Jody Wilson-Raybould’s “Indian in the Cabinet” explores the politics and social issues present in the lives of First Nations, as well as her time spent as Canada’s Minister of Justice in the Trudeau administration from 2015 until 2019. The book goes into multiple key events during her time as Minister of Justice, including the controversial SNC-Lavalin case, political interferences in justice, the issues which Indigenous groups faced and endured, and an alternative perspective to how the government operates.

This biography I found to be very interesting as it incorporates the inside-view of politics and governance of a country. Wilson-Raybould additionally explains the before and after her time in the cabinet and reflects on the decisions which she made. Another interesting thing about her story is her connection to her Indigenous heritage and how that translates to traditional Canadian politics. Evidently, the book is biased towards the views of the author, so it is important to note how some pieces of the story are being told. There are benefits to this, however. The biography helps illustrate the complexities of politics, especially in the Canadian environment, which are not as often explored as American politics.

I believe that this book could be enjoyed by a fairly large audience, particularly those keen on Indigenous issues and the status of Canada as a whole. As mentioned prior, Wilson-Raybould offers an interesting perspective by being both of Indigenous descent and being a politician. This helps define how complex the situation is in the country internally. Furthermore, the biography helps highlight the many problems which Indigenous communities throughout Canada are facing, which is important to help spread awareness to work on Truth and Reconciliation.