BY OLIVIA PULHAM
Free copies of national bestseller The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America will be handed out Oct. 18 to 20 for Sheridan Reads.
The book, by Thomas King, is a collection of essays that explore the history, mythology and facts surrounding the relationship between indigenous and non-indigenous people in North America.
This is the second year Sheridan Reads has been organized by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Last year’s choice was The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill.
Sean McNabney, associate dean for the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, says that this book was suggested last year and it shot to the top of the list this year.
“A number of faculty put it forward and felt that it would be a very strong book for us to feature. In light of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and a lot of attention being paid on Indigenous knowledge and what that means for education, we felt the timeliness of this book. We thought it would contribute to more discussion around Indigenous ways of knowing and what it means to be an Indigenous person in our society and what it means for people who are not Indigenous to engage with the Indigenous community.”
He says that they put this event on because the faculty is focused around reading and analysis of the printed word. “It’s a reflection of who we are as a faculty. Its one of the things that makes us who we are.”
McNabney says this event is a way to engage with the text and community around having discussions about the issues that are raised in the book. He hopes that many members of the Sheridan community participate.
There will be a Q&A and book signing with Thomas King on Wednesday Nov. 9 at Macdonald-Heaslip Hall, Trafalgar Campus from 7 p.m to 9:30 p.m with a short reception at 6:30 p.m.
Sheridan students and faculty can get a copy of the book at all four campuses. Times and dates are on the Sheridan Reads website.