By Carmen Lebar
Content warning: physical abuse
Laughing with the Trickster by Tomson Highway is a collection of essays from his CBC Massey Lecture series. This collection is based on five topics: Language, Creation, Humour, Sex and Gender, and Death. Highway explores Indigenous perspectives of each of these topics comparatively to polytheistic and monotheistic mythologies. A prolific storyteller in fiction and theatre, Highway now shows off his nonfiction writing that borrows from his brilliant storytelling. This book is funny, innovative, and will capture your attention from the very beginning. I enjoyed reading every word, sentence, and page of this collection. I particularly think Laughing with the Trickster excels in its use of storytelling and playful teaching.
Within each and every essay Highway writes in this collection, there is always beautiful storytelling interwoven to his arguments. These stories range from personal anecdotes to stories within Cree mythology. Some stories lean towards humour, while others lean towards a more serious tone. These stories are accessible, entertaining, and educational when juxtaposed with Highway’s arguments. In his essay “On Language,” he mentions how his father learned four different languages, and positions that next to the fact that hundreds of Indigenous languages and mythologies have been lost—demonstrating the importance of preserving languages. Weaving together nonfiction writing, personal essays, and storytelling, Highway creates a captivating and inspiring collection of essays that is both knowledgeable and playful.
The historical and mythological facts that are presented in this book are never delivered in a dull or pretentious manner. Highway invites his audience to fully engage in what he is saying, and actively writes to teach them new things. He is having fun teaching, and he allows readers of this book to have fun with him and easily access the information he provides. Not only is it fun, but there are many hilarious points in his collection—especially when discussing the Trickster. Like the title suggests, the Trickster is an entity that is here to make us laugh. Highway shows the parallels of Tricksters in Indigenous mythologies (like Nanabush) and pop culture (like Lucille Ball and Bugs Bunny). As with the storytelling he provides in each essay, there are many humorous things that occur that make reading his work engaging. This collection is short, but Highway’s playfulness allows for an attentive and captivating experience throughout the entire book.
I highly recommend Laughing with the Trickster for anyone who wants to read more nonfiction by Indigenous authors, and who wants to expand their knowledge on the above mentioned topics. It’s a fun and easy read that will make you realize how many mythologies share similarities. I learned a lot of new things about Indigenous mythologies, but also a lot about Greek and Christian mythologies as well. Highway also graciously compiles a list of sources for readers of this book to expand on topics he mentions in his lectures. (It’s a great list for further reading!) If you’re familiar with Highway’s other works, you will love this essay collection. And if you’re new to Highway, I am certain you will be absorbed by his great storytelling and impeccable writing.
Thank you to House of Anansi for sending a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.