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

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

• Genre: Nonfiction; history; social commentary
• Originally Published: 2012
• Reading Level/Interest: College/Adult
• Structure/Length: 10 chapters and prologue; approximately 272 pages; approximately 9 hours, 56 minutes on audio
• Central Concern: The Inconvenient Indian is Thomas King’s exploration and critique of the history and current circumstances of Indigenous peoples in North America. King uses a mixture of history, storytelling, and personal reflection to discuss Indigenous peoples’ cultural, political, and legal struggles and challenge conventional narratives about Indigenous peoples in Canada and the United States. King addresses serious issues such as land rights, stereotypes, and cultural appropriation, while urging a rethinking of commonly held beliefs about Indigenous history and identity.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Discussions of colonization, cultural genocide, and racial discrimination; descriptions of violence and historical injustices; use of outdated, potentially insensitive language (this Teaching Guide uses the term “Indigenous peoples” to refer to Indigenous groups in what is now Canada and the United States)

Thomas King, Author

• Bio: Born 1943; an American Canadian writer and broadcaster of Cherokee and Greek descent; known for works that focus on the experiences and histories of Indigenous peoples in North America
• Other Works: Green Grass, Running Water (1993); Truth and Bright Water (1999); The Back of the Turtle (2014); Indians on Vacation (2020)
• Awards: BC National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction (2014); RBC Taylor Prize (2014)