King, Thomas. “‘You’ll Never Believe What Happened’ Is Always a Great Way to Start.

” The
Truth about Stories: A Native Narrative, House of Anansi Press Inc., Toronto, ON, 2003,
pp. 1–29.

pdf: https://uvu.instructure.com/courses/528660/pages/readings?module_item_id=9100636

- quote, fact, paraphrase

- who wrote/why
- what about
- how research conducted
- what found out
- main points
- connect to topic

Who wrote the source and why?

thomas king
● phd english/american studies from uofu
● teaches native studies, native literature, creative writing
● multiple widely acclaimed novels
● father cherokee, mother greek

What is the Article/Study about?

about how stories shape who we are and making sense of north america's relationship with native
americans

this chapter is mainly made up of personal experience and native mythology

How was the research conducted?

massey lectures
● forum on radio where contemporary thinkers address important issues of our time
● book comprises 2003 massey lectures
● broadcast in november 2003

What did they find out?

● “Stories are wondrous things. And they are dangerous.”
● “Not that anyone reads them. But they are safe and sound. As it were.” (king 100-101) he
discusses that even if we have stories available we don’t use them as well as why is
 something that’s written the only kind of stories that are recognized. We have millions of
oral stories but because they are not written down they are not recognized.

What are the Main points? (Quote/Phrase)

He teaches us about the impact of storytelling and how each story is unique, and each story teller
is unique. Another point that he touches on is how stories can change you once you have heard
them and he shows that with the final story he tells about Charm. Here is a quote from King that
demonstrates how storytelling can be unique and different.
“One of the tricks to storytelling is, never to tell everything at once, to make your
audience wait, to keep everyone in suspense” (7).

How does it connect to your topic?

“Take Charm’s story, for instance. It’s yours. Do with it what you will. Tell it to friends. Turn it
into a television movie. Forget it. But don’t say in the years to come that you would have lived
your life differently if only you had heard this story. You’ve heard it now.”
^ last quote of the chapter, connects really well to topic
power of stories/writing as research for human connection and change