Jordy's Reviews > Rez Rules: My Indictment of Canada's and America's Systemic Racism Against Indigenous Peoples

A straightforward book that I would classify as a memoir of Chief Louie's upbringing and long tenure as the Chief of the Osoyoos Indian Band. There were often times where I wasn't eye-to-eye with Chief Louie's opinions, but as the tenured Chief responsible for transforming his rez into an economically prospering community it's definitely worth reading about his approach to leadership.

The book was titled as being an indictment of systemic racism, however the focus is equally split into his criticism of the politics and economies of other reservations. It's obvious Chief Louie's old-fashioned values helped him succeed as a leader, but I wish he included more insights into his writing as opposed to just saying 'pull yourself up by your bootstraps'. I enjoyed reading Chief Louie's account of rez politics, native sports logos, reconciliation, and the nation-to-nation style of governing. Biggest criticism was that the author gave a limited account of the struggles he witnessed first-hand living on the rez which would be valuable insights. Also Chief Louie's indictment of the systemic racism was focused primarily on the business aspect of politics while ignoring larger issues such as MMIWG.

Last point: the book is written by a Boomer and I enjoyed his liberal use of exclamation marks haha