272

Format

Book • Nonfiction

Genre
Setting

North America • Contemporary

Publication Year

2012

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

Continue your reading experience

Subscribe now to unlock the rest of this Study Guide plus our full library, which features expert-written summaries and analyses of 8,000+ additional titles.