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Bad Indians Book Club: Reading at the Edge of a Thousand Worlds
In this powerful reframing of the stories that make us, Anishinaabe writer Patty Krawec leads us into the borderlands of history, science, memoir, and fiction to What worlds do books written by marginalized people describe and invite us to inhabit?When a friend asked what books could help them understand Indigenous lives, Patty Krawec, author of Becoming Kin, gave them a list. This list became a book club and then a podcast about a year of Indigenous reading, and then this book. The writers in Bad Indians Book Clubrefuse to let dominant stories displace their own and resist the way wemitigoozhiwag--European settlers--craft the prevailing narrative and decide who they are.In Bad Indians Book Club, we examine works about history, science, and gender as well as fiction, all written from the perspective of "Bad Indians"--marginalized writers whose refusal to comply with dominant narratives opens up new worlds. Interlacing chapters with short stories about Deer Woman, who is on her own journey to decide who she is, Krawec leads us into a place of wisdom and medicine where the stories of marginalized writers help us imagine other ways of seeing the world. As Krawec did for her friend, she recommends a list of books to fill in the gaps on our own bookshelves and in our understanding.Becoming Kin, which novelist Omar El Akkad called a "searing spear of light," led readers to talk back to the histories they had received. Now, in Bad Indians Book Club comes a potent challenge to all the stories settler colonialism tells--stories that erase and appropriate, deny and deflect. Following Deer Woman, who is shaped by the profuse artistry of Krawec, we enter the multiple worlds Indigenous and other subaltern stories create. Together we venture to the edges of worlds waiting to be born.
249 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 16, 2025
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3404 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
May 26, 2025
There is a lot of good information in this book, but I think it needs a touch more editing. I found the beginning to be repetitive, almost like the author didn’t think I would be able to grasp her concepts without her spelling it out for me.
The stories she included were meaningful and I think there are a lot of good talking points. The author references a ton of other books, essays, speeches etc that really help bring her thoughts to life.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The stories she included were meaningful and I think there are a lot of good talking points. The author references a ton of other books, essays, speeches etc that really help bring her thoughts to life.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
September 21, 2025
I’ve mentioned before how much I enjoy books about books, so when Bad Indians Book Club , Reading at the Edge of a Thousand Worlds by Patty Krawec came across my doorstep, I jumped at the chance to read it. This is a work of challenging non-fiction as it comes across more as an academic text than a book club advice manual or reading guide, but I’m always looking to stretch my reading skills so I’m glad I gave it a chance. For those who actively seek out writing from marginalized folks this will be a particularly fascinating book, as it blends opinions and quotes from not only Indigenous peoples, but many of those whose culture or race has ever been under attack. Black and Jewish writers play a predominant role in those who are referenced, so Krawec widens her scope in a way that forces readers to consider the harmful effects that colonialism, racism, and xenophobia have had, and the way writing can become resistance against these forces.
Book Summary
Split into nine sections, Krawec follows a year of reading about “Bad Indians”, i.e. those who will not conform to the stereotypes that colonialism has thrust upon them. Krawec also taught classes on these themes as well as recorded podcasts on them, so at the back of the book is a long list of additional resources one can further explore, in addition to the numerous footnotes. The eight writing themes are: Clearing Space for Story, Science and Nature Writing, History, Stories about Refusing Patriarchy, Memoir, Fiction, Horror, and Speculative Fiction. The ninth section is a work of fiction by Krawec that breaks up the literary analysis; it’s a story that takes place over hundreds of years, following a female character named Kwe who shifts from a human to a deer shape, as she witnesses the transition of the Americas from pre-colonial time, to the present day.
My Thoughts
Krawec introduces herself as a Bad Indian at the beginning of the book, which by her definition, “are experts at refusal and creating hostile spaces, and we tell our own stories, even when they aren’t pretty.” (p. 21, Bad Indians Book Club by Patty Krawec). Omar El Akkad echoes these sentiments in his foreword when he refers to the “Grateful Immigrant” and the “Untroublesome Minority”. I found these phrases particularly striking, because I think this is the root of so much racism – if you weren’t born here, shouldn’t you be grateful you were allowed in at all? But how do we square that with our expectations of Indigenous folk, who are truly native to this land, then got pushed into reserves across North America – why do we still expect them to be grateful? Because they are now the minorities?
Canadian readers will appreciate the references to numerous Canadian authors that they may already be familiar with. I personally found I could understand Krawec’s arguments quicker when I was familiar with the books she was using as an example. Her analyses of genre fiction written by Indigenous people were most fascinating to me, including the following quote from a character in a work of speculative fiction by bestselling Canadian writer Waubgeshig Rice:
“Aileen, one of the elders in Moon of the Crusted Snow, tells Evan, the protagonist, that we don’t have a word for apocalypse-and that the world isn’t ending anyway. The world actually ended for us a long time ago, she says, when the settlers arrived. We’ve been adapting and surviving ever since” (p.199 of Bad Indians Book Club).
Akkad’s foreword introduces his relationship with the author this way; she sent him a message after the release of his famous book American War which I review here, basically asking where the Native population was in his breakout book – they were never mentioned, and she felt this was an obvious gap. He graciously admitted that she was right, which began a relationship between the two writers, even prompting Akkad to include a reference to Indigenous populations in a future novel of his. And this is what much of this book truly is – a dialogue. The ideas don’t feel fully formed, similar to a discussion during a book club. Instead Krawec cites other authors and their work to expand our thinking of Indigenous writing and how it’s reflective of the experiences of Indigenous people. Often Indigenous writing has been forced to defend itself or educate settlers, but as it gains in popularity, it has flourished in other ways, now becoming a pushback against the corners they have been relegated to. The expansion of Indigenous and marginalized writing and publishing allows us to see different facets of the Indigenous or marginalized experience that have previously been hidden, or in many cases, punished.
All in all there were many moments of reading this book where I felt a bit lost as some of Krawec’s ideas were hard for me to truly grasp, but there were many more ‘aha’ moments too. For those who want to explore more writing by Indigenous folks, I recommend dedicating some time to this book as well as taking a few examples from the extensive bibliography. It’s a challenging read, but worth the effort.
To read the rest of my reviews, please visit my blog:
https://ivereadthis.com/
Book Summary
Split into nine sections, Krawec follows a year of reading about “Bad Indians”, i.e. those who will not conform to the stereotypes that colonialism has thrust upon them. Krawec also taught classes on these themes as well as recorded podcasts on them, so at the back of the book is a long list of additional resources one can further explore, in addition to the numerous footnotes. The eight writing themes are: Clearing Space for Story, Science and Nature Writing, History, Stories about Refusing Patriarchy, Memoir, Fiction, Horror, and Speculative Fiction. The ninth section is a work of fiction by Krawec that breaks up the literary analysis; it’s a story that takes place over hundreds of years, following a female character named Kwe who shifts from a human to a deer shape, as she witnesses the transition of the Americas from pre-colonial time, to the present day.
My Thoughts
Krawec introduces herself as a Bad Indian at the beginning of the book, which by her definition, “are experts at refusal and creating hostile spaces, and we tell our own stories, even when they aren’t pretty.” (p. 21, Bad Indians Book Club by Patty Krawec). Omar El Akkad echoes these sentiments in his foreword when he refers to the “Grateful Immigrant” and the “Untroublesome Minority”. I found these phrases particularly striking, because I think this is the root of so much racism – if you weren’t born here, shouldn’t you be grateful you were allowed in at all? But how do we square that with our expectations of Indigenous folk, who are truly native to this land, then got pushed into reserves across North America – why do we still expect them to be grateful? Because they are now the minorities?
Canadian readers will appreciate the references to numerous Canadian authors that they may already be familiar with. I personally found I could understand Krawec’s arguments quicker when I was familiar with the books she was using as an example. Her analyses of genre fiction written by Indigenous people were most fascinating to me, including the following quote from a character in a work of speculative fiction by bestselling Canadian writer Waubgeshig Rice:
“Aileen, one of the elders in Moon of the Crusted Snow, tells Evan, the protagonist, that we don’t have a word for apocalypse-and that the world isn’t ending anyway. The world actually ended for us a long time ago, she says, when the settlers arrived. We’ve been adapting and surviving ever since” (p.199 of Bad Indians Book Club).
Akkad’s foreword introduces his relationship with the author this way; she sent him a message after the release of his famous book American War which I review here, basically asking where the Native population was in his breakout book – they were never mentioned, and she felt this was an obvious gap. He graciously admitted that she was right, which began a relationship between the two writers, even prompting Akkad to include a reference to Indigenous populations in a future novel of his. And this is what much of this book truly is – a dialogue. The ideas don’t feel fully formed, similar to a discussion during a book club. Instead Krawec cites other authors and their work to expand our thinking of Indigenous writing and how it’s reflective of the experiences of Indigenous people. Often Indigenous writing has been forced to defend itself or educate settlers, but as it gains in popularity, it has flourished in other ways, now becoming a pushback against the corners they have been relegated to. The expansion of Indigenous and marginalized writing and publishing allows us to see different facets of the Indigenous or marginalized experience that have previously been hidden, or in many cases, punished.
All in all there were many moments of reading this book where I felt a bit lost as some of Krawec’s ideas were hard for me to truly grasp, but there were many more ‘aha’ moments too. For those who want to explore more writing by Indigenous folks, I recommend dedicating some time to this book as well as taking a few examples from the extensive bibliography. It’s a challenging read, but worth the effort.
To read the rest of my reviews, please visit my blog:
https://ivereadthis.com/
January 12, 2026
3.5⭐️
Loved the content but the prose was a little hard to engage with, it was a lot of listenings and quotes,, maybe i shouldn’t have listened on audio? A great read nonetheless, excited to go through the recommended/mentioned books 😋😋
Loved the content but the prose was a little hard to engage with, it was a lot of listenings and quotes,, maybe i shouldn’t have listened on audio? A great read nonetheless, excited to go through the recommended/mentioned books 😋😋
August 17, 2025
I picked this up while trying to push my boundaries with genres, and wow I’m so glad I did. Patty Krawec weaves history, memoir, and storytelling in a way that challenges dominant narratives and opens new worlds. It’s powerful, thought provoking, and full of wisdom that lingers long after reading. This ARC reminded me that sometimes the books you don’t think are “your genre” end up being the ones you love most. Never be afraid to reach beyond your usual shelves you might just find magic waiting there.
November 4, 2025
"This book is, ultimately, a book about refusal: refusing political categories, and the borders and violence that comes with them, refusing to assimilate by becoming the kind of person the state cannot assimilate. It's written by a Bad Indian, who doesn't just want to survive this current apocalypse, I want to join with others – Bad Indians and more – to midwife new worlds into being."
This was a brain stretching, sometimes academic feeling read. It is a book that could and should be adopted into course curriculum. Arranged into themes, including science/nature writing, memoir, horror and speculative fiction … and interwoven between chapters is Krawec's short story Kwe, her retelling of the Deer Woman story. So many pages, passages, book titles and author names highlighted, I know I’ll come back to Bad Indians Book Club time and time again.
Because we can best understand each other when we know each other's stories, Krawec encourages readers to approach indigenous writing "with a willingness to clear mental space where curiosity encourages us to make room for new ideas to permeate into our thinking rather than to just let them float on the surface."
When I finished Krawec's book, I was rewarded with an extensive bibliography of many authors I've read and loved and plenty of new ones to explore. There's also a list of recommended podcasts and a history and explanation of the book's stunning cover.
"Bad Indians wield stories like weapons in the war against imagination." pg 21
This was a brain stretching, sometimes academic feeling read. It is a book that could and should be adopted into course curriculum. Arranged into themes, including science/nature writing, memoir, horror and speculative fiction … and interwoven between chapters is Krawec's short story Kwe, her retelling of the Deer Woman story. So many pages, passages, book titles and author names highlighted, I know I’ll come back to Bad Indians Book Club time and time again.
Because we can best understand each other when we know each other's stories, Krawec encourages readers to approach indigenous writing "with a willingness to clear mental space where curiosity encourages us to make room for new ideas to permeate into our thinking rather than to just let them float on the surface."
When I finished Krawec's book, I was rewarded with an extensive bibliography of many authors I've read and loved and plenty of new ones to explore. There's also a list of recommended podcasts and a history and explanation of the book's stunning cover.
"Bad Indians wield stories like weapons in the war against imagination." pg 21
December 6, 2025
What a comprehensive and detailed resource that connects indigenous communicators. There is a lot to dissect here and the format resembles a thesis. It’s a really eye opening book with many moments of beauty.
August 25, 2025
This ARC was provided by NetGalley and wow. Just wow.
I'll be honest, I don't really know how to review this book.
It's unlike any other book I've read before, a combination of essay and critique and history and story telling and memoir and call to action and more.
It is not a book that I read quickly. There were many, MANY times I had to stop and sit and think a moment about what she wrote.
Part of it was the unfamiliarity with this style of writing. The larger part of it was trying to think and understand in a way that is far outside the realm of my lived experience.
This is a book that will sit with me for a while.
I have preordered this book upon finishing and will undoubtedly reread it many, many times. And will definitely make use of the recommended reading list Patty provides at the end, and throughout, the book in order to read more broadly.
I'll be honest, I don't really know how to review this book.
It's unlike any other book I've read before, a combination of essay and critique and history and story telling and memoir and call to action and more.
It is not a book that I read quickly. There were many, MANY times I had to stop and sit and think a moment about what she wrote.
Part of it was the unfamiliarity with this style of writing. The larger part of it was trying to think and understand in a way that is far outside the realm of my lived experience.
This is a book that will sit with me for a while.
I have preordered this book upon finishing and will undoubtedly reread it many, many times. And will definitely make use of the recommended reading list Patty provides at the end, and throughout, the book in order to read more broadly.
December 25, 2025
I really struggled with this book and in part, I wonder if it’s because I hadn’t listened to the podcasts first. Some of the things echoed what I read in Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall, a book I read a year ago, one that really opened my eyes to how marginalized feminists weren’t included in the Women’s Movement of the 1960s/1970s. Patty Krawec’s book addresses how marginalized writers’ (Bad Indians) books offer a different and more inclusive way than what the dominant culture provides. I simply wish I would have found the book more accessible.
November 23, 2025
Such a privilege to hear the author speak at Burlington Public Library literary festival - totally changes a reading experience. This book was an interesting summary of many different recommended books organized into several genres. “Be the kind of people that the land wants back”
September 14, 2025
Bad Indians Book Club by Patty Krawec is unlike any book I’ve ever read. A challenging book, Bad Indians is a mix of nonfiction and fiction based on her podcast and asking hard questions about the importance of marginalized stories.
Krawec describes the genesis of her podcast and the book. A friend asked her to recommend a book that could help him understand the Indigenous perspective. That resulted in a list of many books, a book club, and then a podcast. And then this book collects and analyses the writing from a variety of authors to show that Bad Indians don’t let other people tell their stories.
I love how Krawec looks at the world and books. She tells a story where a woman commented that she was going to write a thesis without using white male academics. The backlash was swift, “how can you write a thesis without real experts???,” even though the woman never stated what her thesis was about. The point is, when we assume only certain people are experts and allowed to tell the “real” story, we shut down important voices. Krawec doesn’t make that mistake. The huge number of books, essays, academic studies, etc., that she references, and the diversity of her references, highlights important voices across the world. You will add so many books to your tbr. (I also want to shout out her analysis of Stephen Graham Jones books, The Only Good Indians and My Heart is a Chainsaw. I just want more people to understand how good he is at what he does).
This is a hard book to categorize and at times it can feel scattered (although I love how she addresses that in the book). But it’s thought provoking and smart. Marginalized stories are important because marginalized people are important. Highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the arc in exchange for an honest review.
Krawec describes the genesis of her podcast and the book. A friend asked her to recommend a book that could help him understand the Indigenous perspective. That resulted in a list of many books, a book club, and then a podcast. And then this book collects and analyses the writing from a variety of authors to show that Bad Indians don’t let other people tell their stories.
I love how Krawec looks at the world and books. She tells a story where a woman commented that she was going to write a thesis without using white male academics. The backlash was swift, “how can you write a thesis without real experts???,” even though the woman never stated what her thesis was about. The point is, when we assume only certain people are experts and allowed to tell the “real” story, we shut down important voices. Krawec doesn’t make that mistake. The huge number of books, essays, academic studies, etc., that she references, and the diversity of her references, highlights important voices across the world. You will add so many books to your tbr. (I also want to shout out her analysis of Stephen Graham Jones books, The Only Good Indians and My Heart is a Chainsaw. I just want more people to understand how good he is at what he does).
This is a hard book to categorize and at times it can feel scattered (although I love how she addresses that in the book). But it’s thought provoking and smart. Marginalized stories are important because marginalized people are important. Highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the arc in exchange for an honest review.
January 13, 2026
"We don't just passively absorb the things we read. Books change us because we engage with them, we wrestle and argue with them. The power of book clubs and reading groups lies not just in who we read but in who we read with and why."
Thank you to NetGalley, Patty Krawec, and Tantor Media for this advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
CW: Discussions of colonialism, violence, trauma
Patty Krawec's Bad Indians Book Club: Reading at the Edge of a Thousand Worlds started when a friend asked for book recommendations to better understand Indigenous lives. That conversation became a reading group, then a podcast, and eventually this book. It's ambitious and unique, though the way it's put together doesn't totally work for me.
The foreword by Omar El Akkad really stuck with me. He connects "good Indians" to "grateful immigrants" and "untroublesome minorities," and talks about how we need to question where these labels come from and recognize them as products of colonialism. I also loved hearing about how he and Krawec met and how she challenged him to improve his own writing. I've read both American War and One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This, so getting this glimpse into their relationship was unexpected and meaningful.
This book does two things at once. On one hand, you get really thoughtful nonfiction that combines academic research with personal stories. Krawec clearly did extensive work to bring in different voices and perspectives. The whole book functions as an education, which is the goal. I got excited when books I've already read came up, like Octavia E. Butler's Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents and American War.
On the other hand, there's a short story where the main character is a Deer Woman, and it appears in pieces at the end of each chapter. The sections of the story are supposed to connect to what was discussed in that chapter. It's an interesting idea, but it didn't work well for me. It felt like two separate books awkwardly stitched together. I would have liked to experience the short story both ways - in its intended sections after each chapter AND as a complete whole. Maybe if there had been a reference at the end of each chapter to read pages X through X, readers could have experienced it both ways? Listening to the audiobook made this especially frustrating because I couldn't easily jump around to read the story all at once. I think something important was lost by not being able to experience it as a whole.
Despite that structural problem, I still got a lot out of this book. I learned so much and valued all the different perspectives Krawec includes. This is actually the third time I've encountered Deer Woman stories recently, after reading Mask of the Deer Woman by Laurie L. Dove (published January 2025) and Hemlock by Melissa Faliveno (published January 2026). This book is also coming out in January 2026. It's interesting that all three have been published within the last 12 months. Having Krawec's version adds to that ongoing conversation in an interesting way.
Krawec reads her own audiobook, which I really enjoyed. Hearing the author's voice adds something genuine to the experience. Her tone works well for this material. I sped it up a bit because the delivery felt slow to me, but that's just how I prefer to listen.
This works well for people who want to build a reading list of Indigenous literature, book clubs looking for guidance on what to explore, or anyone trying to learn more as part of their own anti-colonial work. If you're looking for voices that push back against the stories colonialism tells, this gives you a solid place to start.
An educational guide to Indigenous reading that teaches a lot even though the structure gets in its own way for some readers.
September 16, 2025
Rating: 4* of five
The Publisher Says: Bad Indians Book Club continues the conversation Anishinaabe writer Patty Krawec started in Becoming Kin, inviting readers to question the stories of settler colonialism and discover the rich worlds created by Indigenous voices.
"A fascinating advanced seminar about how to think, read, think about reading, and think about Indigenous lives."—Booklist, starred review
In this powerful reframing of the stories that make us, Anishinaabe writer Patty Krawec leads us into the borderlands of history, science, memoir, and fiction to ask: What worlds do books written by marginalized people describe and invite us to inhabit?
When a friend asked what books could help them understand Indigenous lives, Patty Krawec, author of Becoming Kin, gave them a list. This list became a book club and then a podcast about a year of Indigenous reading, and then this book. The writers in Bad Indians Book Club refuse to let dominant stories displace their own and resist the way wemitigoozhiwag—European settlers—craft the prevailing narrative and decide who they are.
In Bad Indians Book Club, we examine works about history, science, and gender as well as fiction, all written from the perspective of "Bad Indians"—marginalized writers whose refusal to comply with dominant narratives opens up new worlds. Interlacing chapters with short stories about Deer Woman, who is on her own journey to decide who she is, Krawec leads us into a place of wisdom and medicine where the stories of marginalized writers help us imagine other ways of seeing the world. As Krawec did for her friend, she recommends a list of books to fill in the gaps on our own bookshelves and in our understanding.
Becoming Kin, which novelist Omar El Akkad called a "searing spear of light," led readers to talk back to the histories they had received. Now, in Bad Indians Book Club comes a potent challenge to all the stories settler colonialism tells—stories that erase and appropriate, deny and deflect. Following Deer Woman, who is shaped by the profuse artistry of Krawec, we enter the multiple worlds Indigenous and other subaltern stories create. Together we venture to the edges of worlds waiting to be born.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: The structure of the book makes me think these were written as essays, turned into chapters, and not very thoroughly combed through to make sure reduplicative information was minimized or eliminated.
That said, every chapter is cram-jam full of information new to me, or so distant from my ROM that I needed to dig for it in RAM. I came away very much better informed, educated, and energized. Fortunately, there are footnotes galore to keep me supplied in rabbit-hole bait. Yay. *note to self check data usage*
The character Kwe/Deer Woman as our guide and cicerone is a polarizing addition to the non-fiction nature of the book. Quite sensible in my opinion, as being taught something I'm totally unfamiliar with is always easier for me to contextualize and absorb if there is a person teaching me. I think I might have been okay with just Author Krawec...but this way I felt I was listening in and learning more through it.
In a time that feels to me like it is celebrating smallness, valorizing exclusion, and weaponizing authority structures, reading Bad Indians Book Club gave me the feeling of learning while resisting these things I emphatically do not support. I will warn my fellow biblioholics that this is going to be a TBR-fattening read. Big time.
But worth it to discover new storytelling. I think you will agree.
The Publisher Says: Bad Indians Book Club continues the conversation Anishinaabe writer Patty Krawec started in Becoming Kin, inviting readers to question the stories of settler colonialism and discover the rich worlds created by Indigenous voices.
"A fascinating advanced seminar about how to think, read, think about reading, and think about Indigenous lives."—Booklist, starred review
In this powerful reframing of the stories that make us, Anishinaabe writer Patty Krawec leads us into the borderlands of history, science, memoir, and fiction to ask: What worlds do books written by marginalized people describe and invite us to inhabit?
When a friend asked what books could help them understand Indigenous lives, Patty Krawec, author of Becoming Kin, gave them a list. This list became a book club and then a podcast about a year of Indigenous reading, and then this book. The writers in Bad Indians Book Club refuse to let dominant stories displace their own and resist the way wemitigoozhiwag—European settlers—craft the prevailing narrative and decide who they are.
In Bad Indians Book Club, we examine works about history, science, and gender as well as fiction, all written from the perspective of "Bad Indians"—marginalized writers whose refusal to comply with dominant narratives opens up new worlds. Interlacing chapters with short stories about Deer Woman, who is on her own journey to decide who she is, Krawec leads us into a place of wisdom and medicine where the stories of marginalized writers help us imagine other ways of seeing the world. As Krawec did for her friend, she recommends a list of books to fill in the gaps on our own bookshelves and in our understanding.
Becoming Kin, which novelist Omar El Akkad called a "searing spear of light," led readers to talk back to the histories they had received. Now, in Bad Indians Book Club comes a potent challenge to all the stories settler colonialism tells—stories that erase and appropriate, deny and deflect. Following Deer Woman, who is shaped by the profuse artistry of Krawec, we enter the multiple worlds Indigenous and other subaltern stories create. Together we venture to the edges of worlds waiting to be born.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: The structure of the book makes me think these were written as essays, turned into chapters, and not very thoroughly combed through to make sure reduplicative information was minimized or eliminated.
That said, every chapter is cram-jam full of information new to me, or so distant from my ROM that I needed to dig for it in RAM. I came away very much better informed, educated, and energized. Fortunately, there are footnotes galore to keep me supplied in rabbit-hole bait. Yay. *note to self check data usage*
The character Kwe/Deer Woman as our guide and cicerone is a polarizing addition to the non-fiction nature of the book. Quite sensible in my opinion, as being taught something I'm totally unfamiliar with is always easier for me to contextualize and absorb if there is a person teaching me. I think I might have been okay with just Author Krawec...but this way I felt I was listening in and learning more through it.
In a time that feels to me like it is celebrating smallness, valorizing exclusion, and weaponizing authority structures, reading Bad Indians Book Club gave me the feeling of learning while resisting these things I emphatically do not support. I will warn my fellow biblioholics that this is going to be a TBR-fattening read. Big time.
But worth it to discover new storytelling. I think you will agree.
March 19, 2025
What a privilege. I wish I could join Krawec's book club. Almost every book covered I've either read already or was on my list ... or is now.
This is an excellent text to help remember and centre Indigenous and colonized peoples, maybe especially pertinent to white settlers and those of us with imperialism and colonialist lineages (not necessary white folks from the West).
Head's up: Read the footnotes. This was puzzling to me, but almost everything I highlighted and needed to read was in the footnotes.
I also want to raise a flag about non-human animals learning human language. A lot of the "research" here has been discredited. Even Grey parrots have far limited capabilities than suggested in this text and a lot of other places. We need to be honest and stick with the facts here. Check out this meta-review summarizing the wealth of research at the time in a nuanced and accurate way: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.20...
That aside ... what I really loved was how the author redefines common ideas. Science as "the stories we tell abut the structures and behaviours of the world around us," for instance. As a Canadian, I didn't even know that Newfoundland was technically Newfoundland and Labrador, and of course the Indigenous populations are mostly located on Labrador ... another form of colonial erasure. I loved the idea that raccoons are "Bad Indians who refuse to follow the rules laid out for them" and recognition that they are not pests but essential to the ecosystem. They're only pests because they're boundary-crossers. A very urgent and needed recognition was that Arab and Middle Eastern people were until very recently "white" according to the US census. We must remember that we are always creating boxes and bins for ourselves and each other, and we must interrogate why.
I really loved the Kwe story weaved throughout. I won't spoil it, but this narrative tool was simply perfect. At the same time, I was hoping for more examples. This is a very cursory overview of the books referenced. I know that was sort of the point: "book club" and not "literary review."
Krawec brings up Benally's idea of making spaces that are safe by engaging in hostility against oppressive perspectives. This is something I needed to hear. I'm always afraid of being "hostile." I also appreciated the ideas of pronouns that are inclusive and partially inclusive (inclusive of some). And finally a very clear encapsulation of the Land Back movement: "not a shift in possession but a shift in relationship."
I feel that a lot of colonized minds are dismissive of Indigenous worldviews because they haven't taken the time to really let simple truths simply put sink in. Like I said, the medicine is in the margins in this one. Don't miss 'em.
Thank you to Edelweiss+ and Broadleaf Books | Augsburg Fortress Publishers for the advance copy.
This is an excellent text to help remember and centre Indigenous and colonized peoples, maybe especially pertinent to white settlers and those of us with imperialism and colonialist lineages (not necessary white folks from the West).
Head's up: Read the footnotes. This was puzzling to me, but almost everything I highlighted and needed to read was in the footnotes.
I also want to raise a flag about non-human animals learning human language. A lot of the "research" here has been discredited. Even Grey parrots have far limited capabilities than suggested in this text and a lot of other places. We need to be honest and stick with the facts here. Check out this meta-review summarizing the wealth of research at the time in a nuanced and accurate way: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.20...
That aside ... what I really loved was how the author redefines common ideas. Science as "the stories we tell abut the structures and behaviours of the world around us," for instance. As a Canadian, I didn't even know that Newfoundland was technically Newfoundland and Labrador, and of course the Indigenous populations are mostly located on Labrador ... another form of colonial erasure. I loved the idea that raccoons are "Bad Indians who refuse to follow the rules laid out for them" and recognition that they are not pests but essential to the ecosystem. They're only pests because they're boundary-crossers. A very urgent and needed recognition was that Arab and Middle Eastern people were until very recently "white" according to the US census. We must remember that we are always creating boxes and bins for ourselves and each other, and we must interrogate why.
I really loved the Kwe story weaved throughout. I won't spoil it, but this narrative tool was simply perfect. At the same time, I was hoping for more examples. This is a very cursory overview of the books referenced. I know that was sort of the point: "book club" and not "literary review."
Krawec brings up Benally's idea of making spaces that are safe by engaging in hostility against oppressive perspectives. This is something I needed to hear. I'm always afraid of being "hostile." I also appreciated the ideas of pronouns that are inclusive and partially inclusive (inclusive of some). And finally a very clear encapsulation of the Land Back movement: "not a shift in possession but a shift in relationship."
I feel that a lot of colonized minds are dismissive of Indigenous worldviews because they haven't taken the time to really let simple truths simply put sink in. Like I said, the medicine is in the margins in this one. Don't miss 'em.
Thank you to Edelweiss+ and Broadleaf Books | Augsburg Fortress Publishers for the advance copy.
August 8, 2025
I believe the opening pages of a book often say a lot about what one can expect from the rest. "Bad Indians Book Club" was one I was particularly excited about reading and I'm really glad I did.
One of the things that has always struck me about a lot of literature and reading is how much is framed by the Western canon. Our ways of interacting with the world, understanding it and even critiquing it all assume that we all have the same histories in this enormous world, and we simply don't. To that end, I've been looking out for more perspectives into thinking about and understanding the contexts and environments around us.
Ideas of cyclical time, self-reflection through conversation with context as opposed to removed from context, also to have multiple books and environments in conversation with each other are ones that resonate with my own exploration of moving away from how we're stereotypically taught to interact with the world. I also really appreciated the depth and the strength of not simplifying words from various Indigenous languages when translating them into English. When understanding a different language, it's important to truly take the words to do so, rather than oversimplify it to communicate "efficiently."
Taking contemporary disciplines through which we interact with the world and reframing them through a new perspective is incredibly powerful, and reminds us that the world did not always look this way, and we don't have to view our connection to each other and our contexts in the ways we're taught to because of colonial history. There is a lot more power in reclaiming one's space through the written word than I think is acknowledged, and to that end, I think this book did a fantastic job of doing that.
"Our literatures are just one more vital way that we have countered these forces of erasure and given shape to our own ways of being in the world." -—Daniel Heath Justice, Why Indigenous Literatures Matter
That quote for me sums up the importance of this book, and I cannot recommend this more. Certainly there are parts where it slows down, but that slowness is important at times, especially in a world that prioritises a "fast pace" over all else, irrespective of what it's detrimental to.
And of course, thank you to NetGalley and Broadleaf Books for the eARC!
One of the things that has always struck me about a lot of literature and reading is how much is framed by the Western canon. Our ways of interacting with the world, understanding it and even critiquing it all assume that we all have the same histories in this enormous world, and we simply don't. To that end, I've been looking out for more perspectives into thinking about and understanding the contexts and environments around us.
Ideas of cyclical time, self-reflection through conversation with context as opposed to removed from context, also to have multiple books and environments in conversation with each other are ones that resonate with my own exploration of moving away from how we're stereotypically taught to interact with the world. I also really appreciated the depth and the strength of not simplifying words from various Indigenous languages when translating them into English. When understanding a different language, it's important to truly take the words to do so, rather than oversimplify it to communicate "efficiently."
Taking contemporary disciplines through which we interact with the world and reframing them through a new perspective is incredibly powerful, and reminds us that the world did not always look this way, and we don't have to view our connection to each other and our contexts in the ways we're taught to because of colonial history. There is a lot more power in reclaiming one's space through the written word than I think is acknowledged, and to that end, I think this book did a fantastic job of doing that.
"Our literatures are just one more vital way that we have countered these forces of erasure and given shape to our own ways of being in the world." -—Daniel Heath Justice, Why Indigenous Literatures Matter
That quote for me sums up the importance of this book, and I cannot recommend this more. Certainly there are parts where it slows down, but that slowness is important at times, especially in a world that prioritises a "fast pace" over all else, irrespective of what it's detrimental to.
And of course, thank you to NetGalley and Broadleaf Books for the eARC!
November 9, 2025
I learned so much from this book. It's written so conversationally that I felt like I was in the best sort of classroom, reading and experiencing many different stories.
Perhaps that is ultimately the point.
"As with the rest of the natural world, how we see [raccoons] has a significant impact on how we treat them. Our beliefs have consequences for how we respond to their presence in our lives. While we're looking for the medicine that shows up in our lives, we could do worse than modeling ourselves after the curious raccoon, who has everything he needs to see the night sky. It's a raccoon's world. We just live it it." (57)
I love how cleverly the author has pulled from personal experience, legends, and the experience of others throughout the book's journey.
"In one way or another, most of our traditional stories talk about worlds beginning or ending. ... Our stories narrate the ways that we, and the world itself, take steps to restore balance." (185)
Ultimately, Krawec writes, "Stories and language are the collective memory of a people, so of course they are what we must root ourselves in." (202)
Instead of throwing away the past of collected memory, we should strive to remember, not just for ourselves, but for every generation that comes after. For me, this is evidenced in the renewed teaching of Comanche language in our rural Oklahoma school, and not only allowing students to learn and share their diverse stories, but welcoming all stories as valid.
Krawec reminds us to keep reading, widely and intentionally.
"Why does reading matter? More to the point, why does reading specifically Indigenous material matter? Indigenous literatures matter because we matter. ... Reading radically with purpose and intention can change your life." (19)
And the story of Deer Woman (Kwe), Krawec's story within a story that weaves the book together, feels both old and new, and rings true in the heartland of Native Oklahoma, through the local ties to Quanah Parker and his daughter Wanada Parker Page (the cover art of this book) and the stories important to each of us.
"The family is not something we need to be freed from in order to accomplish things. It is the place where we are free - perhaps the only place where we are free - and as such, it becomes the basis for the liberation of our communities." (91)
Perhaps that is ultimately the point.
"As with the rest of the natural world, how we see [raccoons] has a significant impact on how we treat them. Our beliefs have consequences for how we respond to their presence in our lives. While we're looking for the medicine that shows up in our lives, we could do worse than modeling ourselves after the curious raccoon, who has everything he needs to see the night sky. It's a raccoon's world. We just live it it." (57)
I love how cleverly the author has pulled from personal experience, legends, and the experience of others throughout the book's journey.
"In one way or another, most of our traditional stories talk about worlds beginning or ending. ... Our stories narrate the ways that we, and the world itself, take steps to restore balance." (185)
Ultimately, Krawec writes, "Stories and language are the collective memory of a people, so of course they are what we must root ourselves in." (202)
Instead of throwing away the past of collected memory, we should strive to remember, not just for ourselves, but for every generation that comes after. For me, this is evidenced in the renewed teaching of Comanche language in our rural Oklahoma school, and not only allowing students to learn and share their diverse stories, but welcoming all stories as valid.
Krawec reminds us to keep reading, widely and intentionally.
"Why does reading matter? More to the point, why does reading specifically Indigenous material matter? Indigenous literatures matter because we matter. ... Reading radically with purpose and intention can change your life." (19)
And the story of Deer Woman (Kwe), Krawec's story within a story that weaves the book together, feels both old and new, and rings true in the heartland of Native Oklahoma, through the local ties to Quanah Parker and his daughter Wanada Parker Page (the cover art of this book) and the stories important to each of us.
"The family is not something we need to be freed from in order to accomplish things. It is the place where we are free - perhaps the only place where we are free - and as such, it becomes the basis for the liberation of our communities." (91)
September 26, 2025
I've long taken Patty Krawek's book recommendations, and conversations about books, very seriously. I learn so much, not just about history or science or storytelling or memoir or fiction (although certainly all of those things) but also about how to be in relationship with the people in them, and how they should change my own way of being in the world.
In this book, "Bad Indians Book Club," she often uses Maōri phrase translated as "walking backward into the future," a phrase for moving forward by returning to ourselves (itself translated from an Anishinaabe word she uses often) like in one place where she says "Walking backward into the future, with a handful of mud that contains everything we need to know about how to imagine new worlds rather than just reforming old ones: This is the way."
And it's those kind of things where her way of reading, of putting books and authors and stories in conversation with each other and then turning around and thinking about the world today, about organizers or the Anishinaabe or Palestinians or Black folks or white folks or Jewish folks or Christian folks: the way she ties her reading into practice is formative for me, and I think it's done wonderfully in this book.
A favorite quote of mine from a place where she does this reads:
While I think it's a great idea to read this book, and consider reading many of the books she's read to write it, I also think it's a great idea to read this book and think about the relationships like this that we have, or could have, and what we're doing within those relationships.
In this book, "Bad Indians Book Club," she often uses Maōri phrase translated as "walking backward into the future," a phrase for moving forward by returning to ourselves (itself translated from an Anishinaabe word she uses often) like in one place where she says "Walking backward into the future, with a handful of mud that contains everything we need to know about how to imagine new worlds rather than just reforming old ones: This is the way."
And it's those kind of things where her way of reading, of putting books and authors and stories in conversation with each other and then turning around and thinking about the world today, about organizers or the Anishinaabe or Palestinians or Black folks or white folks or Jewish folks or Christian folks: the way she ties her reading into practice is formative for me, and I think it's done wonderfully in this book.
A favorite quote of mine from a place where she does this reads:
“The only way we get to that realization [of how deeply rooted we are in colonial narrative], to those facts, is by reading the histories told by those writing from within the gaps and margins left to us and then allowing those histories to help us think about our own relationships to and within the systems around us. Because we are not atoms alone in the universe; we are stories told from the connections between us.”
While I think it's a great idea to read this book, and consider reading many of the books she's read to write it, I also think it's a great idea to read this book and think about the relationships like this that we have, or could have, and what we're doing within those relationships.
November 10, 2025
Full review at: https://readingourshelves.wordpress.c...
This is a great read – if you like books about books. But beware, it’s not a fluffy story about a book club. It’s a fairly academic non-fiction treatise about why it’s important to read diversely.
Ok, if you’re still with me, I’m going to assume you already have some interest in reading diverse books. But what does that mean? Maybe authors from different backgrounds or home countries than you. Sure. This book focuses on mostly authors of Indigenous American and Canadian backgrounds, although it does reference others who are Black, Jewish, and of other heritages.
One major aspect of this book is the idea that we need to read widely. Not just pick one author who we like, and read all the books by that particular voice. Because, of course, no group of people is a monolith. Reading one Indigenous voice (or African, or Palestinian, or…) is good – but reading many voices from that heritage is better.
And then, the real meat of the book is that we should read from many different genres of books. Sure, read the historical, main story non-fiction. But then, read fiction, romance, horror, science fiction, memoir, science, graphic novels. (I might even add kid’s or YA books, although those aren’t talked about in this book!) The individual chapters of this book delve into different genres and why they’re important to take into consideration.
The author drops plenty of authors and titles within the text, but a fuller list of books, podcast episodes, essays, and more can be found in the back.
I want to make a note about the name, too. Early on the author explains her wording of Good vs. Bad Indians. Good Indians fit into a Hollywood-sanctioned narrative in which they help save the settlers, or in turn get “saved” (converted?). Bad Indians are the ones who refuse that narrative, and would rather write their own. These are the kinds of distinctions the author makes often, to point out how and why we should read things by various authors.
This is a great read – if you like books about books. But beware, it’s not a fluffy story about a book club. It’s a fairly academic non-fiction treatise about why it’s important to read diversely.
Ok, if you’re still with me, I’m going to assume you already have some interest in reading diverse books. But what does that mean? Maybe authors from different backgrounds or home countries than you. Sure. This book focuses on mostly authors of Indigenous American and Canadian backgrounds, although it does reference others who are Black, Jewish, and of other heritages.
One major aspect of this book is the idea that we need to read widely. Not just pick one author who we like, and read all the books by that particular voice. Because, of course, no group of people is a monolith. Reading one Indigenous voice (or African, or Palestinian, or…) is good – but reading many voices from that heritage is better.
And then, the real meat of the book is that we should read from many different genres of books. Sure, read the historical, main story non-fiction. But then, read fiction, romance, horror, science fiction, memoir, science, graphic novels. (I might even add kid’s or YA books, although those aren’t talked about in this book!) The individual chapters of this book delve into different genres and why they’re important to take into consideration.
The author drops plenty of authors and titles within the text, but a fuller list of books, podcast episodes, essays, and more can be found in the back.
I want to make a note about the name, too. Early on the author explains her wording of Good vs. Bad Indians. Good Indians fit into a Hollywood-sanctioned narrative in which they help save the settlers, or in turn get “saved” (converted?). Bad Indians are the ones who refuse that narrative, and would rather write their own. These are the kinds of distinctions the author makes often, to point out how and why we should read things by various authors.
August 16, 2025
Krawec's book Bad Indians Book Club resists genre labeling, fittingly. Part memoir, part short story, and then there's the something else--a bibliography of books arranged around a common theme, genre, or idea that her book club explored and the meaning or realization she took from them. What unites all of the texts mentioned in this book is the common factor of them being "Bad Indians": people who resist and refuse the stereotypes and narratives told about indigenous lives and the value judgments implicit therein.
I carried this line from early in the book throughout my reading: "Where you are from can be the beginning of a relationship and understanding of what you bring with you into this place." I knew entering this that my lived experiences would be different from the authors and the texts within, and that perspective helped me be critical of my assumptions, thoughts, and beliefs. I found the most value when Krawec discussed texts or authors I'm familiar with, as well as the list of texts that I now can use to fill in the many gaps in my reading to become more familiar with these authors. I highlighted many important lines, and I'll take some of them to discuss with students in the classroom.
While I did find value in the text, I did struggle to get through it, which is more an reflection of my familiarity with the texts she discusses rather than her writing. I found the organizational structure to be difficult to navigate at first, and in some chapters it became difficult to follow the progression of ideas.
Krawec showed me I needed to a) be critical about what I read and even present to others to read, but also b) that it's important to seek more than one perspective, and not looking for "the" book or "the author" to teach about the "common" experience. Everyone's experience is different! If you're looking to add to your own reading list, there are plenty of recommendations in Bad Indians Book Club!
I carried this line from early in the book throughout my reading: "Where you are from can be the beginning of a relationship and understanding of what you bring with you into this place." I knew entering this that my lived experiences would be different from the authors and the texts within, and that perspective helped me be critical of my assumptions, thoughts, and beliefs. I found the most value when Krawec discussed texts or authors I'm familiar with, as well as the list of texts that I now can use to fill in the many gaps in my reading to become more familiar with these authors. I highlighted many important lines, and I'll take some of them to discuss with students in the classroom.
While I did find value in the text, I did struggle to get through it, which is more an reflection of my familiarity with the texts she discusses rather than her writing. I found the organizational structure to be difficult to navigate at first, and in some chapters it became difficult to follow the progression of ideas.
Krawec showed me I needed to a) be critical about what I read and even present to others to read, but also b) that it's important to seek more than one perspective, and not looking for "the" book or "the author" to teach about the "common" experience. Everyone's experience is different! If you're looking to add to your own reading list, there are plenty of recommendations in Bad Indians Book Club!
August 5, 2025
Bad Indians Book Club by Patty Krawec makes an excellent case for the importance of reading books by authors from a variety of backgrounds, especially those that are written by marginalized/underrepresented peoples. In addition to analyzing the work itself, Krawec discusses the need to understand who is telling the story, why they are telling it, and who the story is intended for. Understanding this gives a far broader view and context to whatever narrative is being told whether it is fiction, memoir, history, science, or social/political writing.
As Krawec tells of “bad Indians” who challenge the systems and struggle for a way to express themselves authentically in a world that often isn’t interested in hearing those stories, she ties the looping discussions together with a story of Deer Woman as illustration and to give insight into how concepts may be expressed differently thorough another culture.
This book really should be in every library. It is a way to think about reading, a fantastic collection of potential authors to read, but also a treatise on the importance of hearing other voices (not just Indigenous) and using that to develop communities. With so many books under attack in many places, this provides so many reasons for holding the opposite view. Aside from that, it is also very engaging, particularly with interesting facts about language and translation, and cultural traditions. As discussed in the book about certain cultures' cyclical views of time, it combines past tragedies with hope for the future.
I plan on purchasing a copy of this since I know that I will refer back to these stories and authors again.
Thank you to NetGalley and Broadleaf Books for the eARC.
As Krawec tells of “bad Indians” who challenge the systems and struggle for a way to express themselves authentically in a world that often isn’t interested in hearing those stories, she ties the looping discussions together with a story of Deer Woman as illustration and to give insight into how concepts may be expressed differently thorough another culture.
This book really should be in every library. It is a way to think about reading, a fantastic collection of potential authors to read, but also a treatise on the importance of hearing other voices (not just Indigenous) and using that to develop communities. With so many books under attack in many places, this provides so many reasons for holding the opposite view. Aside from that, it is also very engaging, particularly with interesting facts about language and translation, and cultural traditions. As discussed in the book about certain cultures' cyclical views of time, it combines past tragedies with hope for the future.
I plan on purchasing a copy of this since I know that I will refer back to these stories and authors again.
Thank you to NetGalley and Broadleaf Books for the eARC.
August 10, 2025
This book is a combination of essays and stories — important essays and equally important stories — from people who had their culture systematically stripped from them and their very personhood framed through someone else’s lens. They were told to behave, be quiet, be good; speak our language, be called by our names, think our thoughts, worship our gods, put your people behind you and be welcome as a lesser member of our civilization.
Is it rebellion, to tell your own stories? Is it a seditious act to speak your own language? Is it immoral, impolite, or offensive to reclaim your own culture?
There are going to be people who might struggle with some of the unpleasant truths in this book, or who find the focus on native voices to be challenging. And … that’s kind of the point. This book isn’t written to make people feel good about what happened, but to make you angry, to make you uncomfortable, and to show you that these people, these stories that came before us will continue on despite us.
I hate to say it but … not all of the stories are equal, in my opinion. There are two who are very, very good writers, with one who — in my personal opinion — was as far better essayist than storyteller. One of the essays didn’t quite make the point I think it wanted to, but that’s just me. Other readers may well have a different take, preferring a different author, a different voice than I do, and that’s fine. We all respond to stories differently, take different things away from them.
I hate saying things like: “This is an important book,” but I think this one is. I hope you give it a try, and not just because you’re trying to tick a box off a book bingo, but because it is very worth the reading.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.
Is it rebellion, to tell your own stories? Is it a seditious act to speak your own language? Is it immoral, impolite, or offensive to reclaim your own culture?
There are going to be people who might struggle with some of the unpleasant truths in this book, or who find the focus on native voices to be challenging. And … that’s kind of the point. This book isn’t written to make people feel good about what happened, but to make you angry, to make you uncomfortable, and to show you that these people, these stories that came before us will continue on despite us.
I hate to say it but … not all of the stories are equal, in my opinion. There are two who are very, very good writers, with one who — in my personal opinion — was as far better essayist than storyteller. One of the essays didn’t quite make the point I think it wanted to, but that’s just me. Other readers may well have a different take, preferring a different author, a different voice than I do, and that’s fine. We all respond to stories differently, take different things away from them.
I hate saying things like: “This is an important book,” but I think this one is. I hope you give it a try, and not just because you’re trying to tick a box off a book bingo, but because it is very worth the reading.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.
June 21, 2025
“Bad Indians Book Club” takes an interesting twist on literary analysis. Patty Krawec takes a look at other Indigenous peers work and morphs them together into a singular, somewhat linear story that helps nonNatives understand what may be seen as a culture dump in between stories.
(Mind you that’s not a read, as a Native journalist who often straddles Native spaces with predominantly white newsrooms, sometimes explaining simple cultural concepts, why we do offerings and why we use certain medicines, feels like a three hour dissertation defense). And I also have a love/hate relationship with the authors that were mentioned a lot: I love that they were included, but I hate that I can say I know at least four authors personally cited in this book, including one that is from my tribe that despite belonging to a very big nation, is often forgotten and not mentioned in history books (Alicia Elliot, Tuscarora). I hate that because it feeds into the narrative that we all know each other (we know we do, we just don’t like admitting it). (To be fair if you spit on a Tuscarora rez, there is a 6/10 chance you’ll land on someone with my last name and a 8/10 chance that it’ll land on a cousin).
Enough of my personal history with this book, I loved it. Give it a read. Librarians please put it on a “must read” bulletin for Native American Heritage Month (November). Just please read more Indigenous authors.
Tl:dr; this book is great book to recommend to a “Kyle” in your life, only “Bad Indians” stick to traditional ways of life, and discovery is dangerous.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley for an honest review. The thoughts expressed are my own.
(Mind you that’s not a read, as a Native journalist who often straddles Native spaces with predominantly white newsrooms, sometimes explaining simple cultural concepts, why we do offerings and why we use certain medicines, feels like a three hour dissertation defense). And I also have a love/hate relationship with the authors that were mentioned a lot: I love that they were included, but I hate that I can say I know at least four authors personally cited in this book, including one that is from my tribe that despite belonging to a very big nation, is often forgotten and not mentioned in history books (Alicia Elliot, Tuscarora). I hate that because it feeds into the narrative that we all know each other (we know we do, we just don’t like admitting it). (To be fair if you spit on a Tuscarora rez, there is a 6/10 chance you’ll land on someone with my last name and a 8/10 chance that it’ll land on a cousin).
Enough of my personal history with this book, I loved it. Give it a read. Librarians please put it on a “must read” bulletin for Native American Heritage Month (November). Just please read more Indigenous authors.
Tl:dr; this book is great book to recommend to a “Kyle” in your life, only “Bad Indians” stick to traditional ways of life, and discovery is dangerous.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley for an honest review. The thoughts expressed are my own.
August 4, 2025
In the text, Bad Indians Book Club, Patty Krawec flips the script. What began as a reading list for a curious friend became a powerful act of collective resistance: a book club where Indigenous and marginalized voices take the lead. Krawec isn’t just recommending titles, she’s peeling back the assumptions embedded in the Western literary canon. Through striking commentary and the narrative voice of Deer Woman, she guides readers through the stories that colonialism tried to erase.
This book is part memoir, part literary criticism, part ceremony. Krawec moves us through a carefully chosen set of texts, interrupting dominant narratives and highlighting what gets erased, misunderstood, and denied. She weaves together the wisdom of Indigenous authors, using the haunting story of Deer Woman’s journey and her memories as an Anishinaabe thinker and organizer. In this book, Krawec reminds us that stories aren’t just written—they’re inherited, embodied, and liberatory.
Krawec writes fast and sharp, not to overwhelm but to shake loose the idea that books are neutral or safe. She’s calling readers into a deeper kind of reading—one that listens, interrogates, and connects. If Becoming Kin was a wake-up call, Bad Indians Book Club is the fire circle after. It leaves you changed, more aware of the stories you carry and the ones you need to unlearn. An breathtaking work that should be gifted to any reader and read in every book club.#netgalley #broadleafbooks #badindiansbookclub #pattykrawec
This book is part memoir, part literary criticism, part ceremony. Krawec moves us through a carefully chosen set of texts, interrupting dominant narratives and highlighting what gets erased, misunderstood, and denied. She weaves together the wisdom of Indigenous authors, using the haunting story of Deer Woman’s journey and her memories as an Anishinaabe thinker and organizer. In this book, Krawec reminds us that stories aren’t just written—they’re inherited, embodied, and liberatory.
Krawec writes fast and sharp, not to overwhelm but to shake loose the idea that books are neutral or safe. She’s calling readers into a deeper kind of reading—one that listens, interrogates, and connects. If Becoming Kin was a wake-up call, Bad Indians Book Club is the fire circle after. It leaves you changed, more aware of the stories you carry and the ones you need to unlearn. An breathtaking work that should be gifted to any reader and read in every book club.#netgalley #broadleafbooks #badindiansbookclub #pattykrawec
August 6, 2025
When I came across this book, I wasn't entirely sure what it was all about, but I had this gut feeling that it would be a vital contribution to Indigenous literature. As usual, my instinct was right.
Bad Indians Book Club explores various genres of Indigenous literature while incorporating the author's own flair of storytelling throughout. It provides important insights into Indigenous culture and how storytelling can propel us into the possibilities of the collective Indigenous future.
I read reviews before I started on this book. Some of them criticized the footnotes. I found them easy to skip. In fact, I skipped the vast majority of them in my initial reading. I came out of the reading with what I felt to be a comprehensive understanding without making use of the footnotes. I think it would be interesting to do a second reading of this work while reading all of the footnotes.
There are tons of reading recommendations at the end as well as throughout the text, so my TBR pile just grew tremendously. Thank you, Patty Krawec! It's delightful.
I would recommend this book to academics studying the Indigenous literary world. It would be a great addition to a syllabus.
Patty Krawec appears to be the next rising Daniel Heath Justice. I look forward to her next great contribution to Indigenous scholarship.
Bad Indians Book Club explores various genres of Indigenous literature while incorporating the author's own flair of storytelling throughout. It provides important insights into Indigenous culture and how storytelling can propel us into the possibilities of the collective Indigenous future.
I read reviews before I started on this book. Some of them criticized the footnotes. I found them easy to skip. In fact, I skipped the vast majority of them in my initial reading. I came out of the reading with what I felt to be a comprehensive understanding without making use of the footnotes. I think it would be interesting to do a second reading of this work while reading all of the footnotes.
There are tons of reading recommendations at the end as well as throughout the text, so my TBR pile just grew tremendously. Thank you, Patty Krawec! It's delightful.
I would recommend this book to academics studying the Indigenous literary world. It would be a great addition to a syllabus.
Patty Krawec appears to be the next rising Daniel Heath Justice. I look forward to her next great contribution to Indigenous scholarship.
September 16, 2025
A phenomenal piece of nonfiction. Bad Indians Book Club questions the origins of the stories we’re told and, more importantly, who’s telling them. Patty Krawec poses a distinction between history and memoir, the difference between recounting experiences that have happened to oneself in the first person versus the third, which can provide a needed distance while relaying traumatic events specifically, and the constant lure of disappearing into an already set status quo or upending the system entirely.
The most compelling aspect of Bad Indians Book Club is its structure. Told through a series of vignettes, Krawec has each one dovetail into an interpretation of an ongoing narrative featuring Deer Woman (or Waawaashkeshi’Kwe, the Ojibwe name) who she lovingly and simply calls Kwe.
An emphasis on diversifying your personal library and including a litany of potential authors to explore, Bad Indians Book Club maps a path forward that is both sharp and assertive.
(Thank you so much to Broadleaf Books for providing me a copy of this work to preview before release.)
The most compelling aspect of Bad Indians Book Club is its structure. Told through a series of vignettes, Krawec has each one dovetail into an interpretation of an ongoing narrative featuring Deer Woman (or Waawaashkeshi’Kwe, the Ojibwe name) who she lovingly and simply calls Kwe.
An emphasis on diversifying your personal library and including a litany of potential authors to explore, Bad Indians Book Club maps a path forward that is both sharp and assertive.
(Thank you so much to Broadleaf Books for providing me a copy of this work to preview before release.)
July 23, 2025
In the Bad Indians Book Club Krawec(Anishinaabe Ukrainian) seeks to iterate the more transgressive parts of Native American Literature. Books written by ‘Bad Indians.’ No book of this scope, or any book, really, can encapsulate all of what Krawec is meaning.
I think this would be a good book for someone who wants exposure to Native American works that go beyond the standard classics (Alexie, Silko, Vizenor, Momoday, etc.). This author is clearly focused on more modern writers, expressing the reality ‘We’re still here.’
I particularly enjoyed the later chapters that went into Indigenous horror and speculative fictions.
Krawec bounces between a short story of her own, and then a literary analysis on a topic. This can be jarring to some readers not accustomed to it, but, this tact has at least one predecessor, as it reminded me of Craig Womack’s Red on Red in this regard.
Overall, Krawec challenges Native writers to be Bad Indians, and for non-Native readers to read more Bad Indians.
I think this would be a good book for someone who wants exposure to Native American works that go beyond the standard classics (Alexie, Silko, Vizenor, Momoday, etc.). This author is clearly focused on more modern writers, expressing the reality ‘We’re still here.’
I particularly enjoyed the later chapters that went into Indigenous horror and speculative fictions.
Krawec bounces between a short story of her own, and then a literary analysis on a topic. This can be jarring to some readers not accustomed to it, but, this tact has at least one predecessor, as it reminded me of Craig Womack’s Red on Red in this regard.
Overall, Krawec challenges Native writers to be Bad Indians, and for non-Native readers to read more Bad Indians.
June 23, 2025
Bad Indians know that we survive together or not at all.
This book is about stories. Particularly about impact those stories have on Indigneous people all around the globe. It started off as as a reading recomendation list who asked the author how to better understand indigneous lives. That list later became a year of indigneous reading project, later became a podast. And now it's a book.
It prominently features Indigneous languages. And the polilingual person phenomenon when you know what the word means but don't know how to translate it. The author also makes a point of how not all text in foreign language should be translated. (Point with which I agree but that's a story for another time)
I really liked the book. It's full of fascinating pieces of trivia
Thank you Netgalley and Broadleaf books from providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book is about stories. Particularly about impact those stories have on Indigneous people all around the globe. It started off as as a reading recomendation list who asked the author how to better understand indigneous lives. That list later became a year of indigneous reading project, later became a podast. And now it's a book.
It prominently features Indigneous languages. And the polilingual person phenomenon when you know what the word means but don't know how to translate it. The author also makes a point of how not all text in foreign language should be translated. (Point with which I agree but that's a story for another time)
I really liked the book. It's full of fascinating pieces of trivia
Thank you Netgalley and Broadleaf books from providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
August 24, 2025
Bad Indians Book Club is a book like no other that I have read. I expected a fictional book about a book club and I ended up learning so much about native culture. This book has a large non-fiction component which helps the reader understand and relate to the fictional story that is woven through. This book is a great resource and jumping off point for someone who would like to learn more about native culture and the challenges that they face. The author also grew up in the province that I live in in Canada so I was able to relate to or even picture the areas that she spoke of. I hope to be able to read some of the many titles mentioned in this novel.
Thank you Net Galley, Patty Krawec and Broadleaf Books for the opportunity to preview this title. The opinions shared are my own.
Bad Indians Book Club is expected to be released September 16, 2025.
Thank you Net Galley, Patty Krawec and Broadleaf Books for the opportunity to preview this title. The opinions shared are my own.
Bad Indians Book Club is expected to be released September 16, 2025.
October 3, 2025
This is a wonderful book reviewing the variety of indigenous writing. I appreciated how Patty Krawec structured this book around themes, much like a book club. In addition to finding many of her points, I found myself creating an extensive reading list of books I am eager to seek out and continue my journey with Indigenous writers. It is clear that Patty Krawec has been reflecting and working her way through Indigenous writing for a long time. I appreciated the thought and care she took with this work. I strongly recommend this book as an introduction or companion for anyone who is interested in widening their reading to include the extensive body of work produced by Indigenous authors around the world.
Thank you to NetGalley and Broadleaf Books for providing me with an eARC in return for my honest thoughts.
Thank you to NetGalley and Broadleaf Books for providing me with an eARC in return for my honest thoughts.
November 10, 2025
Bad Indians Book Club is about finding a way of being based on the strength of our relationships. It celebrates history as a dynamic force, a conscious evaluation of what has worked, what has not worked, and how it affects the transition into the future. It is a radical book—radical in the sense of pulling up by the roots, clearing space for planting new roots. It is not a return to the past, but an affirmation of its contributions to a present and future growing from all has been good. It is a call to dawisijegam (clearing space): making room for many ideas and stories, exploring literature and building community.
There is so much to learn here, so many starting points for dialogue, so many opportunities to clear space and grow. Patty Krawec emerges as a voice for the “bad Indians,” all those pushed to the margins but refusing to be defined by them.
There is so much to learn here, so many starting points for dialogue, so many opportunities to clear space and grow. Patty Krawec emerges as a voice for the “bad Indians,” all those pushed to the margins but refusing to be defined by them.
December 31, 2025
I don't know what I expected of this book, but it was very different than what I anticipated. Krawec is very smart, and she writes in a way that draws you in. She can write about complex, deep topics in a way that makes them clear and understandable. I struggled with her organization, as I forgot in the middle chapters that she was examining different types of books and how Indigenous authors portray those genres differently. I think because this was her writing the podcast down to a book, she was a bit over reaching in her plan. Regardless, she had so many incredible things to say, and I will forever be reading history by first examining if they are starting the story from the beginning, or from "Secondly."
Thank you to Broadleaf Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Thank you to Broadleaf Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
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