thank you so much for the context you provided for this one. i appreciated the folklore, but was beyond ignorant to the basketball aspect. wonderful review!
I'm glad I found this review! I wondered how important basketball was overall for Native Indians and I'm glad you were able to explain it so well and succinctly. Thank you!
Great review. I know I'm an old guy, but it amazes me that people wont just google things they have questions about to find out. One of the great things about reading diversely is gaining insight into the experiences of others people that might be very different from your own experiences. That's not a weakness of a book that's a strength. Those books give you an opportunity to learn and expand your knowledge of humanity.
I loved this book! Stephen Graham Jones is one of my favorite horror writers; he so perfectly encapsulates, as you mentioned, the intergenerational trauma in Indigenous communities, and how deeply it affects us. I cannot *wait* for Night of the Mannequins to come out.
Yeah I'm not into the whole "oh i can't relate to these characters so book bad" like in pretty much a HUGE chunk of the stories i read/watch i can't relate to any of the characters, does it make them less good? No. I don't. All that matters to me is the story good and the characters or interesting along with other stuff i can't remember right now. One cool thing about stories is it can bring you into different countries, worlds, lifestyles, cultures, etc and make you fall in love with them, like a good chunk of i stuff that are my favorites don't even take place in the US
I cannot imagine reading the sweat lodge scenes in a camper in the pitch dark on Rez! I was already having weird dreams while reading this. It's amazing to me when people come across something new and can't be bothered to look into it so they can fully understand the context.
I also took this book on a roadtrip (through Scotland) and i was spooked every time we went on a woodland hike! I also wanted to say that I've not been "relating to" books my whole life. Growing up in Poland we had to wait ages (sometimes years) for some foreign books to be translated into Polish. Reading a book and not understanding certain references especially from another country has always been normal to me and it's what makes the whole experience great. Because you learn and experience other cultures this way and for some people it is the only way to experience them. And to low star rate a book cause you didn't get it is a sign of great privilege.
I can totally relate to the indigenous love of basketball. A few years back, the Ojibwe reservation I work at high school's girls basketball team went to the state tournament. The love and pride everyone had for those girls was awe inspiring. So many people went to watch that game or watched it televised. Their love and passion pulled me right in and I look forward to cheering for those girls every basketball season. :)
I agree, giving a book a bad review or rating because you couldn't relate to it isn't right; the whole idea of reading books you can't relate is meant to broaden your horizons. If nothing else, if you liked the horror story plot. give the it a positive review solely based on that. I loved this book!
I suggest reading Charles Dicken's "Tale of Two Cities" right after "The Only Good Indians". Elk Head Woman and Madame Defarge should totally hang out.
As a white gay, I can say I'm reading this novel now and I can completely relate to this book and it's characters. I can relate to the sense of community and growing up with a group of kids and seeing the different paths life takes them down. I could also relate to the grief of losing contemporaries around you. I loved learning more about modern life for indigenous people. I could empathize with the struggles they face and found it really heartbreaking. These are all bright, talented, beautiful souls that are resilient and special. I am totally freaked out by the horror and like yourself I don't scare easy. What helped with that was all the witty humor and endearing characters that made you care about what was happening and made you believe it. I thought it all felt so real despite the supernatural nature of the story. Stephen Graham Jones is one of the most talented and exciting authors out there and I am so excited to read more by him. Thank you for your honest review and authentic insight!
Loved the review! 😁👍🏾📚❤ The humor and resilience of Indigenous peoples were one of my favorite aspects of the book. It was a beautiful book that had so much to say with out actually saying it. If I make any sense. But again thank you for your words, ku'nahah.
Talk about a location to read it in. I would definitely not have slept easy after reading😊. I loved this book and definitely want to read more like it.
great review! I'm spending a few days in a cabin next month so i am going to try and read it during then. 😊 if you haven't read owl goingback's horror novels then i highly recommend their work. i listened to crota on audiobook and it was really good!
im a bit of a scaredy cat especially with horror books but can usually take scarier/darker content more in books and i definitely want to try this book out! (i will definitely be reading it during the day though 😅) loved this review!!
I don't accept that "can't relate" to Indigenous, Black, Hispanic, etc. literature. Isn't the point to experience a new viewpoint and learn something about lives, communities and places we are unfamiliar with? We read historical novels about time periods that are completely alien to us don't we? Isn't that the whole point of reading? Personally, I find it impossible to relate to the vast majority of people in Jane Austen's novels, but we still read them.
i love the moose artwork in the background! i also am a huge horror movie fan and love unsettling pacing. can't wait to read this, i've been excited since i first heard about it! thanks Dani😌🤍🖤
Loved this book! As a horror fan I was surprised that it actually got to me. I had to pause a few times and go..."wait what???". Thank you for this great review and for calling out bigot reviewers.
love your videos and I agree with what others have posted, not relating to a character is not what makes a story enjoyable or good. Just look at antiheroes in TV shows. Its such a lazy cop-out for reviewers imo. Anyway, already looking forward to the next video :)
Imagine every non-white reader giving a book 1 star because "It's about a white kid in a white world. Can't relate." *rolleyes* I just read a book set in feudal Japan about a Samurai. I am neither Japanese nor male nor a Samurai. I can still follow the story because - guess what - I educated myself about the culture. If you don't want to educate yourself, than don't judge a book based on your ignorance. There is no obligation to assign a star rating. Say you don't feel qualified to pass judgement, point to an own-voice reviewer if possible and leave it at that. *shrug*
Thank you for the shoutout though totally unnecessary! I was/am so happy to send this copy to you. Yes, the ominous moooood!! Exactly the words for it. It's intense and so compelling. But not only that, it has such a tender heart to it.
One of my pet peeves is when people low rate books because they "can't relate", "didn't get it", or "it wasn't for me". Rating averages have been shown to make a difference for a lot of people when deciding if they'll check out a book or not.... You're entitled to your opinion, but why not just NOT RATE IT if there was nothing fundamentally wrong with it?? Books by POC already start off at the back of the line, why add to that because it just wasn't to your personal taste?
I want to read this one. Would you be okay if I ask questions about it once I get to it? I don't want to disrespect a culture just from a misunderstanding.
![The Only Good Indians Book DISCUSSION [Spoilers]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/PVwv3eRpVu8/mqdefault.jpg)
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![The Only Good Indians Book Review [No Spoilers]](/img/n.gif)
thank you so much for the context you provided for this one. i appreciated the folklore, but was beyond ignorant to the basketball aspect. wonderful review!
I'm glad I found this review! I wondered how important basketball was overall for Native Indians and I'm glad you were able to explain it so well and succinctly. Thank you!
Great review. I know I'm an old guy, but it amazes me that people wont just google things they have questions about to find out. One of the great things about reading diversely is gaining insight into the experiences of others people that might be very different from your own experiences. That's not a weakness of a book that's a strength. Those books give you an opportunity to learn and expand your knowledge of humanity.
I loved this book! Stephen Graham Jones is one of my favorite horror writers; he so perfectly encapsulates, as you mentioned, the intergenerational trauma in Indigenous communities, and how deeply it affects us. I cannot *wait* for Night of the Mannequins to come out.
Yeah I'm not into the whole "oh i can't relate to these characters so book bad" like in pretty much a HUGE chunk of the stories i read/watch i can't relate to any of the characters, does it make them less good? No. I don't. All that matters to me is the story good and the characters or interesting along with other stuff i can't remember right now. One cool thing about stories is it can bring you into different countries, worlds, lifestyles, cultures, etc and make you fall in love with them, like a good chunk of i stuff that are my favorites don't even take place in the US
Agree.. we read to get to know point of view of other people.
Thanks for sharing. I have it on hold. I'm curious to see how the audio book is.
I cannot imagine reading the sweat lodge scenes in a camper in the pitch dark on Rez! I was already having weird dreams while reading this.
It's amazing to me when people come across something new and can't be bothered to look into it so they can fully understand the context.
It completely throws me off every.single.time. I’d think I’d be used to it by now but nope
I’m so happy to see a fellow Native on Booktube! I’m Chahta and Cherokee in Oklahoma.
We definitely need more Native/First Nations voices here. ♥️💜♥️
I also took this book on a roadtrip (through Scotland) and i was spooked every time we went on a woodland hike! I also wanted to say that I've not been "relating to" books my whole life. Growing up in Poland we had to wait ages (sometimes years) for some foreign books to be translated into Polish. Reading a book and not understanding certain references especially from another country has always been normal to me and it's what makes the whole experience great. Because you learn and experience other cultures this way and for some people it is the only way to experience them. And to low star rate a book cause you didn't get it is a sign of great privilege.
Exactly! It’s disappointing that avid readers with large follower counts don’t approach reading BIPOC novels with that respect
I can totally relate to the indigenous love of basketball. A few years back, the Ojibwe reservation I work at high school's girls basketball team went to the state tournament. The love and pride everyone had for those girls was awe inspiring. So many people went to watch that game or watched it televised. Their love and passion pulled me right in and I look forward to cheering for those girls every basketball season. :)
I agree, giving a book a bad review or rating because you couldn't relate to it isn't right; the whole idea of reading books you can't relate is meant to broaden your horizons. If nothing else, if you liked the horror story plot. give the it a positive review solely based on that. I loved this book!
I suggest reading Charles Dicken's "Tale of Two Cities" right after "The Only Good Indians". Elk Head Woman and Madame Defarge should totally hang out.
As a white gay, I can say I'm reading this novel now and I can completely relate to this book and it's characters. I can relate to the sense of community and growing up with a group of kids and seeing the different paths life takes them down. I could also relate to the grief of losing contemporaries around you. I loved learning more about modern life for indigenous people. I could empathize with the struggles they face and found it really heartbreaking. These are all bright, talented, beautiful souls that are resilient and special. I am totally freaked out by the horror and like yourself I don't scare easy. What helped with that was all the witty humor and endearing characters that made you care about what was happening and made you believe it. I thought it all felt so real despite the supernatural nature of the story. Stephen Graham Jones is one of the most talented and exciting authors out there and I am so excited to read more by him. Thank you for your honest review and authentic insight!
You and Erin made me buy this book and I can’t wait to read it! ♥️
Loved the review! 😁👍🏾📚❤ The humor and resilience of Indigenous peoples were one of my favorite aspects of the book. It was a beautiful book that had so much to say with out actually saying it. If I make any sense. But again thank you for your words, ku'nahah.
I totally get what you mean! Amazing how he was able to do that through his writing
i have this to read this month - i'm really looking forward to it. thank you so much for your review. x
Talk about a location to read it in. I would definitely not have slept easy after reading😊. I loved this book and definitely want to read more like it.
Same! I think I’m going to read another SGJ book soon, probably Mongrels!
@@thunderbirdwomanreads4641 I have Mapping the Interior but Mongrels might be after that.
I don't usually read horror but I might give this a try, it sounds really good. So glad I found your channel!
great review! I'm spending a few days in a cabin next month so i am going to try and read it during then. 😊 if you haven't read owl goingback's horror novels then i highly recommend their work. i listened to crota on audiobook and it was really good!
im a bit of a scaredy cat especially with horror books but can usually take scarier/darker content more in books and i definitely want to try this book out! (i will definitely be reading it during the day though 😅)
loved this review!!
I’m really interested in reading this even though I’m not really into horror. I really love the cover.
I don't accept that "can't relate" to Indigenous, Black, Hispanic, etc. literature. Isn't the point to experience a new viewpoint and learn something about lives, communities and places we are unfamiliar with? We read historical novels about time periods that are completely alien to us don't we? Isn't that the whole point of reading? Personally, I find it impossible to relate to the vast majority of people in Jane Austen's novels, but we still read them.
Agree, agree, agree! Also, too many forget that you don't have to "relate" to empathize
I will come back once I’ve read the book to check out your review! ❤️
i love the moose artwork in the background! i also am a huge horror movie fan and love unsettling pacing. can't wait to read this, i've been excited since i first heard about it! thanks Dani😌🤍🖤
I can’t wait to read this book! As a horror/suspense lover and being Diné & Zuni, it’s been so hard finding more BIPOC authors that are in that genre.
Loved this book! As a horror fan I was surprised that it actually got to me. I had to pause a few times and go..."wait what???". Thank you for this great review and for calling out bigot reviewers.
phew! how you read this in a camper is beyond me! LOL i don't think that i could have finished it without freaking out.
love your videos and I agree with what others have posted, not relating to a character is not what makes a story enjoyable or good. Just look at antiheroes in TV shows. Its such a lazy cop-out for reviewers imo. Anyway, already looking forward to the next video :)
Imagine every non-white reader giving a book 1 star because "It's about a white kid in a white world. Can't relate." *rolleyes*
I just read a book set in feudal Japan about a Samurai. I am neither Japanese nor male nor a Samurai. I can still follow the story because - guess what - I educated myself about the culture. If you don't want to educate yourself, than don't judge a book based on your ignorance. There is no obligation to assign a star rating. Say you don't feel qualified to pass judgement, point to an own-voice reviewer if possible and leave it at that. *shrug*
Thank you for the shoutout though totally unnecessary! I was/am so happy to send this copy to you. Yes, the ominous moooood!! Exactly the words for it. It's intense and so compelling. But not only that, it has such a tender heart to it.
One of my pet peeves is when people low rate books because they "can't relate", "didn't get it", or "it wasn't for me". Rating averages have been shown to make a difference for a lot of people when deciding if they'll check out a book or not.... You're entitled to your opinion, but why not just NOT RATE IT if there was nothing fundamentally wrong with it?? Books by POC already start off at the back of the line, why add to that because it just wasn't to your personal taste?
I want to read this one. Would you be okay if I ask questions about it once I get to it? I don't want to disrespect a culture just from a misunderstanding.