Give Me My Father's Body: The Life of Minik, the New York Eskimo Book

It took me ages to read this book, not because the subject matter wasn't fascinating but because the writing is so dry. Give Me My Father's Body shines a light on a dark period in the history of American museums and anthropology, centered around the life of Minik Wallace, an Inuit boy taken from his home more or less as a specimen for study. I wanted very much to get into this, but the writing is incredibly dry and never really pulled me in. I am an avid reader of historical nonfiction, so the problem isn't the genre for me.

Minik not only survived being taken from his home and learning of the ruse surrounding his father's burial, but he also found himself caught in between two cultures, a perpetual other. Despite the tragedy in all this, there are few moments that have much emotional weight. You never really get enough insight into Minik as a person to feel like you know him or what he's feeling. I felt very removed from him. I'm sure the multiple chapters focusing on other "characters" didn't help. Due to the number of names and dates and timeline jumps, and you never get familiar enough with any of it to really get your bearings and feel invested.

Harper also has a glossary of Inuit terms and names in the back of the book, but unless I totally missed it there's no guidance as to how to pronounce any of them, so I found myself getting caught up at times due to the language barrier, especially when it came to names.

I'm glad I read this because it piqued my interest in reading more about the early days of Arctic exploration, the Inuit people, and the history of anthropology. That said, the book itself was a bit of a slog, and I don't entirely recommend it.