I requested and started to read this one because I have read and loved many books by this author. I started to read it, but then decided that I really needed a physical copy. There are some of these 52 ways that I have already done in the past, but as a white person, I think it's very important to take my time and do them all. I would recommend everyone picking this book up.

This is such an important book that makes taking action towards reconciliation simple and straightforward.

Some of the great suggestions in this book include:

Start an Indigenous book club. I did this a few years ago, but we stopped due to the loss of our meeting space. It is time I restart this, without a physical meeting place this time.

Write a land acknowledgement. I have written one of my own and use it as my signature on my emails.

Learn the difference between appropriation vs appreciation. This is an easy concept to learn and teach to others.

Have an Indigenous move night. There are lots of great ones to choose from, but make sure you choose ones that are Indigenous made, and aren't reliant on stereotypes.

Know the land and water way names in your area. Here we have the mighty Wolastoq which means beautiful river and Wolastoqiyik is the maliseet name for people of the beautiful river.

Read indigenous comics or graphic novels.

Support an indigenous business such as the GoodMinds bookstore. In my location there is a wonderful store called Sacred Arts.

Learn about an Indigenous worldview, ideally the one for your area, such as the Maliseet worldview for me, but it can be any indigenous worldview from Turtle Island.

Visit a local Indigenous restaurant, Wolastoq Wharf is my favorite!!

Make some bannock! I love bannock, it's definitely a favorite campfire childhood memory.

"I know reconciliation is hard, and many of us, myself included, sometimes think What can I do? Or What should I do? Some might even wonder if it's their place to take action. We may not want to take action because there is an understandable worry that it might be the wrong thing or done in the wrong way. Rather, this book is a guide. You can flip to any one page, read through it, and maybe you'll get an idea. Maybe you will receive a prompt that will inspire action. And if that's the case, if you find there is value in the pages of this book, there is one more action that you can take.
Share it."

Thanks @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Such a great concept for a book and definitely a good starting point for those wanting to improve relationships with Indigenous Peoples across Turtle Island. As Treaty Peoples (in Canada), we all have a responsibility to learn about Indigenous histories and our role in colonization.

We need to start somewhere if we want to meaningfully contribute to advancing reconciliation!

Thanks for the ARC NetGalley!

An excellent week-by-week guide to acknowledging, reflecting on, and participating in reconciliation here in Canada, though is definitely applicable world wide. From book clubs to bannock, the author draws on his extensive experience as an educator and community to engage folks on their journey and create lifelong discussion and habits.

Reconciling often feels unapproachable. Robertson's "52 Ways to Reconcile" is an open hand to take that journey together.

Above all, this book was highly accessible, which makes it an easy recommendation for anyone who's wondered what reconciliation looks like in action. It was full of highly practical advice and insight, openness, and specific media recommendations. Robertson also has some wonderful reflections on life in general, which I dearly hope I can keep in my thoughts and purpose -- or if not, at least happen across once more in my notes from my learnings with this book.

Thank you David Robertson, for your writing, and thank you NetGalley for this ARC! Miigwech!

Received as ARC from NetGalley, with thanks to the author and publisher.
This is an EXCELLENT book. It shares possible and practical roadmaps for the journey towards reconciliation. By suggesting one feasible action for each week of the year, it engages a collaborative and ongoing practice of relationship-building through learning, listening, and practice. I will be sharing this with my book club!

I like that this book is encouraging people to embrace and support Indigenous people, and to show others with examples and experiences on how this can be done.

Review: 52 Ways to Reconcile by David A. Robertson

This book is immensely practical and accessible for anyone wanting to see reconciliation but doesn’t know where to start. Broken down into 52 weeks of actions one can do to work toward reconciliation, the book allows for a focused and evenly paced approach to taking concrete actions to make change. This would be a perfect book for book club groups, and more, to work toward reconciliation with action and discussion.

I am a non-indigenous Canadian, with a Metis son. I taught in the N.W.T. for three years in the late 70s and came to respect and admire the people and culture of the north. I have always hoped that reconciliation could be more than just a word, that a healthy, respectful relationship could develop across Canada between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. But, there is still a ways to go.

When I saw this book by bestselling author David A. Robertson listed on Net Galley, I had to request it and then to read it. And I am glad I did.

52 Ways to Reconcile: How to Walk with Indigenous Peoples on the Path to Healing is a must read for Canadians. It is a compact, easy to read book, with 52 actions which David Robertson offers for us to take, one per week.

Each action is well-described and doable. From learning about Indigenous history, through books, movies and even comics, to attending a pow-wow or an Indigenous concert, to speaking up, there is a wide variety of actions. One that I aim to do soon is to read the Truth and Reconciliation report. I watched some of the procedings and have read many of the recommendations, but not all of the report. I

I already enjoy reading Indigenous authors (Robertson, Wagamese, Dimaline for example - so many more!) and listening to Indigenous musicians (Susan Aglukark, Tribe called Red, Crystal Shawanda for example). Lots more to explore as well.

Robertson's book is being published May 13th and it is definitely a good place to start (or continue) your journey to Reconciliation.

ARC Review - Huge thanks to David A. Robertson and Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to receive a review copy of 52 Ways to Reconcile.

In this straightforward and approachable guide, Cree author David A. Robertson offers 52 weeks of ideas for engaging in reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. Some suggestions—like watching a movie or reading a book by an Indigenous writer—are simple and easy to do. Others may require more reflection. People of all ages and backgrounds can participate, and you don’t have to follow in order from 1 to 52. Just open the book, choose a number, and explore. Robertson provides historical context and personal insight for each idea, so you’re not only taking part in the project, but also learning why it matters. His devoted, approachable writing style invites you to join others in the healing and reconciliation journey by gaining awareness and taking action in your own life. This was an engaging and meaningful read.

David A. Robertson’s "52 Ways to Reconcile" is a practical guide for all Canadians, regardless of where they are on their reconciliation journey. Structured around one action per week, Robertson makes reconciliation both meaningful and manageable.

His approach not only outlines actionable steps but also educates and informs. Woven throughout the book are contemporary and historical events that provide crucial context. Robertson doesn’t shy away from difficult truths but offers tangible ways to acknowledge them and work toward reconciliation. From simple in-home actions like making bannock or watching an Indigenous TV show to more involved steps like attending demonstrations or volunteering, Robertson presents a range of options that ensure every Canadian can participate in some way.

I switched between the ebook and the audiobook narrated by the author and found the audio added a personal dimension to the experience. I will return to the book throughout the year and am planning to complete many of the actions personally or with my family and others in my Canadian history classes.

This is a must-read for Canadians looking for a guided yet flexible path toward reconciliation, offering both knowledge and actionable steps that can make a difference.

A moving, inspiring and hopeful look at how settler descendants can help work towards a meaningful path of reconciliation. Best-selling Indigenous author, David Robertson has written 52 ways everyday people can help with acting in earnest to create a more equitable and healing relationship to those struggling from intergenerational trauma and injustice. Excellent on audio read by the author themselves, this is a book every Canadian should read and work through. Highly recommended for readers who appreciated Truth telling by Michelle Good. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was a really accessibly written, Canadian centric approach to reconciliation. It’s super hands on and speaks to a myriad of different ways we as Canadians or even global citizens can approach a relationship with Indigenous neighbours.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
I started reading the book without reading anything about it first, and thinking it was going to be very technical and more theoretical than practical but I was wrong.
It’s a book full of doable, approachable, ‘easy’ ways to reconcile. The 52 ideas are suggested as one action per week.
I appreciated reading about reconciliation in a way that is down to earth and where everyone can participate.
If you usually struggle with ‘What can I do?’ ‘How can I help?’ (as I do), this book gives many ideas.
I’m not from here (Canada) and many references were unkown to me and I would have loved to read more about certain things mentioned in the book but I would definitely recommend the reading.

I really like the concept of this book and will definitely share sections with staff and students. However, it was "thinner" than I was expecting. I also felt the writing was imprecise at times, but perhaps that is because the book felt like it was trying to be so accessible and non-confrontational? I'm curious what my SS department will think of it. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I went to David A. Robertson’s event last month and he mentioned his new book so I was really excited to read it right away thanks to NetGalley. 52 Ways to Reconcile: How to Walk with Indigenous Peoples on the Path to Healing is a great book with 52 actions we can take. One per week. And as I was reading I was already doing week two’s action which is to start an Indigenous book club. I was reading river woman by katherena vermette and I’m looking forward to reading more Indigenous books including All the Little Monsters by David A. Robertson. I learned new things from this book as well like Salmon n’ Bannock the Indigenous restaurant here in Vancouver and the Indigenous movie Smoke Signals. I’m glad I can return to this book. This is an essential read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. This is a wonderful resource for people looking to educate themselves and do "more" towards reconciliation. David Robertson provides simple, yet powerful ways that everyone can be involved in this process. I have gotten some great book, movie and podcast recommendations from this book and can't wait to buy this book and share it with everyone I know.

David Robertson offers readers a way to indigenize their year, in this concise, thoughtfully crafted guide. Each week brings a different topic, and suggestion for action or consideration. Robertson goes out of his way to give readers all of this and more, rather than one or the other. I enjoyed the book because it feels like a conversation about how to indigenize your thinking, by centering indigeneity as a habit rather than lone subject you might engage with intermittently.

The subjects vary across pop culture, history, land acknowledgements, indigenous tourism, decolonizing the way we look at the world around us, learning the meaning behind ceremonies, and more. Robertson doesn’t do all the work for settlers reading the book, but offers a generous starting point for readers with book lists, author recommendations, and business suggestions. He even offers music and movie suggestions. There is something for every interest and hobby that makes reconciliation a personal imperative turned habit.

Woven throughout the book are anecdotes about his experiences as a Cree Canadian living in Winnipeg, and of his advocacy work in schools throughout the country. It’s a gift when you get an invitation to indigenize as an act of reconciliation, from such a funny, warm-hearted, and thoughtful writer as Robertson. The conversational style of the book makes it feel as though you are listening to Robertson on a podcast or participating in a panel, rather than reading. It makes the book very approachable for those who either don’t read much, or find it challenging. Robertson offers an education, as well as a glimpse of himself in its pages and it is among the best parts of it.

Immediately I see so many potential ways that this book could be read in a group that I hope are taken up: reading with a department at a workplace (or as a workplace depending on the size of it); journeying through it on your own and talking about it with friends, or reading with a few friends; teachers using this in a Canadian history classroom throughout the year as part of their curriculum; DEI leaders taking this journey up with direct report hierarchies, and even public libraries using it in a “one book one community” context where it generates an in-depth indigenization and decolonization effort that stretches through an entire year. Given Robertson's advocacy in schools, I wonder if there would be a companion to this workbook adapted for educators. All of these use cases aside, it is also just a great book simply because it’s a great book! I also realize that after writing not just this book, but another personal one to be released in January, it can be demanding to keep asking an author "what's next?!" so I appreciate that this may be the adaptation that teachers and educators across the country work with, which is great too!

David Robertson’s 52 Ways to Reconcile is the book that you, your organization, friend group, classroom, community, faith group, and any other gathering need this year. Reconciliation need not be a series of symbolic actions taken at dedicated times of the year but a way of being, and Robertson offers a comprehensive view of what that might look like.