What a tragic story this is – and what an indictment of the way in which we used to (still do, perhaps) treat people we consider somehow less worthy than ourselves. Minik was a young Inuit boy who was brought to New York with some other Inuits as “specimens” at the American Museum of Natural History. The others all died but Minik survived and although his early years were relatively protected he never found a place for himself and his life was a tragic one. What happened after the arrival of the Inuits and the repercussions of that fateful decision to bring them to the US is the subject of this fascinating and painstakingly researched book. It was and remains a shameful episode and the book is an unforgettable and heart-rending account of greed, arrogance, prejudice, indifference and exploitation that will forever haunt me. That said, and in spite of the intrinsic interest of the story, it’s quite a dry read at times, often repetitive, and sometimes a little tedious. However it’s nevertheless essential reading and an invaluable work of social history.

This is the most heartbreaking story. We as human beings are failures. Every time I think we're getting better, I read something like this, or watch the evening news. I stopped reading this. Yep. I did not and will not finish it. I can't. I don't believe in heaven nor hell, but I'd like to believe there might be someplace for Peary, and his sickening cronies. Someplace that's just miserable, and he may learn the errors of his ways. Minik. Crikey! I just can't. Poor child. It's funny, because I was born in Anchorage,Alaska. To my young mind this didn't make me Scottish, Irish, Belgium or French. Nope, for me I was an Eskimo. Scottish-Inuit! Back then it was Eskimo. I'm still just a wee bit upset that I didn't come from this very established, experienced, and proud people. This was an awful story. This wasn't anything that I could read. Sorry.

I thoroughly enjoyed the fascinating story of public exploitation at the turn of the century. I would liken the book to The Lost Tribe of Coney Island in that it has a similar narrative. The characters are told in a very human way and you get to feel for poor Minik, a s stranger in a strange land

I had a curiosity about this author who became known as an historian of the Arctic, so I decided to read Minik: The New York Eskimo.

Can you imagine a longing to go home? Can you imagine a time when that is all that you could ever hope for and yet seems so far removed that it may remain... just a dream? I expect, a glorious dream at that. Now, imagine you are 7, you do not speak English, and you are in a strange country.

I was immediately pulled into Minik's story. Thanks to the author's attention to historical detail, we are made aware of the life of this brave young man, who teaches us the true meaning of HOPE.

Minik: The New York Eskimo, speaks to humanity in the defintions of simple words we learn when we are young, like, empathy, humility and consideration.

I highly recommend this book.