Customer Reviews

Me Sexy

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In a previous anthology, the editor wrote that he amassed humorous writings from First Nations Canadians to counter the idea that they are dour or tragic. Here, he wants to fight the idea that Natives are asexual. The first chapter deals with downstairs hair and the last deals with an older woman's sexuality, so you know you are in for a ride with this book. The book has slightly more male authors, but it does try to be gender-diverse. The anthology has writings from straight men, straight women, gay men, and a lesbian.

It is fascinating to compare First Nations concerns with those of Native Americans to the south of them. In this country, myriad Native Americans are multiracial, but this book. like many others, separate Metis (mixed-race Native Canadians) from monoracial ones. Here, First Nations members tentatively use the term Two Spirits, almost questioning whether it's just an American thing. In American works, authors say the more traditional and older the American Indian, the more likely they are to accept sexuality and gender diversity. One author here says Canadian elders accuse gays of being inauthentic. This book is not all fun and games: like Native Americans forced to attend boarding schools, the First Nations authors here say they were sexually abused in such schools. (In the chapter on this topic, you couldn't really tell the gender of the author, and I'm thinking that was purposely done.) In the same way that some differentiate between Native Alaskans and those in the lower 48, this work suggests that Inuits and First Nations people may seem themselves as being separate groups.

I'm an African American and the subjects mentioned here were soooo different from those brought up in my communities. These Natives feared being dismissed as asexual whereas Blacks resent being deemed oversexed. One author here said Natives are trying to learn to be proud of flat bottoms, but we Blacks discuss our juicy counterparts. One author said few white women were around when whites and Native Canadians first came into contact, thus the men of these races didn't fight. However, much effort has been applied in the United States, historically, to keep Black men and white women from connecting (anti-miscegenation laws, the Scottsboro case, Jim Crow, lynching, etc.). I actually wonder if a student could write a paper comparing this book to books on African-American sexual matters.

I am soooo glad this book was put together. For the most part, it's a quick easy read. You definitely don't have to be Canadian to understand it or appreciate it.