This was so much more than what the title suggests. This was Native American history mixed with life stories of Charlie Hill and other native comedians explaining the start of stand up comedy during powwow season and how they got their start. This was such an interesting read and I am surprised how much I learned from it.

Learned so much - laughed so much - and spent hours after I finished the book referring to my notes and looking up the numerous Native Americans discussed and referred to In this great book. The more I read about American history, the more I’m ashamed. This book confronted these facts in a generous way, making learning more palatable for those who resist. Heartfelt thanks to Simon and Schuster for the copy. I’m grateful.

An excellent overview of an unfamiliar topic. The book does a great job of familiarizing the reader with a number of different comics, their material, and the impact of Native American comics on the industry.

3.5 stars
This is an interesting look at Native American comedy and comedians, both past and present. I enjoyed all of the stories and perspectives.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

As with his previous books and WFMU blog posts, Kliph Nesteroff's latest is deeply researched and filled with engaging details from the history of Native comedy. The structure - following the early days up to the 20th century of comedy, mixed with present-day standup/youtube sketch comedy stories - took some getting used to, but weaves together well as the book moves on. Highly recommended and definitely purchasing.

"We Had a Little Real Estate Problem" is the popular culture, indigenous history lesson we all need. (Well, at least us white folks cause we're the oblivious ones.)

Spanning the last 100 years, the book mainly chronicles Oneida native Charlie Hill, known to be the first Native American stand-up comic. The book title comes from his most famous joke. "My people are from Wisconsin. We used to be from New York. We had a little real estate problem." But spread throughout the 300+ pages are years of history where American Indians attempt to enter mainstream media and break down racial stereotypes. Dating back to the start of Cherokee actor, Will Rogers, and up to present day Indian improv groups like the 1491s, spanning across time, tribes, and talent. Nesteroff provides context for what was going on in the country and entertainment industry at the time, what successes and setbacks Native performers experienced, and the impact of simply having Native performers on stage. The book poses questions about audience, such as who is the joke for? Who is re-claiming a culture vs who is profiting at their expense? How does visibility of indigenous performers impact the indigenous community and the barriers and stereotypes they're still having to break down? What would happen if we witnessed Native people laughing? So much of what gets depicted and broadly advertised is their struggle, and while these comics don't negate the reality of that struggle, they are challenging racist beliefs by celebrating Native peoples' ability to laugh as much as their ability to survive.

The sheer amount of stories and people included can be overwhelming to a white reader who is unfamiliar with these names and events, but that's the very reason this book needs to be on shelves. It is a long history of hard won screen time/stage time, one that continues to be disadvantaged, but is nonetheless reshaping the reality of our Native American communities, who are still here, still surviving, and still laughing despite it all.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Charlie Hill's stand-up act includes the following lines: " My people are from Wisconsin. We used to be from New York. We had a little real estate problem." Kliph Nesteroff riffs off Charlie Hill's comedic life into a broad overview of Native American comedy in this book.

Kliph Nesteroff shotguns his way through Native American comedy with each short chapter providing a glimpse of a different comedian or historical period. He introduces unknown comedians, such as Jonny Roberts, lesser known groups such as Williams and Ree or the 1491s, and brings in big guns such as Will Rogers and keeps up the examination of Charlie Hill. He also looks into Wild West shows in the 1800's, vaudeville in the early 20th century, Jim Thorpe on American Indians in movies, the role of whites playing American Indians on F Troop and the influence of Davy Crockett.

As the reader travels through the book, wandering off on all the detours but coming back to finish the tale, they should accumulate enough facts to come to this conclusion - Native Americans are human and like to laugh just as much as any one else. Humor and comedy can be culture specific, but it can also reach across cultures and draw disparate people together, if only for a laugh!

I asked for a digital ARC thinking the author was indigenous. Though I was wrong about that, I still enjoyed the author's voice (tone) throughout this book and was glad to be introduced to the stand-up Comedians featured in these pages.

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
An interesting look into the lives of Native American comedians.

Excellent review of the vastly under-heralded Native American/Indigenous comedy circuit and the role of this community in the entertainment industry historically.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fascinating look at Native comedians and the history of Native people in the US.

The book entwines history of Native people in entertainment and the atrocities committed against them across the country. It highlights how media has played a role in shaping what non-Native people think about Native people and how little attention is given to Native comedians by mainstream outlets.

It's an informative and interesting read. There's a lot of great information and stories included. This book is a great read for non-Native people to remind us of the harm many stereotypes portrayed in movies cause and damage inflicted on Native people.

Kliph Nesteroff's rundown of Native comedy is both heartwarming and heartbreaking

DISCLAIMER: I am not Native American. So, please, if you are and I have said something inappropriate, please send me a message so I can correct it. I'm learning.

Here I am, wanting to read a nice book about comedy to calm me down during the election. I LOVE stand-up comedy. It's one of my relaxations. Nothing calms me down faster than laughter. The title alone: We Had a Little Real Estate Problem was enough to give me a chuckle, so I thought this would be a perfect election time calm-down.

WELL, I'm not sure if you are aware, but we were (are) NOT the nicest people towards Native Americans. If you weren't aware of that, I'm sure you'll enjoy Trump's new Patriotic Education.

The book itself offers a quick rundown of how we treated Native Americans from about 1800 on. It touches on Buffalo Bill Cody's traveling Western shows and how Native Americans got their "start" in show business. That is, playing caricatures of themselves for White audiences. Yeah, not great.

It's split between two different times. In about half the chapters, you get history of Native American comedy and showbiz. In the other half, it focuses on modern stand-ups and how they are dealing with the dearth of performance opportunities for those on the Rez. It's incredible to hear these stories of people who travel four hours or more just to do an UNPAID open mic so they can get some stage time. There are stories of people who start their own stand-up nights in those comedy deserts, people who go to New York or LA to try and make it big (both success stories and not-so-successful stories). This is, of course, just the tip of the iceberg and there are so many wonderful stories.

One thing that I'm so glad was highlighted heavily was how important representation in media was for these budding comedians. Many said that without those early comedians, they would have thought that comedy wasn't something Native Americans were allowed to do. Representation matters so much and people have a hard time accepting that for some reason.

Sidenote: A lot of Right-Wingers talk about how PC CULTURE IS RUINING MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES CAST THE ACTOR FOR THEIR TALENTS NOT THEIR RACE!!1!1!!! Two things: 1. This assumes that non-white people are cast to fill a quota, not due to their talents (LOL OKAY) and 2. Look at who usually makes those comments. White dudes. We (white dudes) see ourselves represented so often as the hero, villain, mastermind, idiot, drunk, businessman, etc. that we don't see why people make such a big deal about films like Black Panther, Moonlight, or Parasite. We don't have to worry about representation. WE ARE THE BASELINE. It frustrates me so much when I hear about "pandering to the SJWs". It's not pandering, it's using previous success to amplify discriminated and sidelined voices. Or, you know, casting the best person for the best role. SO WEIRD RIGHT?

Now, for the other part of the book. Why do we always assume that Native Americans are these stoic people? They laugh, joke, cry, act just like everyone else. The stereotypes come from early television and movies. Back in the 20's, you had two choices: play the savage or play the stoic chief. That's it. If you chose neither, a white dude takes the part. Surprise, surprise.

This is an incredibly important work for White people to read. The things that we have done to Native Peoples is, of course, appalling. That should come to no surprise. However, the fact that there were huge movements to get better Native representation in movies and TV surprised the hell out of me. AND IT SHOULDN'T HAVE! Why did we not learn about this? Why am I just now finding out about the Alcatraz Protest? This book has really encouraged me to go out and learn more about the REAL history.

Definitely worth picking up when it comes out on 2/16/2021. 5/5, 10/10.

Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC!