Unreconciled
with Jesse Wente
Hosted by Peter Schneider
Unreconciled is one hell of a good book. Jesse Wente’s narrative moves effortlessly from the personal to the historical to the contemporary. Very powerful, and a joy to read.
Join us for a conversation between Peter Schneider, Manager and Executive Secretary of the Public Lending Right Program, and Anishinaabe writer, broadcaster, and arts leader Jesse Wente.
In his new book, Unreconciled: Family, Truth, and Indigenous Resistance, Jesse Wente, a member of the Serpent River First Nation and Chair of the Canada Council for the Arts, uncovers the lies and myths that affect relations between white and Indigenous peoples and the power of narrative to emphasize truth over comfort.
Part memoir and part manifesto, Unreconciled is a stirring call to arms to put truth over the flawed concept of reconciliation, and to build a new, respectful relationship between the nation of Canada and Indigenous peoples.
Jesse Wente remembers the exact moment he realized that he was a certain kind of Indian--a stereotypical cartoon Indian. He was playing softball as a child when the opposing team began to war-whoop when he was at bat. It was just one of many incidents that formed Wente's understanding of what it means to be a modern Indigenous person in a society still overwhelmingly colonial in its attitudes and institutions.
Books are available from our friends at Perfect Books.
The Ottawa International Writers Festival is supported by generous individuals like you. Please consider subscribing to our newsletter and making a donation to support our programming and children’s literacy initiatives.
Presented in Partnership with the Ottawa Public Library.
