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Native: Identity, Belonging and Rediscovering God
Native is about identity, soul-searching, and the never-ending journey of finding ourselves and finding God. As both a citizen of the Potawatomi Nation and a Christian, Kaitlin Curtice offers a unique perspective on these topics. In this book, she shows how reconnecting with her Potawatomi identity both informs and challenges her faith.
Curtice draws on her personal journey, poetry, imagery, and stories of the Potawatomi people to address themes at the forefront of today's discussions of faith and culture in a positive and constructive way. She encourages us to embrace our own origins and to share and listen to each other's stories so we can build a more inclusive and diverse future.
Each of our stories matters for the church to be truly whole. As Curtice shares what it means to experience her faith through the lens of her Indigenous heritage, she reveals that a vibrant spirituality has its origins in identity, belonging, and a sense of place.
Curtice draws on her personal journey, poetry, imagery, and stories of the Potawatomi people to address themes at the forefront of today's discussions of faith and culture in a positive and constructive way. She encourages us to embrace our own origins and to share and listen to each other's stories so we can build a more inclusive and diverse future.
Each of our stories matters for the church to be truly whole. As Curtice shares what it means to experience her faith through the lens of her Indigenous heritage, she reveals that a vibrant spirituality has its origins in identity, belonging, and a sense of place.
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First published May 5, 2020
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About the author
Kaitlin B. Curtice
15 books258 followersKaitlin Curtice is a Native American Christian author, speaker and worship leader. As an enrolled member of the Potawatomi Citizen Band and someone who has grown up in the Christian faith, Kaitlin writes on the intersection of Native American spirituality, mystic faith in everyday life, and the church. She is an author with Paraclete Press and her recently released book is Glory Happening: Finding the Divine in Everyday Places. She is a contributor to Sojourners, and you can also find her work on Patheos Progressive Christian.
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February 18, 2020
We're only two months into the year 2020, but I'm ready to proclaim Kaitlin Curtice's "Native: Identity, Belonging, and Rediscovering God" to be one of the best books of the year.
Having had the opportunity to check out an advanced review copy of "Native" during the exact same week that Curtice found herself on the receiving end of negative feedback from a group of conservative students at Baylor University where she'd been a guest speaker, I worried less about being offended by the material and far more about being overly challenged by it.
I found "Native" to be one of the most satisfying, emotionally resonant, and intellectually stimulating books I've read in quite some time. It convicted me, and certainly not in all good ways, and it made me reflect upon my own experiences as a lifelong person with a disability and how that's impacted my life, my faith, my relationships, and the overall culture with which I identify.
Curtice is an enrolled citizen of the Potawatomi Nation and someone who grew up within a conservative Christian household. Throughout "Native," Curtice explores the tension of these two and the growing tension within her Christian faith as she more fully embraces her Native American culture. "Native" explores the intersection of indigenous spirituality, her Christian faith, and church/organized religion.
In her first book, "Glory Happening: Finding the Divine in Everyday Places," Curtice wrote 50 essays exploring the sacredness of everyday life. With this collection, Curtice explores issues of identity, belonging, and the never-ending, constantly changing journey of finding oneself and finding God.
Have you ever had one of those friends who loved you dearly but you also knew would never hesitate to call you on your stuff?
While I've never met Curtice, that's how she comes off in "Native." She strikes me as a more blunt Rachel Held Evans, a dear friend of Curtice's whom she writes about in one chapter with a tone that could easily be described as immense grief. While Held Evans kind of always came off as the mom/big sister we'd all want to have in life, Curtice comes off as the kind of friend we all need to have in life because they keep us honest and accountable.
Plus, it should be mentioned that amidst all her insight and passion that Curtice's writing is just plain freaking brilliant.
I first became familiar with Curtice's work through her involvement with Sojourner's, whose leadership summit I had the opportunity to attend. The brilliance of Curtice's writing, at least for me, is that she makes the knowledge accessible and is fantastic at communicating it in a way that's understandable and applicable.
I found myself frequently in tears throughout "Native," deeply moved by her stories yet also deeply moved by the ways in which her writing caused me to reflect upon my own life experiences. I began exploring the ways in which I've compromised my disability - a particularly applicable point considering I've been sitting in my home for the past couple of months recovering from a significant hospitalization and limb loss because I simply tried too hard to work around my disability rather than embracing myself as a disabled person.
Ouch.
Curtice's writing helped me identify in my own life that while society stresses ability, the act of living as a disabled person is an act of love to oneself and a rebellion against the norms of a society that refuses to value disability. I'm still in deep reflection on these issues even as I write this review.
Yet, Curtice's writing also challenged me to explore the ways in which I've contributed to white supremacy and to acts that harm indigenous peoples. She uses a term, micro-aggressions, that I'd never have thought applied to me until I read her words, explored her meaning, and realized that I am, indeed, guilty as a person who has long claimed connection to my family's Choctaw roots yet I've never lived within the culture and I've never truly lived as an indigenous person. Curtice communicates these things bluntly yet I sense no aggression in her writing - I sort of imagine she burst a few bubbles at Baylor University, but my guess is they were bubbles that needed it.
I know mine did.
As someone who was raised Jehovah's Witness and who has been kicked out of two churches (Jehovah's Witnesses and Vineyard), I found a myriad of ways that I connected to Curtice's writing. Curtice's voice is absolutely vital and, yes, it's also a voice of challenge and accountability and truth-telling. It's a voice that convicts and it's a voice that preaches from the soul of Christianity and that's frightening for a lot of people.
Personally? I find it refreshingly authentic and exciting.
"Native: Identity, Belonging, and Rediscovering God" is an immersive, engaging book that breezes by rather quickly yet will have you reflecting upon its words and stories and even poetry for quite some time after you've finished. If you are uncomfortable having your faith challenged and you believe the church can do no wrong, then "Native" will either knock you out of that ivory tower (and it's definitely ivory) or it's perhaps not the book for you.
For me? "Native: Identity, Belonging, and Rediscovering God" is unquestionably one of the best books of 2020 and a book I have no doubt I'll revisit again and again.
Having had the opportunity to check out an advanced review copy of "Native" during the exact same week that Curtice found herself on the receiving end of negative feedback from a group of conservative students at Baylor University where she'd been a guest speaker, I worried less about being offended by the material and far more about being overly challenged by it.
I found "Native" to be one of the most satisfying, emotionally resonant, and intellectually stimulating books I've read in quite some time. It convicted me, and certainly not in all good ways, and it made me reflect upon my own experiences as a lifelong person with a disability and how that's impacted my life, my faith, my relationships, and the overall culture with which I identify.
Curtice is an enrolled citizen of the Potawatomi Nation and someone who grew up within a conservative Christian household. Throughout "Native," Curtice explores the tension of these two and the growing tension within her Christian faith as she more fully embraces her Native American culture. "Native" explores the intersection of indigenous spirituality, her Christian faith, and church/organized religion.
In her first book, "Glory Happening: Finding the Divine in Everyday Places," Curtice wrote 50 essays exploring the sacredness of everyday life. With this collection, Curtice explores issues of identity, belonging, and the never-ending, constantly changing journey of finding oneself and finding God.
Have you ever had one of those friends who loved you dearly but you also knew would never hesitate to call you on your stuff?
While I've never met Curtice, that's how she comes off in "Native." She strikes me as a more blunt Rachel Held Evans, a dear friend of Curtice's whom she writes about in one chapter with a tone that could easily be described as immense grief. While Held Evans kind of always came off as the mom/big sister we'd all want to have in life, Curtice comes off as the kind of friend we all need to have in life because they keep us honest and accountable.
Plus, it should be mentioned that amidst all her insight and passion that Curtice's writing is just plain freaking brilliant.
I first became familiar with Curtice's work through her involvement with Sojourner's, whose leadership summit I had the opportunity to attend. The brilliance of Curtice's writing, at least for me, is that she makes the knowledge accessible and is fantastic at communicating it in a way that's understandable and applicable.
I found myself frequently in tears throughout "Native," deeply moved by her stories yet also deeply moved by the ways in which her writing caused me to reflect upon my own life experiences. I began exploring the ways in which I've compromised my disability - a particularly applicable point considering I've been sitting in my home for the past couple of months recovering from a significant hospitalization and limb loss because I simply tried too hard to work around my disability rather than embracing myself as a disabled person.
Ouch.
Curtice's writing helped me identify in my own life that while society stresses ability, the act of living as a disabled person is an act of love to oneself and a rebellion against the norms of a society that refuses to value disability. I'm still in deep reflection on these issues even as I write this review.
Yet, Curtice's writing also challenged me to explore the ways in which I've contributed to white supremacy and to acts that harm indigenous peoples. She uses a term, micro-aggressions, that I'd never have thought applied to me until I read her words, explored her meaning, and realized that I am, indeed, guilty as a person who has long claimed connection to my family's Choctaw roots yet I've never lived within the culture and I've never truly lived as an indigenous person. Curtice communicates these things bluntly yet I sense no aggression in her writing - I sort of imagine she burst a few bubbles at Baylor University, but my guess is they were bubbles that needed it.
I know mine did.
As someone who was raised Jehovah's Witness and who has been kicked out of two churches (Jehovah's Witnesses and Vineyard), I found a myriad of ways that I connected to Curtice's writing. Curtice's voice is absolutely vital and, yes, it's also a voice of challenge and accountability and truth-telling. It's a voice that convicts and it's a voice that preaches from the soul of Christianity and that's frightening for a lot of people.
Personally? I find it refreshingly authentic and exciting.
"Native: Identity, Belonging, and Rediscovering God" is an immersive, engaging book that breezes by rather quickly yet will have you reflecting upon its words and stories and even poetry for quite some time after you've finished. If you are uncomfortable having your faith challenged and you believe the church can do no wrong, then "Native" will either knock you out of that ivory tower (and it's definitely ivory) or it's perhaps not the book for you.
For me? "Native: Identity, Belonging, and Rediscovering God" is unquestionably one of the best books of 2020 and a book I have no doubt I'll revisit again and again.
August 16, 2020
I really loved this book in theory, but in practice, not so much. I want to hear different voices, their experiences, challenges, etc with life and faith. This book felt like a stream of consciousness that was cathartic but hard to follow. I wanted history, experience, growth, a way forward, but that was not this book.
May 30, 2020
3.5 stars. The second half of this book is very, very strong. Curtice weaves together her own story as a white-coded Potawatomi woman learning about her identity in adulthood with the stories of others to preach powerfully on the erasure of Indigenous cultures in America and in the Christian church. She struggles with being a Christian when that religion as an institution has historically marginalized both her own people and many other groups, and it is in reconnecting with traditional understandings of God as Creator and God found in nature that she can heal together the disparate parts of her identity into a whole.
I almost gave this book 4 solid stars, but I have to be honest with how rough the beginning was and the fact that I almost abandoned the book altogether. The opening couple of chapters are very scattered, it felt to me, moving from topic to topic. She saved all of her strongest stories for later in the book, where, grounded in a powerful story, she could draw out large, poetic truths about life. In the beginning, she tried to pack in a lot of those truths all at once without really letting us get to know her or having anything concrete to hang on to for a tangible example of what she was saying. After I finished the book I actually went back to the beginning and could better absorb some of her larger messages, since I now had more of her story and the story of Indigenous peoples to tie them to.
I also feel like Curtice wrote for a specific slice of audience, those who are progressive and actively trying to combat white supremacy while also knowing little about Indigenous history. She spends no time warming the reader up before using the strongest possible language to talk about white supremacy and toxic patriarchy, which is unfortunately going to turn off some people (particularly Christians) who would otherwise be able to learn from her story. And yet, for those who are comfortable with such blunt language, she gives us a lot of basic history that I'd already learned from other Indigenous writers, so that I didn't feel like I gained a lot of new insights except to learn the specific regions where the Potawatomi people originally lived and where they were forced to relocate to. I was hoping to either be challenged with a deeper understanding of Indigenous experiences or walk away with a book I could hand to slightly more conservative Christians who are open to better understanding what it's like to be an Indigenous woman in a Christian space, but I didn't really get either.
Having given all those caveats, I'm genuinely grateful to Curtice for writing this book and for sharing so many of her personal experiences with readers. She is an incredibly important voice for today's world and I'm glad that this book is already starting to resonate with readers. I hope I'm wrong and that it can find a wider audience, and that people are able to push past the scattered nature of the book's opening to dig into the truths she shares throughout the rest of it.
I almost gave this book 4 solid stars, but I have to be honest with how rough the beginning was and the fact that I almost abandoned the book altogether. The opening couple of chapters are very scattered, it felt to me, moving from topic to topic. She saved all of her strongest stories for later in the book, where, grounded in a powerful story, she could draw out large, poetic truths about life. In the beginning, she tried to pack in a lot of those truths all at once without really letting us get to know her or having anything concrete to hang on to for a tangible example of what she was saying. After I finished the book I actually went back to the beginning and could better absorb some of her larger messages, since I now had more of her story and the story of Indigenous peoples to tie them to.
I also feel like Curtice wrote for a specific slice of audience, those who are progressive and actively trying to combat white supremacy while also knowing little about Indigenous history. She spends no time warming the reader up before using the strongest possible language to talk about white supremacy and toxic patriarchy, which is unfortunately going to turn off some people (particularly Christians) who would otherwise be able to learn from her story. And yet, for those who are comfortable with such blunt language, she gives us a lot of basic history that I'd already learned from other Indigenous writers, so that I didn't feel like I gained a lot of new insights except to learn the specific regions where the Potawatomi people originally lived and where they were forced to relocate to. I was hoping to either be challenged with a deeper understanding of Indigenous experiences or walk away with a book I could hand to slightly more conservative Christians who are open to better understanding what it's like to be an Indigenous woman in a Christian space, but I didn't really get either.
Having given all those caveats, I'm genuinely grateful to Curtice for writing this book and for sharing so many of her personal experiences with readers. She is an incredibly important voice for today's world and I'm glad that this book is already starting to resonate with readers. I hope I'm wrong and that it can find a wider audience, and that people are able to push past the scattered nature of the book's opening to dig into the truths she shares throughout the rest of it.
December 3, 2020
I really struggled with the structure of this book, since I usually need an explanation more than an exploration. I did like the author's definitions of identity and the presentation of an unfinished process.
If it's the first time you've read about identity or colonialism this might not be the best starting point because it presupposes familiarity with and acceptance of those concepts.
It did prompt me to want to learn more about indigenous history and religious practice. The author provides good resources on that. I also liked her thoughts on parenting kids who are aware of their own cultural and ethnic background.
Like with Rachel Held Evans's books, I have significant theological differences, but that's also kind of the point- that it's possible to learn something valid about faith from someone not exactly like me in every respect.
If it's the first time you've read about identity or colonialism this might not be the best starting point because it presupposes familiarity with and acceptance of those concepts.
It did prompt me to want to learn more about indigenous history and religious practice. The author provides good resources on that. I also liked her thoughts on parenting kids who are aware of their own cultural and ethnic background.
Like with Rachel Held Evans's books, I have significant theological differences, but that's also kind of the point- that it's possible to learn something valid about faith from someone not exactly like me in every respect.
April 5, 2020
“It is heartbreaking when the table of God is not set for all the people of God.” - Kaitlin Curtice
In this book, Curtice somehow manages to write poetically and peacefully about subjects that are anything but- white supremacy, colonization, and more. I found myself drawn to the words and cadence - she is a gifted writer with important things to say. May those that need to hear them read this book.
In this book, Curtice somehow manages to write poetically and peacefully about subjects that are anything but- white supremacy, colonization, and more. I found myself drawn to the words and cadence - she is a gifted writer with important things to say. May those that need to hear them read this book.
November 14, 2021
Kaitlin Curtice has given us a great gift in writing and publishing this book. She takes us on a journey as she talks about identity and soul-searching as we navigate our faith and seek relationship with God.
Kaitlin is part of the Potawatomi Nation and she writes about her process of reconnecting with her Native American roots and how that impacted her Christian faith.
She is a gifted writer, using beautiful imagery and poetry as she tells her stories.
Favorite quotes:
"As I learn more about my own story, I am realizing that the bloodline of God is connected to everything, no matter how it was first created in the beginning."
“If all the world is a commodity, how poor we grow. When all the world is a gift in motion, how wealthy we become.”
"As humans, we are simply asked to walk in the mystery of our identities one day at a time, one step at a time, one question at a time. We are simply asked to know and be known with the whole of creation and our relatives in humanity. But to do that, we have to accept, challenge, and process who we are along the way."
“We’ll never solve the way to a new life in our heads; we have to live our way into a new kind of thinking.”
"The point is that while we are here, Mystery asks us to set aside what disrupts our humanity and belonging for the chance to see what is good and to fix the things that have been broken by hate."
"What does it look like to deconstruct and reconstruct as a people, as kin, to take on the work of creating a postcolonial church for the sake of all of us, for the sake of the oppressed, for the sake of the earth? Is it possible?"
I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone.
Kaitlin is part of the Potawatomi Nation and she writes about her process of reconnecting with her Native American roots and how that impacted her Christian faith.
She is a gifted writer, using beautiful imagery and poetry as she tells her stories.
Favorite quotes:
"As I learn more about my own story, I am realizing that the bloodline of God is connected to everything, no matter how it was first created in the beginning."
“If all the world is a commodity, how poor we grow. When all the world is a gift in motion, how wealthy we become.”
"As humans, we are simply asked to walk in the mystery of our identities one day at a time, one step at a time, one question at a time. We are simply asked to know and be known with the whole of creation and our relatives in humanity. But to do that, we have to accept, challenge, and process who we are along the way."
“We’ll never solve the way to a new life in our heads; we have to live our way into a new kind of thinking.”
"The point is that while we are here, Mystery asks us to set aside what disrupts our humanity and belonging for the chance to see what is good and to fix the things that have been broken by hate."
"What does it look like to deconstruct and reconstruct as a people, as kin, to take on the work of creating a postcolonial church for the sake of all of us, for the sake of the oppressed, for the sake of the earth? Is it possible?"
I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone.
July 14, 2020
Wow. A necessary voice in the climate of American Christianity. This piece is storytelling infused with important exposure to Indigenous voices and the greater Indigenous experience within America. Highly recommend.
"Because the Indigenous story has been buried under the white story, it will take a lot of work to uncover it. It will take more than Indigenous peoples to do the work-- it will take all people. Decolonization does not mean we go back to the beginning, but it means we fix what is broken now, for future generations. If you're a teacher, it means you read books by Indigenous authors and you teach differently. If you're a church leader, it means you change the narrative about reaching Indigenous nations and other forms of missions and recognize that, often, evangelism is erasure, and a listening relationship is something altogether different. If you're a professor, it means bringing resources to your students that will challenge them to look outside the white narrative. If you're a business owner, it means you work to diversify the workplace and root out toxic masculinity. If you're an activist, take to social media and begin listening and following Indigenous people, and let that influence your everyday life. If you're a parent, introduce your children to the idea that Indigenous peoples are still alive, still thriving, still creating and contributing to the good things that happen in the world.
If we cannot begin where we are, we will have a hard time changing anything outside of us. Decolonization is always an invitation."
"Because the Indigenous story has been buried under the white story, it will take a lot of work to uncover it. It will take more than Indigenous peoples to do the work-- it will take all people. Decolonization does not mean we go back to the beginning, but it means we fix what is broken now, for future generations. If you're a teacher, it means you read books by Indigenous authors and you teach differently. If you're a church leader, it means you change the narrative about reaching Indigenous nations and other forms of missions and recognize that, often, evangelism is erasure, and a listening relationship is something altogether different. If you're a professor, it means bringing resources to your students that will challenge them to look outside the white narrative. If you're a business owner, it means you work to diversify the workplace and root out toxic masculinity. If you're an activist, take to social media and begin listening and following Indigenous people, and let that influence your everyday life. If you're a parent, introduce your children to the idea that Indigenous peoples are still alive, still thriving, still creating and contributing to the good things that happen in the world.
If we cannot begin where we are, we will have a hard time changing anything outside of us. Decolonization is always an invitation."
December 4, 2021
So many thoughts about this book! Some very valid and thought-provoking content, but also lots of troubling content. I knew pretty early that I didn’t resonate with the book but I do think it’s important to expose myself to ideas and perspectives outside my own so I stuck it out to the end. The book was meandering and repetitive with section “summaries” that surprisingly didn’t seem to fit the content of what they claimed to be summarizing. Lots of vague reference to “trauma” in ways that seem to not fit with my understanding of the term. I can respect a desire to understand heritage, but this book seems to elevate heritage as a core identity in unhealthy ways. It is confusing to me that Kaitlin overtly (passive aggressively?) identifies herself as Native (with her coffee cup and tee-shirt at church and by using her Potawatomi ID when traveling, among other things) while at the same time emphatically absolving herself from entering into the conversations that these types of things naturally create (“Indigenous people should not have to spend our days educating non-Native people”). She makes some surprising statements (“whiteness, in more ways than we can comprehend, erases identity”) without explaining what leads her to these conclusions. While I commend her journey of faith in the midst of confusion and hurt caused by very real and terrible injustices, I cannot recommend the book. Too much sifting required to find the nuggets of gold!
March 14, 2021
This amazing book written by Kaitlin B. Curtice about what it means for her to be both a Potawatomi Native American and a Christian, was fascinating, sobering, healing, encouraging, and spiritually nourishing.
Reading this book made me even more thankful for the Iroqua heritage on the Paternal side of my family, and the Celtic Scots-Irish McArthur on my Mother's side. It has been very meaningful for me to connect with friends through social media that I have met in person who are also Iroqua. They have taught me quite a lot about the language, spirituality, art, and culture of the Iroqua people.
I have great reverence and respect for the Indigenous tribes around the world, and I am filled with joy to know that people are still telling their stories, fighting against racism, bogus history, and teaching their language, culture, and living out their spirituality. Ancestry helps you understand who you are.
Reading this book made me even more thankful for the Iroqua heritage on the Paternal side of my family, and the Celtic Scots-Irish McArthur on my Mother's side. It has been very meaningful for me to connect with friends through social media that I have met in person who are also Iroqua. They have taught me quite a lot about the language, spirituality, art, and culture of the Iroqua people.
I have great reverence and respect for the Indigenous tribes around the world, and I am filled with joy to know that people are still telling their stories, fighting against racism, bogus history, and teaching their language, culture, and living out their spirituality. Ancestry helps you understand who you are.
May 11, 2020
"The sacred thing about being human is that no matter how hard we try to get rid of them, our stories are our stories."
Quarantimes are reading times, and I just finished an early copy of #NativeBook. Whew, I will be thinking about it for a bit. Kaitlin writes frankly and poetically about the intersections of her Indigenous identity and Christian faith, while also exploring themes of caring for creation, politics, colonization, and decentering whiteness. There's a lot to take in, but it's a journey worth taking with this beautiful, thoughtful, brave writer.
If you're looking for an Indigenous writer to read and support (ps: that should be any book reading person 😉) Native is worth your time. 💚
Read my full review here!
Thanks to Brazos Press and the author for the review copy 📖
Quarantimes are reading times, and I just finished an early copy of #NativeBook. Whew, I will be thinking about it for a bit. Kaitlin writes frankly and poetically about the intersections of her Indigenous identity and Christian faith, while also exploring themes of caring for creation, politics, colonization, and decentering whiteness. There's a lot to take in, but it's a journey worth taking with this beautiful, thoughtful, brave writer.
If you're looking for an Indigenous writer to read and support (ps: that should be any book reading person 😉) Native is worth your time. 💚
Read my full review here!
Thanks to Brazos Press and the author for the review copy 📖
August 17, 2020
I really hate rating books that fall in the memoirist category. I love listening to Kaitlin Curtice and following her on social media. Some of this book gave me some insight and some of it fell flat for me. I’m glad I read it, there are several quotes that I will take with me and ponder.
March 11, 2021
This book is very similar to many of the books written over the past 5 years about racial justice and calling the church to own up to its troubled pass. I think there are other books that have done this better, but this one is special because it is written by a female native American author. Its an enjoyable book, and a solid read for anyone, especially those who want to learn more about native culture. Curtice has a more progressive Christian theology, which is fine and good to read. Don't read this book for a concise systematic Native American theology, rather enjoy it as a book written by a good writer wrestling with her ethnic identity and relationship with a a church that has far too many skeletons in the closet. I have a deeper connection than many to this book.
My ancestors settled on the land stolen from Curtice's Potawatomi ancestors. On the banks of Lake Michigan in Northwest Indiana. This was an important book for me to read, and I feel moved to learn more about the history of the Potawatomi people I was never properly taught about.
One thing that stuck out is the story of Curtice first experiencing Lake Michigan. I was moved because for the past few years I have lived far away from Lake Michigan, and I am always struck by how much I miss those waters.
My ancestors settled on the land stolen from Curtice's Potawatomi ancestors. On the banks of Lake Michigan in Northwest Indiana. This was an important book for me to read, and I feel moved to learn more about the history of the Potawatomi people I was never properly taught about.
One thing that stuck out is the story of Curtice first experiencing Lake Michigan. I was moved because for the past few years I have lived far away from Lake Michigan, and I am always struck by how much I miss those waters.
May 6, 2022
The publisher's blurb is somewhat dishonest in that it claims Curtice's story is "positive" and "Christian." I will acknowledge that Curtice talks about attending church, but I wonder at the claim of being actually Christian. I heard very little that was in a positive vein. The prose (and it was mostly pleasant to which to listen) sounded mostly as though it was scripted right out of the critical theory playbook. In future I will keep better track, but once I heard "toxic patriarchy" I should have started keeping score; and once I got to a certain number (here there were dozens, but probably not quite hundreds) I should have transferred this one to my "could not finish" pile.
Sadly, I am quite certain there are quite valid points in the stories of indigenous people that are worth telling and complaining about, but here Curtice seemed to go on and on about what I would deem as personality issues. The world is full of objectionable people, and one of my all-time favorite mantras as a Christian is that we live in a broken world. Oh, and I don't think she lived up to her subtitle's claim of rediscovering God.
Sadly, I am quite certain there are quite valid points in the stories of indigenous people that are worth telling and complaining about, but here Curtice seemed to go on and on about what I would deem as personality issues. The world is full of objectionable people, and one of my all-time favorite mantras as a Christian is that we live in a broken world. Oh, and I don't think she lived up to her subtitle's claim of rediscovering God.
February 28, 2021
I felt like reading this book was a Lenten exercise: sit, listen, patiently absorb. Don't push back with your white privilege! It's hard to hear the pain of others, and there is a LOT of pain in this book. It's easier for me to read a book by Louise Erdrich, or Sherman Alexi, or Tommy Orange to hear the indigenous story of pain in the context of a novel. It's tougher to take it straight from real life, in the words of the person who suffers. There's a lot of insight here if you're willing to let down your guard and read with acceptance. That isn't easy for "critical thinking" me! But when Curtice talks about visiting Lake Michigan and imagining it without the colonizers' boardwalks, I did have a flash of insight into what is lost in a world where moving with no trace is no longer possible. If you love creation and the beauty of nature, imagining that indigenous past brings tears to your eyes. So please read this book. Don't expect to enjoy it. But you'll learn something and, maybe more important, you'll feel something.
May 20, 2020
I had to read Native slowly for two reasons, one because it challenged me to think, and two because it challenged me to BE. From her rich imagery, to her depth of research, to her choice of subject and verb tense (we are asking, we are learning, we are having conversations) Kaitlin Curtice reinforces the idea of journeying. She speaks of trauma and tragedy almost unimaginable, yet draws us back again and again to that active work of healing ourselves, our country, and the earth. And somehow, within all that, she still makes space for rest, for quiet, for drinking coffee and sitting outside, listening to the birds and the trees and the water. I will be rereading this book more than once, going more slowly each time until its lessons settle into my spirit.
June 26, 2020
Probably 3.5 stars
I'm glad I read this since Curtice is voicing her experience as a white-coded Indigenous woman who grew up in white Southern Baptist culture. She takes the reader along on her journey of finding her way back to her roots and embracing the fullness of her identity. Her writing style was not my favorite--it's fairly poetic and meandering--but it was an interesting read and an important one. I'm glad she is joining her voice with others who are leading seekers to a fuller, richer understanding of God and making space at the table for ones who've been excluded for far too long.
I'm glad I read this since Curtice is voicing her experience as a white-coded Indigenous woman who grew up in white Southern Baptist culture. She takes the reader along on her journey of finding her way back to her roots and embracing the fullness of her identity. Her writing style was not my favorite--it's fairly poetic and meandering--but it was an interesting read and an important one. I'm glad she is joining her voice with others who are leading seekers to a fuller, richer understanding of God and making space at the table for ones who've been excluded for far too long.
August 2, 2021
I wish I could have finished this book and liked it. I thought it was going to be about the redemption of her faith and culture. She didn’t really have anything profound to say beyond “look at everything I have lost” in many rambling chapters. I got half way through and had to ask what was the point of what I was reading. I have empathy for pain and suffering of indigenous people at the hands of white supremacy. But this wasn’t really about her maintaining a faith or hope. I don’t really think she has a Christian faith, which more just makes me sad for her. I think she looks to man to give her a faith and hope, which will inevitably leave her empty.
Read
December 30, 2021In the words of my wise friend Bobbi: “Take the time to listen to people you likely haven’t tell you about God. I promise. It’s good for you.”
November 21, 2020
3.5 stars, but I’ll round up for the sake of Goodreads’ system! First off, publishing a book during a Pandemic is so overwhelming and Kaitlin Curtice has done it with such grace and efficiency. I have seen this book promoted everywhere I’ve turned, and it’s great to see the hard work that’s gone into promotion.
Kaitlin Curtice’s book has poetry, preaching and wisdom strewn throughout it, and her passion clearly comes forward again and again throughout the book. I enjoyed many of her stories and I especially enjoyed getting to know the pieces of her Potawatomi identity that have taken new meaning. As others have noted, the second half of this book feels stronger. She does a nice job moving the reader to question their own intentions and experiences with Indigenous Heritage. I’m still thinking about land claims as well as my own loyalties to a local NFL team.
I struggled with two things in this book. The first is that I found myself wishing Curtice would explore some of her memories with greater vulnerability. There were times when she would begin to share details of her past but then would turn towards a teaching lesson that came from that memory, leaving behind the opportunity to connect with the reader in a different and more personal way. This first struggle leads to a second: I think this book would’ve benefitted from better editing. Some of those preached moments felt repetitive, and some of those opportunities for vulnerability could’ve been better served if someone had said to Curtice, “unpack this a little more.”
All in all a worthy read, and good for group discussion.
Kaitlin Curtice’s book has poetry, preaching and wisdom strewn throughout it, and her passion clearly comes forward again and again throughout the book. I enjoyed many of her stories and I especially enjoyed getting to know the pieces of her Potawatomi identity that have taken new meaning. As others have noted, the second half of this book feels stronger. She does a nice job moving the reader to question their own intentions and experiences with Indigenous Heritage. I’m still thinking about land claims as well as my own loyalties to a local NFL team.
I struggled with two things in this book. The first is that I found myself wishing Curtice would explore some of her memories with greater vulnerability. There were times when she would begin to share details of her past but then would turn towards a teaching lesson that came from that memory, leaving behind the opportunity to connect with the reader in a different and more personal way. This first struggle leads to a second: I think this book would’ve benefitted from better editing. Some of those preached moments felt repetitive, and some of those opportunities for vulnerability could’ve been better served if someone had said to Curtice, “unpack this a little more.”
All in all a worthy read, and good for group discussion.
August 22, 2023
“I find that we must learn what it means to live in an integrated way that honors the cultures and the people around us so that we can, together, in solidarity, learn to go home.” (P. 15)
The author’s understanding and passion for her message is brilliant and resounding. And I agree with her and her message 100%. Societally we need to embrace diversity, acknowledge past atrocities, confront racism (ALL the “ism-s”), and create sacred space that strives to include everyone. I just didn’t completely connect with this particular author’s story. Exhaustively repetitive and overly trauma-reliant, her vital, holy message was continually lost in self-pity and borderline whining. For example, the author writes, travels, and speaks her beautiful truth throughout the country, demanding inclusive dialogue, spaces filled with social justice, and elevation of Indigenous culture to the height it absolutely deserves. However, when people reach out to her during the month of November to ask for resources, books, and other ways to appropriately teach and discuss Indigenous culture, she immediately gets defensive and snarky, claiming “do the work yourself. It’s not up to native people to teach non-native people about indigenous culture.” It was REALLY hard for me to get past that chapter. If you’re going to make your message your identity then it absolutely is your responsibility to help others understand it. So, long story longer, I want to rally behind her message but I’ll “do my own work” from now on.
“Here is the world. Terrible and beautiful things will happen. Don’t be afraid” - Frederick Buechner p.100
The author’s understanding and passion for her message is brilliant and resounding. And I agree with her and her message 100%. Societally we need to embrace diversity, acknowledge past atrocities, confront racism (ALL the “ism-s”), and create sacred space that strives to include everyone. I just didn’t completely connect with this particular author’s story. Exhaustively repetitive and overly trauma-reliant, her vital, holy message was continually lost in self-pity and borderline whining. For example, the author writes, travels, and speaks her beautiful truth throughout the country, demanding inclusive dialogue, spaces filled with social justice, and elevation of Indigenous culture to the height it absolutely deserves. However, when people reach out to her during the month of November to ask for resources, books, and other ways to appropriately teach and discuss Indigenous culture, she immediately gets defensive and snarky, claiming “do the work yourself. It’s not up to native people to teach non-native people about indigenous culture.” It was REALLY hard for me to get past that chapter. If you’re going to make your message your identity then it absolutely is your responsibility to help others understand it. So, long story longer, I want to rally behind her message but I’ll “do my own work” from now on.
“Here is the world. Terrible and beautiful things will happen. Don’t be afraid” - Frederick Buechner p.100
July 16, 2021
2.5 Stars
*sigh*
This is not the review I wanted to leave.
My expectations of this book were that it would be primarily concerned with what it means to be indigenous and also Christian; reflecting on how the author processed both Native identity and a faith that is tainted by colonization and white supremacy. It is not.
The content can be summed up sufficiently in one sentence: Indigenous identities are important, both to Native people and humanity, and we need to work together to learn to dismantle oppressive systems.
I picked up this book in hopes of learning more about indigenous people, Native perspectives on Christianity, and/or indigenous justice work (pretty ignorant here, so the bar was low). However, I encountered no ideas or narratives with which I wasn't already well acquainted.
None.
For clarification, I'm as white as marshmallows.
If you are already familiar with the basics of conversations around indigenous and intersectional justice, don't read this book for that.
As for the tease of theological or spiritual content, that was little more than the odd statement of the obvious (colonialist religion makes faith and identity complicated, etc.).
Once again, I'm left annoyed most with the publishers. If the marketing department could find their way to actually describing the content of the book, instead of expending all their efforts on making it sound cool, I might be forced to feel like a jerk less often and more innocent authors might escape my grumbles.
*sigh*
This is not the review I wanted to leave.
My expectations of this book were that it would be primarily concerned with what it means to be indigenous and also Christian; reflecting on how the author processed both Native identity and a faith that is tainted by colonization and white supremacy. It is not.
The content can be summed up sufficiently in one sentence: Indigenous identities are important, both to Native people and humanity, and we need to work together to learn to dismantle oppressive systems.
I picked up this book in hopes of learning more about indigenous people, Native perspectives on Christianity, and/or indigenous justice work (pretty ignorant here, so the bar was low). However, I encountered no ideas or narratives with which I wasn't already well acquainted.
None.
For clarification, I'm as white as marshmallows.
If you are already familiar with the basics of conversations around indigenous and intersectional justice, don't read this book for that.
As for the tease of theological or spiritual content, that was little more than the odd statement of the obvious (colonialist religion makes faith and identity complicated, etc.).
Once again, I'm left annoyed most with the publishers. If the marketing department could find their way to actually describing the content of the book, instead of expending all their efforts on making it sound cool, I might be forced to feel like a jerk less often and more innocent authors might escape my grumbles.
December 29, 2020
I'm sad to say I was disappointed by this book. I found it EXTREMELY repetitive (talked about her identity or places she visited that made her cry in just about every chapter). For all the talk about being indigenous and the importance of kinship, there were no references or stories about visits or conversations with older indigenous people or indigenous sages. There were lots of ideas, concepts and references to other authors, but no lived experiences or relationships with more experienced or mature indigenous Christians who could help guide her as she tries to reconcile those two identities. Overall, I've concluded it just wasn't want I was hoping for.
September 9, 2020
3.5
Fantastic dialogue and call to decolonize the church. Too many quotes and what felt like name dropping that took away from her great storytelling.
Fantastic dialogue and call to decolonize the church. Too many quotes and what felt like name dropping that took away from her great storytelling.
November 30, 2022
This was such a wonderfully written, insightful, honest, & important book to read. While Kaitlin does reference other marginalized groups many times throughout the book, her primary focus is on her own experience as an indigenous woman looking to reclaim her heritage and how being a Christian and a member of the Potawatomi nation can be reconciled when much of the history and current practices of the American church assimilate other cultures into “whiteness”. Kaitlin is able to discuss extremely difficult and painful topics in a clear way that also invites the reader to reflect about how their own race, gender, beliefs, etc. play a role in their lives and the blind spots that may exist in light of those things. This book gives a portrayal of a God who loves and cares for everyone in every culture and how it is harmful to solely accept white American institutions and theologies as the “right” way of doing things and as the only way to be Christian. Highly recommend this book!
March 15, 2024
Deeply thought-provoking and impactful. Curtice writes with honesty and clarity on some very difficult topics, seamlessly weaving her own story as a Native woman raised in Christianity into a larger discussion about culture, history, faith, trauma, and allyship. I really enjoyed everything she had to say here, and I definitely plan to read more from her in the future.
August 6, 2025
This book reads like it is written to you by a friend. The way it shares history while also calling people to do what is right and sacred despite the world telling us not to will be something that sits with me and hopefully becomes part of my being.
June 17, 2020
Take time to listen to people you likely never have tell you about God. I promise. It’s good for you.
June 18, 2020
This was beautiful and much needed.
February 7, 2021
I underlined a lot of passages in this book. It's a beautiful and challenging piece of writing, and it really should be required reading for American Christians especially.
June 27, 2021
I read this at the recommendation of a family member who is indigenous.
It changed my view on several topics. Beautiful (if perhaps slightly unpolished - the only reason it's not 5 stars for me) and touchingly personal. Glad I read it.
It changed my view on several topics. Beautiful (if perhaps slightly unpolished - the only reason it's not 5 stars for me) and touchingly personal. Glad I read it.
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