Richly researched and told through the vibrant voices of the comics themselves, Kliph Nesteroff’s extraordinary We Had a Little Real Estate Problem chronicles a legacy deserving of inclusion in the history of comedy in the U.S. and Canada.
The strongest parts of the book center on biographical sketches of Cherokee actor Will Rogers and how his grandfather signing the Treaty of New Echota, which led to the Trail of Tears, continued to haunt the family ... While only a handful of women are featured, insight from Cayuse/Nez Perce actress Elaine Miles and Kiowa/Apache comedian Adrianne Chalepah is welcome ... With no real comparison book, this well-documented history, though uneven at times, should spark interest and future research.
Throughout the book, Nesteroff shares the Native comedians’ own stories against a backdrop of the horrific harassment, discrimination and subjugation that Native Americans have endured in this country. This forms a wellspring of much indigenous comedy that comments on unique struggles while confronting stereotypes.
