The answer is: These books.
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann is a powerful piece on the tragedies that impacted the Osage tribe living in Oklahoma during the 1920s. I went into this book not knowing what to expect, and what I found is a true story that needed to be told and more people need to know. The Osage people (after being relocated from Kansas) find themselves on oil-rich land in Oklahoma. The land of the Osage is then "leased' by others so they can get the oil, and the Osage receive money from this. In the 1920s, several members of the tribe are murdered. It is widely suspected (and quite obviously) connected to their wealth. The local authorities do not do thorough investigations of what has happened to the indigenous members of the community. This where the FBI comes in to find answers because the murders are continuing. The book explores the work the FBI does to determine who is behind the continued tragedies. As I said, this book is so important to understand crimes against indigenous people. Already having been forced off their land, then being targeted for their land, and then finding no support in their pain is sad and infuriating, but again a story that needs to be told. Reading through, it's really important to remain grounded in the fact that this is a true story, as well as to acknowledge there is still violence against indigenous women occuring today.
The Kids Are Gonna Ask was a recent blog tour stop that you can check out here.
The Answer Is. . . by Alex Trebek was an absolutely wonderful memoir. I'm a long-time Jeopardy fan, and I love the wit that Alex has always brought to the show. This was his story, and what a wonderful story it was that was so true to who he is. What I really liked was that it wasn't just a chronological memior. Rather it kind of read like a collection of that banter he has with contestants on each show. Each story is so honest, and this book is again just overflowing with his trademark humor. In addition to the humor, he also is candid about the difficulties he's encountered, including his cancer diagnosis. Y'all I knew I was going to love this one, and as I read, I found my internal reading voice was Alex's which I anticipate other readers might find adds a little extra joy to the reading. I did not think I could love Alex more, but this book actually made that happen. If you're a Jeopardy watcher, this is absolutely a must read.
The Art of Showing Up: How to be There for Yourself and Your People by Rachel Wilkerson Miller was an outstanding read. I checked it out from the library, but quickly realized I was finding so many good tips and ideas that I'm also going to purchase a copy for myself (Note: This will be from an indie bookstore!), so I can mark and return to all the good things that are throughout. Above all else what I loved about this was one was the intentionality of how it was structured. So often we jump to care and being there for others. This book starts with care for self. It doesn't just breeze through this either, rather it takes the time to ground everything in the individual. It works through this in a number of ways that are so helpful. The stuff for others is good, too, but I took so much for how it focused on me first. It also framed and offered considerations I haven't ever really given intentional space to considering and determining. As I read, I found myself nodding and reflecting and just loving so much of this one. I'm excited to own a copy of this, as I'm already ready to revisit and determine actionable steps!
Onto the next ones!
