Read a true crime about missing and murdered Indigenous women

Highway of Tears by Jessica McDiarmid

Mar 01, 2022

Highway of Tears by Jessica McDiarmid

What It’s About

On an isolated stretch of highway in northwestern British Columbia, thousands of Indigenous girls and women have vanished or been found murdered. This stretch is known as the Highway of Tears.

Jessica McDiarmid is a journalist determined to investigate how so many crimes happened and were never reported, how they affected surrounding communities, and how systemic racism failed women and children society was supposed to protect. Her focus in the narrative is on the fight the family members of those who are missing and murdered, their fight against the justice system that won’t help, against the police officers who are indifferent, and against the society that says their daughters, mothers, sisters, aunts, don’t matter.

This is both a true crime account and a larger historical look at how these cases across Canada directly show how the country and the world undervalues them.

Why You Should Read It

I used to be a big true crime reader, snatching up every single release that came out. But over the last few years, combined with the sheer exhaustion of bad news, it seemed to me like true crime was getting more sensational and less about the victims and seeking justice. Highway of Tears, however, is spot-on in its focus on the victims themselves and the systemic issues that cause the crimes in the first place. It’s one of the most well-researched and well-written true crimes I’ve ever read and needs more focus because Indigenous women are often looked over and forgotten, especially in violent crimes.

The National Crime Information Center in 2016 reported 5,712 cases of missing American Indian and Alaska Indian women and girls—the US Dept of Justice only has 116 reported cases. This is a small sampling illustrating why this book is so important, especially for non-native and white people to read to understand how deep the problem goes.

This section is usually devoted to who I think will enjoy the book, but for this one in particular, it’s one I recommend everyone read. It’s important to step outside our own circles of experience, especially when it comes to marginalized groups of people.

Here are some additional resources to learn more about missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

What I’m Reading

I’ve got a couple library books out at the moment, so I’m trying to finish those up and actually read them before I have to take them back! The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan is a tough book to read (in subject matter, not in prose style) but wow, is it good. And Goldie Vance is the first volume in the comic series that I totally want as a video game, like those old Nancy Drew video games where you could solve your own mysteries. I want to play as Goldie! She lives in a hotel in Florida and solves a string of mysteries that crop up, with some of the hotel’s employees and her friends as her sidekicks.

Let me know what you’re reading in the comments, and come hang out and chat about books!

More Books

Can’t get enough, or looking for a different recommendation? Browse the archives, or check out some popular past recommendations:

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