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The Accident of Being Lost
This Accident of Being Lost is the knife-sharp new collection of stories and songs from award-winning Nishnaabeg storyteller and writer Leanne Betasamosake Simpson. These visionary pieces build upon Simpson's powerful use of the fragment as a tool for intervention in her critically acclaimed collection Islands of Decolonial Love. Provocateur and poet, she continually rebirths a decolonized reality, one that circles in and out of time and resists dominant narratives or comfortable categorization. A crow watches over a deer addicted to road salt; Lake Ontario floods Toronto to remake the world while texting "ARE THEY GETTING IT?"; lovers visit the last remaining corner of the boreal forest; three comrades guerrilla-tap maples in an upper middle-class neighbourhood; and Kwe gets her firearms license in rural Ontario. Blending elements of Nishnaabeg storytelling, science fiction, contemporary realism, and the lyric voice, This Accident of Being Lost burns with a quiet intensity, like a campfire in your backyard, challenging you to reconsider the world you thought you knew.
123 pages, Paperback
First published April 8, 2017
49 people are currently reading
4293 people want to read
About the author
Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
23 books1,081 followersLeanne Betasamosake Simpson is a renowned Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg scholar, writer and artist, who has been widely recognized as one of the most compelling Indigenous voices of her generation. Her work breaks open the intersections between politics, story and song—bringing audiences into a rich and layered world of sound, light, and sovereign creativity.
Working for two decades as an independent scholar using Nishnaabeg intellectual practices, Leanne has lectured and taught extensively at universities across Canada and the United States and has twenty years experience with Indigenous land based education. She holds a PhD from the University of Manitoba, and teaches at the Dechinta Centre for Research & Learning in Denendeh.
Leanne is the author of six previous books, including This Accident of Being Lost, which won the MacEwan University Book of the Year; was a finalist for the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize and the Trillium Book Award; was long listed for CBC Canada Reads; and was named a best book of the year by the Globe and Mail, the National Post, and Quill & Quire. Her latest book, As We Have Always Done: Indigenous Freedom Through Radical Resistance was published by the University of Minnesota Press in 2017, and was awarded Best Subsequent Book by the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association. Her new novel Noopiming: The Cure for White Ladies is was release this fall by the House of Anansi Press.
Leanne is also a musician combining poetry, storytelling, song-writing and performance in collaboration with musicians to create unique spoken songs and soundscapes. Leanne's third record, The Theory of Ice will be released in 2021.
Leanne is a member of Alderville First Nation.
Working for two decades as an independent scholar using Nishnaabeg intellectual practices, Leanne has lectured and taught extensively at universities across Canada and the United States and has twenty years experience with Indigenous land based education. She holds a PhD from the University of Manitoba, and teaches at the Dechinta Centre for Research & Learning in Denendeh.
Leanne is the author of six previous books, including This Accident of Being Lost, which won the MacEwan University Book of the Year; was a finalist for the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize and the Trillium Book Award; was long listed for CBC Canada Reads; and was named a best book of the year by the Globe and Mail, the National Post, and Quill & Quire. Her latest book, As We Have Always Done: Indigenous Freedom Through Radical Resistance was published by the University of Minnesota Press in 2017, and was awarded Best Subsequent Book by the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association. Her new novel Noopiming: The Cure for White Ladies is was release this fall by the House of Anansi Press.
Leanne is also a musician combining poetry, storytelling, song-writing and performance in collaboration with musicians to create unique spoken songs and soundscapes. Leanne's third record, The Theory of Ice will be released in 2021.
Leanne is a member of Alderville First Nation.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 281 reviews
June 12, 2019
Perfection. With Leanne Betasamosake Simpson's distinct voice, this collection had it all- stunning writing, heart wrenching stories, sharp wit, important statements. Easily added to my favourite collections of all time.
May 16, 2018
I "discovered" this collection of poetry, song, and story lost in the organized chaos of a fellow teacher's classroom library. Personally, I feel that this is perhaps the most beautiful cover and it should be in a showcased window. Not only did I read this, but I read parts of it aloud to any person that was around. This collection is topical to a variety of issues that relate to the impact of decolonization, the internet age, relationships, social justice etc. So much struck me in this piece, but if I had to pull out one line it probably would be from "22.5 minutes" because that is when I really got sucked in.
I am 10 minutes and a bottle of cheap wine away from falling in love with you, which means I am already in love with you...
That basically is me at 15... at 20...at 25...at 36!
I definitely will be checking out more from this talented writer.
I am 10 minutes and a bottle of cheap wine away from falling in love with you, which means I am already in love with you...
That basically is me at 15... at 20...at 25...at 36!
I definitely will be checking out more from this talented writer.
April 16, 2018
This book of poems (described as songs) and stories is one I encountered at the House of Anansi booth at AWP. It followed me home.
Simpson navigates modernity as an "NDN"* in spaces and rituals that have to be constructed just to connect to the past. Relationships become symbols of the past and future.
I followed a few rabbit holes of the music connected to her work, and recent Canadian events that were mentioned, but I was ignorant of.
Simpson navigates modernity as an "NDN"* in spaces and rituals that have to be constructed just to connect to the past. Relationships become symbols of the past and future.
I followed a few rabbit holes of the music connected to her work, and recent Canadian events that were mentioned, but I was ignorant of.
September 1, 2018
An incredible collection of stories and songs/poems by this Nishnaabeg writer. Wonderfully diverse in content as well as format, with numerous SF stories. Beautiful writing, and beautiful narration in the audiobook by the author with her quietly powerful voice, just a little deadpan sarcastic in the perfect way to match the humour in many of the pieces. That said I feel like I missed some things from doing the audio, because you can't linger! This might have been five stars if I'd read the print--maybe I'll do that in the future!
Read
May 10, 2019So this book wasn’t for me. It’s not that it wasn’t to my taste or wasn’t the sort of book I like to read; this book wasn’t written for me. Unlike Dunk Tank (also from Anansi) which was written by a Millennial woman and felt like I was reading my own diary at times, Simpson’s collection deals with the issues surrounding her identity as an Indigenous woman living in an urban space, trying to reconnect with her people, traditions and land. It was a window into a world that I haven’t faced often and Simpson didn’t spend any time holding my settler hand as I worked through her essays and poem-songs. I appreciated the glossary in the back and while I wish I had known about it at the start, it was a joyful moment of discovery when I got to find out what the Nishnaabeg words she used throughout meant. This is a powerful collection that challenged me both as a reader and a person living on unceded Indigenous territory.
November 23, 2023
after they stole you & you fought your way out, no one was going to fuck with you ever again. get your own gun. set your own net. shoot your own moose. get two husbands & a wife & make them all feel insane with good love. give birth to a nation in an inglorious way, crawling through feces & urine & dirt & the bloody underbelly of betrayal.
A really strong collection, enjoyed on audiobook. Leanne Betasamosake Simpson's voice guided me through this and I found it insightful and painful at times. It's deceptively simple, but very layered and full of meaning. And feelings. Some of the stories feel like vulnerable letters with fictionalized elements, but very *true*.
I do want to acknowledge that once again, I probably didn't understand everything, like I said in my review for Noopiming: The Cure for White Ladies. But I was very happy to listen to it! And will most likely listen to it again and again.
A really strong collection, enjoyed on audiobook. Leanne Betasamosake Simpson's voice guided me through this and I found it insightful and painful at times. It's deceptively simple, but very layered and full of meaning. And feelings. Some of the stories feel like vulnerable letters with fictionalized elements, but very *true*.
I do want to acknowledge that once again, I probably didn't understand everything, like I said in my review for Noopiming: The Cure for White Ladies. But I was very happy to listen to it! And will most likely listen to it again and again.
October 28, 2018
No one taught my soul the language of this. When someone speaks it to me I will share it with you.
A passing line in the text says, “ You told me to take you to the most beautiful place in my territory “. I believe this means a place in one’s body-mind-soul, not a topographical terrain...
Should you read this book, while this is vastly inaccurate in terms of a review, please, I urge you, look for the passage on the “tidy bun”, it will make the whole book worthwhile :)
A passing line in the text says, “ You told me to take you to the most beautiful place in my territory “. I believe this means a place in one’s body-mind-soul, not a topographical terrain...
Should you read this book, while this is vastly inaccurate in terms of a review, please, I urge you, look for the passage on the “tidy bun”, it will make the whole book worthwhile :)
September 17, 2019
Anyone looking for a short read that you can read again and again - parts of this book are for you. The other parts, I could have definitely lived the rest of my life without knowing or reading. I’m always looking for interesting formats and ways in which people can write a book - I liked this format. I wasn’t in to some of the writing because at times it felt neurotic but it was manageable. Worth a read.
August 25, 2019
I liked the mix between songs (listening on spotify at the same time for almost all songs) and (very) short stories but unfortunately I didn't get "it" most of the times. Not at all informed about the background and current state of the Nishnaabeg history I had no clue where reality ended and science fiction started. So I guess the title fits well even if other intended?
August 8, 2017
I've never read such an explosion of stories and poems as these. Every single poem, every single story, I wanted to share and share with friends, family, strangers on the street. I wanted to read them out loud and absorb them into me. Each one carries emotions and senses that you can't always put your finger on, that make you want to re-read them over and over. When I finished this book, I considered just flipping back to the front and starting over again.
December 10, 2019
I enjoyed the collection over all. Some of the stories/poems were amazing and shocked me or had me laughing, the ones focusing on social media less so, but I may be in the minority there. I think I missing out a bit not reading a physical copy. I couldn't tell when things are ending or beginning and it is difficult to go back. While I love it when audiobooks are read by the author I would grab the physcial copy if you can.
Read
August 11, 2021C’est un livre qui alterne entre la poésie et l’anecdotique/recueil de textes. On suit la perspective d’un membre de la communauté Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg. Elle nous fait voir sa vision des choses, par rapport à sa communauté et aux blancs. Elle aborde les enjeux de la colonisation à court, moyen, long terme.
J’ai trouvé la forme particulière. J’ai eu du mal à m’y accrocher. J’ai trouvé certains textes poignants, mais d’autres plus faibles. Le cercle de parler d’être en train d’écrire un livre dans un livre est, entre autres, un procédé qui m’interpelle peu.
L’écriture est poétique et jolie, mais j’aurais aimé avoir un peu plus de contexte.
J’ai trouvé la forme particulière. J’ai eu du mal à m’y accrocher. J’ai trouvé certains textes poignants, mais d’autres plus faibles. Le cercle de parler d’être en train d’écrire un livre dans un livre est, entre autres, un procédé qui m’interpelle peu.
L’écriture est poétique et jolie, mais j’aurais aimé avoir un peu plus de contexte.
February 4, 2018
wow. I loved this. a refreshing read that somehow manages to punch with antagonistic force ((esp if you're a white reader -- listen to your discomfort)) but at the same time never dwells too long in self seriousness, lingering on the edges of self deprecation and honest self assessment. tough to read in places to be honest. many aggressive insights about settler colonialism and the ways "sympathetic white liberals" are the most deluded and ((passive?)) aggressive of colonizers. like indigenous narratives that are palatable. focus on poverty and misery that they can save through national generosity. never mind that the nation was is and remains stolen land and is postured forever against native people they wish would just disappear. so much about having to deal with, respond to, and perform for this white gaze in daily life. these pages meet that gaze and tear it the fuck apart.
equal parts funny, heartbreaking, sharp-witted, insightful. I also love the structure, back and forth poems and essays. and the way love in social media and instant communication contexts is being uncovered and hung out to dry on a laundry line of prose. as self critical as it is culturally critical. and - I don't know what to call this quality - alarmingly casual narrations, if that makes sense? there is none of that dolled up literary junk. helps me see how, in some ways, writing makes you trick yourself out for that white gaze too. narrate in the beautified ways that are sort of canonized tropes of acceptable emotional expression. brings me to her thank to her editor, which I think is very powerful and a good thing for people in editing//teaching world to hold close: "She followed me to uncomfortable places, listened very deeply, advocated for me, and encouraged me to pursue artistic excellence according to my nation's storytelling practices. She supported my desire to write these stories unapologetically and truthfully so I see myself and my community in these pages. She protected the part of me that can create and respected my sovereignty throughout this process, and for that I'm eternally grateful." god bless
equal parts funny, heartbreaking, sharp-witted, insightful. I also love the structure, back and forth poems and essays. and the way love in social media and instant communication contexts is being uncovered and hung out to dry on a laundry line of prose. as self critical as it is culturally critical. and - I don't know what to call this quality - alarmingly casual narrations, if that makes sense? there is none of that dolled up literary junk. helps me see how, in some ways, writing makes you trick yourself out for that white gaze too. narrate in the beautified ways that are sort of canonized tropes of acceptable emotional expression. brings me to her thank to her editor, which I think is very powerful and a good thing for people in editing//teaching world to hold close: "She followed me to uncomfortable places, listened very deeply, advocated for me, and encouraged me to pursue artistic excellence according to my nation's storytelling practices. She supported my desire to write these stories unapologetically and truthfully so I see myself and my community in these pages. She protected the part of me that can create and respected my sovereignty throughout this process, and for that I'm eternally grateful." god bless
May 15, 2017
I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway. I always strive to read diverse literature but I truly didn't know what to expect from this book.
Strong. Unapologetic. Honest. Heartbreak. Love. Those are all words that vaguely encompass the many facets of this piece of written art. I feel that I am left knowing so much more about the life of the author as well as left with many questions.
While very short, the collection of songs and stories is powerful and vibrant and compelling. I love that I felt very connected to the authors inner dialogue numerous times throughout my reading.
I would recommend this collection to anyone who wishes to expand their horizons and open to learning.
Strong. Unapologetic. Honest. Heartbreak. Love. Those are all words that vaguely encompass the many facets of this piece of written art. I feel that I am left knowing so much more about the life of the author as well as left with many questions.
While very short, the collection of songs and stories is powerful and vibrant and compelling. I love that I felt very connected to the authors inner dialogue numerous times throughout my reading.
I would recommend this collection to anyone who wishes to expand their horizons and open to learning.
August 24, 2022
Amateurish and self involved. While I understood the stories and what they were trying to portray, I found myself thinking the entire book felt as if it were written by an angsty teen. Many of the themes are only explored in a very surface level, low hanging fruit kind of way, and I was left wondering if they were the authors true feelings, or what they were told to feel somewhere along the way. Several lines had me rolling my eyes at how contrived and childish they were. The songs are fine, though.
August 11, 2017
This Accident of Being Lost is a collection of poetry from an Indigenous writer that delves into both spirituality and day-to-day themes. It was a fascinating collection of techniques, with prose poems and lyrics intertwined to tell several related stories. Will have to seek out more of Simpson's work in the future!
February 3, 2021
Roman éclectique, parfois un brin décousu, mais j'ai bien aimé le mélange de styles et l'insertion de poèmes dans le texte. Le roman se lit bien et la trame de fond est intéressante et pertinente.
June 8, 2025
This Accident of Being Lost is a raw, luminous collection that blurs the boundaries between story and song, prose and poetry. It reads like a series of dispatches from a world just outside the settler gaze — deeply rooted in Nishnaabeg ways of being, but pulsing with contemporary urgency. Simpson writes with sharp humour, deep sorrow, and fierce love, weaving language that refuses translation and resists commodification.
These are stories you don’t just read — you absorb them. The structure is deliberately unsettled, reflecting the experience of living within — and against — colonial borders. Simpson doesn’t guide the reader gently; she challenges you to sit with discomfort and complexity. The result is a bold and original book that demands attention on its own terms.
These are stories you don’t just read — you absorb them. The structure is deliberately unsettled, reflecting the experience of living within — and against — colonial borders. Simpson doesn’t guide the reader gently; she challenges you to sit with discomfort and complexity. The result is a bold and original book that demands attention on its own terms.
October 7, 2023
Please tell me I'm not the only one who felt like this was written by two different people?
I'm somewhat conflicted on this. The songs (/poems) were all really beautiful and moving and interesting, and I quite enjoyed those. The stories though...hm. Some were fine, a nice slice-of-life kind of thing, some good commentary on Indigenous rights and colonizer terror. Some were fairly inscrutable though, and either were putting something down that I was just not picking up, or were not really putting much of anything down at all. I was confused as to whether the narrator of the stories was the same person throughout the book. At times it seemed to be the case, but then there were a few stories where it didn't. In addition, some of them felt very young. Not like they were written for kids or something, but the ones that focused on this odd relationship (or plural? again, unsure if these were all the same people/storyline) just kind of felt like a much younger person wrote them. I don't think we're ever given clues as to the characters' ages, or if we were I missed them. But like, at one point the narrator is trying to force herself to stop thinking about this text-relationship person for 45 minutes, so she sets a timer on her phone and makes a list of other topics to think about instead. Like...hello high school???
So the songs were great and had real heft and substance to them. The stories felt like random diary entries from a very different and much younger person. And again, there was some strong commentary on the lives of Indigenous people and the battles they're forced by white people to fight every day, but mixed in with this flighty heart-eyes stuff, it was just kind of jarring.
I'm somewhat conflicted on this. The songs (/poems) were all really beautiful and moving and interesting, and I quite enjoyed those. The stories though...hm. Some were fine, a nice slice-of-life kind of thing, some good commentary on Indigenous rights and colonizer terror. Some were fairly inscrutable though, and either were putting something down that I was just not picking up, or were not really putting much of anything down at all. I was confused as to whether the narrator of the stories was the same person throughout the book. At times it seemed to be the case, but then there were a few stories where it didn't. In addition, some of them felt very young. Not like they were written for kids or something, but the ones that focused on this odd relationship (or plural? again, unsure if these were all the same people/storyline) just kind of felt like a much younger person wrote them. I don't think we're ever given clues as to the characters' ages, or if we were I missed them. But like, at one point the narrator is trying to force herself to stop thinking about this text-relationship person for 45 minutes, so she sets a timer on her phone and makes a list of other topics to think about instead. Like...hello high school???
So the songs were great and had real heft and substance to them. The stories felt like random diary entries from a very different and much younger person. And again, there was some strong commentary on the lives of Indigenous people and the battles they're forced by white people to fight every day, but mixed in with this flighty heart-eyes stuff, it was just kind of jarring.
July 12, 2017
Leanne Betasamosake Simpson writes:
I want to be the kind of person that is good at making the best of a bad situation. We’re not in a bad situation, but still, it’s good practice, because I’m not actually a person that is good at making the best of a bad situation. What I am good at is satire and sarcasm, which I tend to use to make good situations bad. How hard could it be to make things go the opposite way?
I start by stating all the great things about this very moment. This sun is sort of trying to come out. The bird I heard a few pages ago is back. But it’s feeling forced because it’s not actually how I feel. Most of the time I think I actually feel nothing. Or I feel anxiety. It’s pretty rare to have a good feeling. It needs to be a pretty overwhelming good thing that’s happened for me to have a good feeling and even then I can’t maintain it that long. Good feelings are fleeting.
I’d like to find out if this is normal. It seems like perpetually happy people live in some sort of state of denial, constantly orgasming into the next moment, and happy people rarely do anything I think is important. Mostly they are annoying. Well, happy people do make great parents. I think that’s true. Sometimes it isn’t annoying to be around happy people. Sometimes it is possible to get swept up in whatever denial they have going on.
I want to be the kind of person that is good at making the best of a bad situation. We’re not in a bad situation, but still, it’s good practice, because I’m not actually a person that is good at making the best of a bad situation. What I am good at is satire and sarcasm, which I tend to use to make good situations bad. How hard could it be to make things go the opposite way?
I start by stating all the great things about this very moment. This sun is sort of trying to come out. The bird I heard a few pages ago is back. But it’s feeling forced because it’s not actually how I feel. Most of the time I think I actually feel nothing. Or I feel anxiety. It’s pretty rare to have a good feeling. It needs to be a pretty overwhelming good thing that’s happened for me to have a good feeling and even then I can’t maintain it that long. Good feelings are fleeting.
I’d like to find out if this is normal. It seems like perpetually happy people live in some sort of state of denial, constantly orgasming into the next moment, and happy people rarely do anything I think is important. Mostly they are annoying. Well, happy people do make great parents. I think that’s true. Sometimes it isn’t annoying to be around happy people. Sometimes it is possible to get swept up in whatever denial they have going on.
February 18, 2019
This is a collection that has bite. If you don't have thick skin or armor, this one will work your heart and your nerves. She leads with painful vulnerability and scathing sarcasm. Her essays and short stories are nothing other than brave and raw. I found myself reading paragraphs over and over, copying them down in my thought journal and arguing with myself about whether I agree or disagree with her words. And then she's laugh out loud humorous. This is a collection to keep by your bed and read over and over when you need your dose of decolonizing feminist methodologies.
Pay attention to "Tidy Buns". That's all I will say. I'm going to go and re-read that one again. Right now.
Pay attention to "Tidy Buns". That's all I will say. I'm going to go and re-read that one again. Right now.
December 4, 2018
“There are eight new notifications from Signal, all from Niibish. She just made me switch from imessage to threema to Signal because Edward Snowden tweeted that Signal is the safest texting app, mostly because the code is open source and has been independently verified. I wonder if she knows what “code” and “open source” mean, but if anyone can be trusted about these things my money’s on Snowden. Also I have no idea why she cares about internet security, but she clearly does.”
(from “Big Water”)
iconic tbh. what a great collection.
(from “Big Water”)
iconic tbh. what a great collection.
January 25, 2020
I can't fathom what people found appealing about this book. Felt as though it were written by a high school student. There's so much great indigenous writing in Canada. But this is not that. Seemingly unedited, it reads like a young girl's scraps of self-obsession. Can't help but think that this book is getting attention mostly from Canadians of European decent who wish to assuage their guilt. Great writing by people who happen to be indigenous? For a start try: Richard Wagamese, Eden Robinson, Thomas King, Katherine Vermetta.
August 13, 2019
A beautiful collection that makes you feel and think.
I think this collection will also benefit from rereads so you can truly see how each story both stands on its own as well as fits in with each other piece.
Some favourites include:
To the oldest tree in the world
Doing the right thing
Caribou ghosts & untold stories
Constellation
Travel to me now
Akiden Boreal
A few good reasons to wear a long skirt
Big water
Circles upon circles
Pretending fearless
I think this collection will also benefit from rereads so you can truly see how each story both stands on its own as well as fits in with each other piece.
Some favourites include:
To the oldest tree in the world
Doing the right thing
Caribou ghosts & untold stories
Constellation
Travel to me now
Akiden Boreal
A few good reasons to wear a long skirt
Big water
Circles upon circles
Pretending fearless
September 15, 2023
Difficult to sum this book up which in my view speaks to its strengths. It’s often moving, frequently hilarious, thoughtful, incisive, vivid, and formally inventive. The commentary woven into each piece (on everything from colonialism to social media, to the frightening/unsettling cultures of middle-class white people, to ecological disaster) is all on point. Simpson is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers.
Read
January 24, 2024Not really sure that my feelings about this book are relevant, being a white woman and all. A series of short stories/poem-songs, some beautifully written, some very funny (Tidy Bun), most (to me) kind of sad and angsty sounding.
But then again, being a white woman, I guess I'm reacting "just like a white woman", so this book was probably not written for me.
But then again, being a white woman, I guess I'm reacting "just like a white woman", so this book was probably not written for me.
July 1, 2017
Spare and beautiful, funny and honest. I could not put this one down!
November 30, 2020
not my usual thing, but a lot of good pieces
June 10, 2022
What would you say if a teenager said to you,
"and happy people rarely do anything I think is important. Mostly they are annoying."
You'd probably think, 'Hopefully when this miserable little shit grows up she'll develop some maturity and not go through life with such a terrible and childish attitude.'
Now, how would you react if it had been said by a 50 year old woman who had a child herself?
(I've decided that all of my responses that I would like to write are too offensive for a public forum, and will simply keep them to myself. Which is what adults do.)
"and happy people rarely do anything I think is important. Mostly they are annoying."
You'd probably think, 'Hopefully when this miserable little shit grows up she'll develop some maturity and not go through life with such a terrible and childish attitude.'
Now, how would you react if it had been said by a 50 year old woman who had a child herself?
(I've decided that all of my responses that I would like to write are too offensive for a public forum, and will simply keep them to myself. Which is what adults do.)
July 17, 2017
Hilarious, breathtaking and strange. Always grateful to read new work from Leeanne Betasamosake Simpson.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 281 reviews