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Bad Indians Book Club: Reading at the Edge of a Thousand Worlds
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.
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.
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.
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.
8 pages, Audible Audio
First published September 16, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews
January 18, 2026
Grab your annotation tools and take a seat! This book is absolutely brilliant. This book takes a look at stories, history, even science and medical research written by "bad indians" and other marginalized people. The author gives recommendations from other under represented authors. For example I read Flowers of The Killing Moon and there is another book that is written by someone who actually was part of the Osage tribe! The writing was incredible and truly made you consider what else is overlooked because we tend to focus on the mainstream.
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/
Read
May 17, 2026“Bad Indians wield stories like weapons in the war against imagination.”
🪶
In this nonfiction text Anishinaabe writer Patty Krawec explores how books by marginalized writers challenge dominant narratives and open doors to new ways of understanding history, identity, science, gender, and community. Blending memoir, literary discussion, history, and fiction, including interconnected stories about Deer Woman, Krawec invites readers to rethink the stories they’ve inherited and imagine worlds shaped by Indigenous and other underrepresented voices.
📖
I loved the content and ideas in this book, even if the prose was sometimes harder for me to fully engage with, especially in audio format. There are so many quotations, references, and layered discussions that it occasionally felt more academic than conversational, though that “brain-stretching” quality is also part of what makes it so rewarding. This feels like the kind of book that absolutely belongs in course curriculum because it encourages readers to approach Indigenous literature, and each other’s stories, with openness and curiosity. I’m especially excited to dive into the extensive bibliography and recommended works mentioned throughout.
CW: racism, colonization, grief, misogyny, violence, death, animal death
🪶
In this nonfiction text Anishinaabe writer Patty Krawec explores how books by marginalized writers challenge dominant narratives and open doors to new ways of understanding history, identity, science, gender, and community. Blending memoir, literary discussion, history, and fiction, including interconnected stories about Deer Woman, Krawec invites readers to rethink the stories they’ve inherited and imagine worlds shaped by Indigenous and other underrepresented voices.
📖
I loved the content and ideas in this book, even if the prose was sometimes harder for me to fully engage with, especially in audio format. There are so many quotations, references, and layered discussions that it occasionally felt more academic than conversational, though that “brain-stretching” quality is also part of what makes it so rewarding. This feels like the kind of book that absolutely belongs in course curriculum because it encourages readers to approach Indigenous literature, and each other’s stories, with openness and curiosity. I’m especially excited to dive into the extensive bibliography and recommended works mentioned throughout.
CW: racism, colonization, grief, misogyny, violence, death, animal death
May 28, 2026
This was wonderful to listen to. I have a lot of things that I'm going to be thinking about after reading this, but the main one is how horror means different things to different peoples based on what is scary to them. Especially talking about an apocolypse or dystopian situations. Speculative fiction in general is going to change for me as I'm reading it. Fascinating and so many things that my privilege has let me ignore.
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 😋😋
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
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.
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.
January 17, 2026
Thanks to NetGalley, Tantor Media and Broadleaf Books for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.
As you may be aware if you’ve read Bargain Sleuth Reviews for any length of time, I’ve been making an effort to read or listen to more about diversity and about marginalized communities. Bad Indians Club is a reflective and emotional study of Indigenous literature. This contemplative exploration of perspectives is very much needed.
We need to talk more about the historic violence towards Indigenous people. We need to talk about the genocide perpetrated by the men who escaped religious persecution, only to decide that Native Americans weren’t worthy to live because they weren’t Christian. Generations of Indigenous people have refused to be put into a box, whether it’s their politics or their spiritual beliefs. They have always refused to assimilate.
The book is set up thematically, covering categories as broad as horror stories, writing about science, and part memoir. Woven through all these themes is the author’s own retelling of the Deer Woman story. This makes the book a more academic read, but it’s a compelling narrative.
But the best part of the book is the HUGE bibliography that includes a long list of books, podcasts, and more for further study.
The audiobook was narrated by the author, which I believe was the right move. She knows her material very well, and I really thought her tone throughout was spot-on
As you may be aware if you’ve read Bargain Sleuth Reviews for any length of time, I’ve been making an effort to read or listen to more about diversity and about marginalized communities. Bad Indians Club is a reflective and emotional study of Indigenous literature. This contemplative exploration of perspectives is very much needed.
We need to talk more about the historic violence towards Indigenous people. We need to talk about the genocide perpetrated by the men who escaped religious persecution, only to decide that Native Americans weren’t worthy to live because they weren’t Christian. Generations of Indigenous people have refused to be put into a box, whether it’s their politics or their spiritual beliefs. They have always refused to assimilate.
The book is set up thematically, covering categories as broad as horror stories, writing about science, and part memoir. Woven through all these themes is the author’s own retelling of the Deer Woman story. This makes the book a more academic read, but it’s a compelling narrative.
But the best part of the book is the HUGE bibliography that includes a long list of books, podcasts, and more for further study.
The audiobook was narrated by the author, which I believe was the right move. She knows her material very well, and I really thought her tone throughout was spot-on
May 14, 2026
Patty Krawec (Ojibwe, Ukrainian) invites readers to look more closely at histories, cultural/societal analyses, and fictional narratives, and ask, who’s missing? Who speaks? Who acts? Who matters?
Framing this as an examination of culture through books and through the lens of Bad Indians; i.e., those who don’t sit quietly, who don’t accept their places, who ask hard questions, and who use humour and story to educate and open the eyes of others.
This is a small book, but hefty in its intent and in the ways in which it has prompted me to think hard about content. Already sensitive to the portrayal and lack of appearance, of marginalized peoples in narrative and media, this asks me to look closer, and to demand better of the people crafting narratives, writing histories, and selling conclusions.
Thank you to NetGalley and to Broadleaf Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.
Framing this as an examination of culture through books and through the lens of Bad Indians; i.e., those who don’t sit quietly, who don’t accept their places, who ask hard questions, and who use humour and story to educate and open the eyes of others.
This is a small book, but hefty in its intent and in the ways in which it has prompted me to think hard about content. Already sensitive to the portrayal and lack of appearance, of marginalized peoples in narrative and media, this asks me to look closer, and to demand better of the people crafting narratives, writing histories, and selling conclusions.
Thank you to NetGalley and to Broadleaf Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.
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.
March 28, 2026
I enjoyed reading Bad Indians Book Club: Reading at the Edge of a Thousand Worlds by Patty Krawek! I’d wanted to read this book since it was featured on the Canadian Independent Booksellers Association Fall 2025 The Booksellers’ List. I liked how this book blends literary criticism, book recommendations, history and mythology. I agreed when she said that poetry makes us feel and it’s important to read widely and diversely including Indigenous authors and marginalized authors and across genres including memoir, fiction, history and horror. It was interesting to read about books and several books and authors I’ve read before such as Alicia Elliott, We Measure the Earth With our Bodies by Tsering Yangzom Lama and Stephen Graham Jones. And I’ve bumped up more books on my TBR from this book such as Seven Fallen Feathers by Tanya Talaga and Buffalo is the new Buffalo by Chelsea Vowel. I listened to the audiobook which is read by the author and it was great to listen to.
Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for my ALC!
Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for my ALC!
April 9, 2026
Probably the first book in my adult life where I wanted to read a hard copy and make annotations. The book offers a different perspective, requires you to look at everything through a different lens. There were multiple times where I needed to rewind and listen to a quote all over again.
What really hit me, especially in April of 2026, is the following: “People often say that violence is never the answer, forgetting that their capacity for peace relies on the often, invisible for them, violence of policing and border maintenance.”
Thank you to NetGalley for this advance copy.
What really hit me, especially in April of 2026, is the following: “People often say that violence is never the answer, forgetting that their capacity for peace relies on the often, invisible for them, violence of policing and border maintenance.”
Thank you to NetGalley for this advance copy.
January 20, 2026
This is a book I would recommend to anyone who enjoys books, no matter their background.
As someone from the 80s, who had a GOODLY chunk of time of straight up just not reading anything, coming back into reading in these 2020s era of books makes me appreciate the diversity that is just much more easily available now than my prior reading life... and yet we have so much farther to go.
I loved how each chapter was broken down by subject, and not just "here is the one non-fiction chapter" as non-fiction so often just gets shoved into one genre in internet reading challenges and a really thoughtful look at indigenous voices and worldview amongst each chapter subject, and how that touches stories as a whole. My favorite especially, as someone who's going back to their roots and enjoying horror, is the look at the "whitestream" (aka mainstream) horror tropes - how many books and movies do we have where ooh, spooky Indian Burial Ground, that takes and co-opts and uses indigenous culture, or the assumption of indigenous culture by the non-indigenous people using it, and twists it for spooky horror needs? So many.
This is a book I want to go out and buy when it's out and go through and for once in my life do highlighting and read so many of the suggested works within. It's rather short (200ish pages) and I think expects someone to be at least vaguely familiar with some concepts and history points (the 60s scoop/residential schools and forced adoptions, for one) but gives a brief overview generally too as stories differ from place to place even if the heart can be similar.
Audio was fantastic for this book as it allowed me to sit with everything (99% of my audiobook listening is done While Driving so I'm not distracted) better, allowed me to hear various pronunciations, and my brain locked in more when a person was introduced with their background as everyone was here, where I may have skimmed that reading with my eyes.
This is something I already recommended to one book club last night and will continue to just unhinge my jaw to talk about as a primer and a great place to just, open the brain and be thoughtful about diversity being so much more than checkboxes on Instagram readathon Bingo cards, and that all of us who grew up in said whitestream society (so, all of us), have to put in the work to expand what major publishers want to generally push at us.... especially considering the day to day events happening in our communities right now.
Thank you to Tantor Media and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for review.
As someone from the 80s, who had a GOODLY chunk of time of straight up just not reading anything, coming back into reading in these 2020s era of books makes me appreciate the diversity that is just much more easily available now than my prior reading life... and yet we have so much farther to go.
I loved how each chapter was broken down by subject, and not just "here is the one non-fiction chapter" as non-fiction so often just gets shoved into one genre in internet reading challenges and a really thoughtful look at indigenous voices and worldview amongst each chapter subject, and how that touches stories as a whole. My favorite especially, as someone who's going back to their roots and enjoying horror, is the look at the "whitestream" (aka mainstream) horror tropes - how many books and movies do we have where ooh, spooky Indian Burial Ground, that takes and co-opts and uses indigenous culture, or the assumption of indigenous culture by the non-indigenous people using it, and twists it for spooky horror needs? So many.
This is a book I want to go out and buy when it's out and go through and for once in my life do highlighting and read so many of the suggested works within. It's rather short (200ish pages) and I think expects someone to be at least vaguely familiar with some concepts and history points (the 60s scoop/residential schools and forced adoptions, for one) but gives a brief overview generally too as stories differ from place to place even if the heart can be similar.
Audio was fantastic for this book as it allowed me to sit with everything (99% of my audiobook listening is done While Driving so I'm not distracted) better, allowed me to hear various pronunciations, and my brain locked in more when a person was introduced with their background as everyone was here, where I may have skimmed that reading with my eyes.
This is something I already recommended to one book club last night and will continue to just unhinge my jaw to talk about as a primer and a great place to just, open the brain and be thoughtful about diversity being so much more than checkboxes on Instagram readathon Bingo cards, and that all of us who grew up in said whitestream society (so, all of us), have to put in the work to expand what major publishers want to generally push at us.... especially considering the day to day events happening in our communities right now.
Thank you to Tantor Media and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for review.
January 19, 2026
A distinctive narrative that deconstructs various stories from speculative fiction to memoir – to unite various perspectives from her Indigenous perspective. The remarkable pragmatism is the way she describes the way all these stories connect. The constant theme she emits is that books are meant “to be in conversation with one another” as she claims is the purpose of writing. Marginalized writer’s are putting discussions out there to spark discussions between their readers, writers, and connections between other narratives. The connections that may not be made if these voices were never placed in the mainstream to be heart is the heart of the narrative here.
The pacing for this narrative is perfect because I never felt she lingered on describing one story for too long. Patty Krawec chants “reading does matter, and reading radically with purpose and intention can change your life”. The idea is that with reading we are having conversations with the author indirectly. There is this understanding as reader’s that we are trying to understand a person’s psyche and that is what makes memoir so appealing. We see the world through someone else’s eyes and there is this essence of empathy that is understood through another lens. We cannot achieve a unified understanding in our advocacy if we do not read different perspectives and challenge colonial notions.
Naturally my favorite chapter was focused on horror and the manner that horror tropes play in marginalized voice’s writing. The nature of speculative writing is designed to challenge the way you think and opens the pathways to discuss the horror of the facts that plague our society’s current set of social constructs. There is something benign about the shared comfort in these horror metaphors that forces us to address the horrors of our society with a conversation. Patty agrees that “horror is meant to disrupt places that are normally seen as safe”. She is saying that society is blind to the way social constructs impair their ability to see the truth of how entrenched society is in colonial ways of thinking. Deconstructing comes with understanding the different narratives written for us to have conversations. With deconstruction comes a society fighting harder for real advocacy and real genuine change.
For more recommendations, reviews, and tarot readings, visit my blog, https://brujerialibrary.wordpress.com/
The pacing for this narrative is perfect because I never felt she lingered on describing one story for too long. Patty Krawec chants “reading does matter, and reading radically with purpose and intention can change your life”. The idea is that with reading we are having conversations with the author indirectly. There is this understanding as reader’s that we are trying to understand a person’s psyche and that is what makes memoir so appealing. We see the world through someone else’s eyes and there is this essence of empathy that is understood through another lens. We cannot achieve a unified understanding in our advocacy if we do not read different perspectives and challenge colonial notions.
Naturally my favorite chapter was focused on horror and the manner that horror tropes play in marginalized voice’s writing. The nature of speculative writing is designed to challenge the way you think and opens the pathways to discuss the horror of the facts that plague our society’s current set of social constructs. There is something benign about the shared comfort in these horror metaphors that forces us to address the horrors of our society with a conversation. Patty agrees that “horror is meant to disrupt places that are normally seen as safe”. She is saying that society is blind to the way social constructs impair their ability to see the truth of how entrenched society is in colonial ways of thinking. Deconstructing comes with understanding the different narratives written for us to have conversations. With deconstruction comes a society fighting harder for real advocacy and real genuine change.
For more recommendations, reviews, and tarot readings, visit my blog, https://brujerialibrary.wordpress.com/
June 20, 2026
Bad Indians Book Club: Reading at the Edge of a Thousand Worlds by Patty Krawec is a book about books, by genre, focused on books about and by indigenous / marginalized peoples. I seem to be reading a few of these books focused on books of late. Unfortunately (really, it's fortunately... 😉) they all give me ideas for more books to purchase to read. Patty Krawec is an Anishinaabe / Ukrainian writer and she presents this book in a fascinating, unique way.
It was started when Patty was asked by friend to recommend a book or two to help him better understand indigenous experience and thought. As Patty says, she is incapable of doing anything in the simplest way. His request became a twitter feed, a book club and a series of panel discussions over the course of a year, which she called 'Ambe A Year of Indigenous Reading'. Each month they talked about a handful of selected books and were invited to talk about other books.
They covered all genres; Why Indigenous writing matters, Science and Nature, History, Refusing Patriarchy, Memoir, Fiction, Horror and Speculative Fiction and Graphic Novels. Before each section, Patty provides snippets of her own short story, created for this novel, the story of Kwe, Ojibwe for Woman, more specifically Life Giver, Life Carrier. It, on its own is a fascinating story.
I just found it a beautifully written, thoughtful book with its analysis of the indigenous world and their ideas and thoughts.
Oh, Bad Indians are "those who challenge the stories we tell about the society in which we live, because the things we believe have consequences that are often borne by others, consequences we may not see."
You should read it to get the full experience because anything I say probably can't do it justice.
Chi-miigwech, Patty for sharing this. (Hoping I used the term correctly) (4.0 stars)
It was started when Patty was asked by friend to recommend a book or two to help him better understand indigenous experience and thought. As Patty says, she is incapable of doing anything in the simplest way. His request became a twitter feed, a book club and a series of panel discussions over the course of a year, which she called 'Ambe A Year of Indigenous Reading'. Each month they talked about a handful of selected books and were invited to talk about other books.
They covered all genres; Why Indigenous writing matters, Science and Nature, History, Refusing Patriarchy, Memoir, Fiction, Horror and Speculative Fiction and Graphic Novels. Before each section, Patty provides snippets of her own short story, created for this novel, the story of Kwe, Ojibwe for Woman, more specifically Life Giver, Life Carrier. It, on its own is a fascinating story.
I just found it a beautifully written, thoughtful book with its analysis of the indigenous world and their ideas and thoughts.
Oh, Bad Indians are "those who challenge the stories we tell about the society in which we live, because the things we believe have consequences that are often borne by others, consequences we may not see."
You should read it to get the full experience because anything I say probably can't do it justice.
Chi-miigwech, Patty for sharing this. (Hoping I used the term correctly) (4.0 stars)
February 2, 2026
Is it too early for the best read (listen) of 2026? Because this might be it!
I took my time over this audiobook, listening to a maximum of a chapter a day and in periods where I could actively listen without distractions. Even so, this is one that requires additional reads. There is so much information, so many stories and perspectives that it's worth spending additional time with. I love audiobooks, particularly non-fics, that are read by the authors and this was no exception. Krawec is a gifted orator and I enjoyed spending time with her. A keen listener, observer, and speaker, Krawec shares voices and stories that we desperately need to hear.
I found the pace and structure of the book artful. The whole piece came together so beautifully: building on topics and themes throughout the book, revisiting stories in different contexts. I LOVED how Deer Woman's story was woven into the first chapters, it added something special and each section of her story was relevant to the theme of the preceding chapter.
While there was noticeable repetition -- sometimes verbatim within and across sections -- I can't help but feel this was intentional. Krawec has an astounding way of weaving information, stories, and themes together that I just can't see this being an oversight.
The only downside of the audio format was not having a list of all the books and reading mentioned. I'd love a copy of Krawec's titles for her Year of Indigenous Reading, and I'd like to learn the spelling of the Anishinaabe words that the audio taught me to pronounce.
It's funny, I'm not usually a gal who enjoys books-about-books but this felt so real, so relatable, and so timely -- and featured authors I'd actually read and LOVED -- that perhaps I've just been exposed to the wrong ones.
Anyway. Read this book. Then, read it again. Better yet, get the audio and let Krawec take you on an emotional, challenging, joyful, and meaningful journey into the borderlands of stories.
Thank you Tantor for the ALC. Now, to track down a physical copy...
I took my time over this audiobook, listening to a maximum of a chapter a day and in periods where I could actively listen without distractions. Even so, this is one that requires additional reads. There is so much information, so many stories and perspectives that it's worth spending additional time with. I love audiobooks, particularly non-fics, that are read by the authors and this was no exception. Krawec is a gifted orator and I enjoyed spending time with her. A keen listener, observer, and speaker, Krawec shares voices and stories that we desperately need to hear.
I found the pace and structure of the book artful. The whole piece came together so beautifully: building on topics and themes throughout the book, revisiting stories in different contexts. I LOVED how Deer Woman's story was woven into the first chapters, it added something special and each section of her story was relevant to the theme of the preceding chapter.
While there was noticeable repetition -- sometimes verbatim within and across sections -- I can't help but feel this was intentional. Krawec has an astounding way of weaving information, stories, and themes together that I just can't see this being an oversight.
The only downside of the audio format was not having a list of all the books and reading mentioned. I'd love a copy of Krawec's titles for her Year of Indigenous Reading, and I'd like to learn the spelling of the Anishinaabe words that the audio taught me to pronounce.
It's funny, I'm not usually a gal who enjoys books-about-books but this felt so real, so relatable, and so timely -- and featured authors I'd actually read and LOVED -- that perhaps I've just been exposed to the wrong ones.
Anyway. Read this book. Then, read it again. Better yet, get the audio and let Krawec take you on an emotional, challenging, joyful, and meaningful journey into the borderlands of stories.
Thank you Tantor for the ALC. Now, to track down a physical copy...
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.
January 17, 2026
This book truly has a lot to say, and it’s one of those experiences where I wish I had read the physical copy over audiobook just so that I could grab quotes and information from this. I loved a lot of what the author had to say, and how eloquently she says it all. This book is super unique in the way it tackles so many subjects. There was some repetition and some spoiling of other books (a lot of her recommendations are already on my list to read!) that made this an imperfect read for me, but I really enjoyed it. Thank you to the publisher for the advanced listening copy.
Read
May 6, 2026Love a good book about books, and especially so when the purpose is about expanding your worldview and refusing complacency within a system that lies right to our faces. I love the way that Krawec uses memoir and storytelling right alongside her history and science; it's such a breath of fresh air. Definitely recommend if you're looking to broaden your horizons but don't know where to start -- with this one, you get a book PLUS recommendations for more!
May 11, 2026
Good info and ideas, but felt disjointed. I found the number of works referenced to be distracting, making it a tough read for me. I appreciate the idea to “root ourselves in our stories” but the book would have benefited from some more focused editing.
May 22, 2026
I may or may not be the intended audience for this book, but it feels inclusive and instructive. This book will intentionally hit differently with individual readers and that’s a good thing. The book recommendations are wide ranging and support a global perspective. I have read some of the books mentioned and have added many to my want-to-read list. I highly recommend this book.
January 21, 2026
Thank you NetGalley, Patty Krawec, and the publisher for allowing me to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I wanted to expand my genre boundaries and I’m pleased! I loved the content, there are amazing stories, and explanations about cultural differences, growing up in Canada and finding her Native roots and her “bad Indian” personality. However, the prose was a little hard to fully follow along with and sometimes I felt lost. I think for me personally, this might have been fixed if I had read this book instead of listened to it. Truly, this book helped me gain perspective of prejudices I didn’t know I had based on appearance. She describes multiple times in this book the white person’s version of Native traditional garments, and how she wasn’t allowed to wear her favorite skirt because it didn’t fit that narrative. This is a small example of me opening my eyes, to something that I had accidentally being contributing to, that does not honor or respect the culture. So, thank you for opening my eyes on a variety of different cultural experiences.
One of my favorite quotes that gave me the chills was "Bad Indians wield stories like weapons in the war against imagination." I listened to this, so I’m not sure of the page number, but it was in the beginning of the book and I wrote it down. This book challenges the mainstream narrative that is mostly full of watered down history or a blatant fabrication of what actually happened. This is a powerful book that really makes you think about other communities and cultures in a beautifully diverse way.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I wanted to expand my genre boundaries and I’m pleased! I loved the content, there are amazing stories, and explanations about cultural differences, growing up in Canada and finding her Native roots and her “bad Indian” personality. However, the prose was a little hard to fully follow along with and sometimes I felt lost. I think for me personally, this might have been fixed if I had read this book instead of listened to it. Truly, this book helped me gain perspective of prejudices I didn’t know I had based on appearance. She describes multiple times in this book the white person’s version of Native traditional garments, and how she wasn’t allowed to wear her favorite skirt because it didn’t fit that narrative. This is a small example of me opening my eyes, to something that I had accidentally being contributing to, that does not honor or respect the culture. So, thank you for opening my eyes on a variety of different cultural experiences.
One of my favorite quotes that gave me the chills was "Bad Indians wield stories like weapons in the war against imagination." I listened to this, so I’m not sure of the page number, but it was in the beginning of the book and I wrote it down. This book challenges the mainstream narrative that is mostly full of watered down history or a blatant fabrication of what actually happened. This is a powerful book that really makes you think about other communities and cultures in a beautifully diverse way.
April 26, 2026
Really intriguing book, and it’s given so many more books to add to my tbr!! Want to read more by this author! 4.25 ⭐️
May 1, 2026
Very interesting audio book with clear information. Love all the references to other books. Some are already on my shelves so I should really get to them!
May 25, 2026
A excellent book about books by indingenous, black, hispanic, etc. through a summary of literature forms.
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”
February 21, 2026
Second Stories
How did the book make me feel/think?
As I started reading The Bad Indians Book Club, every book mentioned — and every book I’ve ever read — began talking to me. Words, passages, reflections. My life fell from the pages.
Thousands of people have origin stories sharing threads with mine — each story individual, yet reduced to a single box. I hesitate to share mine because someone is always ready to tell me how I should feel about it.
I was born in a home for “unfit” mothers. From my first breath, I was labelled “at risk.” Vulnerable. Exploitable. Marginalized.
I’m not sure where my story begins. Not at the beginning. Maybe the second story — the one shaped by silence. Nobody told me who I was. Society prefers comfortable narratives. The rest are controlled, softened, erased.
Erasure isn’t accidental. Columbus “discovered” lands already inhabited by millions. What does discovered mean? Narrative control enriches latecomers and expedites the disappearance of “others.”
Erasure leads to racism. It isn’t just the joke — it’s the story beneath it.
Safe Spaces: How can a place be safe if you don’t see me?
When we speak and are met with dismissiveness, we are lost in time. If my life makes you uncomfortable, don’t sweat it. You aren’t us. Our lives are not yours. I’m sorry if your mind is not open.
A flaw of the vulnerable — even when upset — is that we defend the very people who silence us. Who knows what origin story they were told? What second story are they protecting? We protect at great cost.
But resisting the narrative has blessed me with something unexpected: a superpower for seeing people. When you grow up unseen, you learn to notice who else is.
Searching for our stories keeps history alive.
A thousand stories are not enough.
Always carry a book.
WRITTEN: 21 February 2026
How did the book make me feel/think?
As I started reading The Bad Indians Book Club, every book mentioned — and every book I’ve ever read — began talking to me. Words, passages, reflections. My life fell from the pages.
Thousands of people have origin stories sharing threads with mine — each story individual, yet reduced to a single box. I hesitate to share mine because someone is always ready to tell me how I should feel about it.
I was born in a home for “unfit” mothers. From my first breath, I was labelled “at risk.” Vulnerable. Exploitable. Marginalized.
I’m not sure where my story begins. Not at the beginning. Maybe the second story — the one shaped by silence. Nobody told me who I was. Society prefers comfortable narratives. The rest are controlled, softened, erased.
Erasure isn’t accidental. Columbus “discovered” lands already inhabited by millions. What does discovered mean? Narrative control enriches latecomers and expedites the disappearance of “others.”
Erasure leads to racism. It isn’t just the joke — it’s the story beneath it.
Safe Spaces: How can a place be safe if you don’t see me?
When we speak and are met with dismissiveness, we are lost in time. If my life makes you uncomfortable, don’t sweat it. You aren’t us. Our lives are not yours. I’m sorry if your mind is not open.
A flaw of the vulnerable — even when upset — is that we defend the very people who silence us. Who knows what origin story they were told? What second story are they protecting? We protect at great cost.
But resisting the narrative has blessed me with something unexpected: a superpower for seeing people. When you grow up unseen, you learn to notice who else is.
Searching for our stories keeps history alive.
A thousand stories are not enough.
Always carry a book.
WRITTEN: 21 February 2026
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.
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