The Inconvenient Indian is a very humorous book about the most tragic and horrific account of history in North America. It is uncomfortable to read about the subjugation and genocide of Native Americans with such a humorous tone, though it is incredibly uncomfortable no matter how you approach the topic.

Up to now this is probably the most educational report I have read about Native American affairs, surely due to the limits of what I have personally read. All the same, the point is that it offers a wealth of information on the topic. In particular, the scope of how much suffering was caused by residential schools was particularly illuminating and equally horrifying. A repeating thought I had while reading was "I knew this was bad, but I did not know it was that bad." Not so much because I was not aware of the extent of things, but I suppose just because things are always more horrible than I remember it to be. Or maybe because to report on these events is just too uncomfortable to fully capture as it ought to be.

The humor did bother me at first, though that softened through being able to maintain an understanding that there is, paradoxically, nothing really funny about it at all. As long as that is not lost on you, then it can be bearable. It is strange, as I have read Sherman Alexie in the past and I did not come away with quite the same feeling, but I think I just did not know as much then as I did now. Regardless, the tone is definitely a major strength of King's. Another deeply disturbing book that is very similar in this way is Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt, as my dad had pointed out. In the end, maybe humor ultimately can be one of the best ways to cope with these kind of topics. It is not an easy feat, but Alexie, McCourt, and King all do an extraordinary job at pulling it off.