A review by gwechman
Highway of Tears: A True Story of Racism, Indifference and the Pursuit of Justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, by Jessica McDiarmid
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this eGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Jessica McDiarmid's debut true crime novel tackles the tough topic of murdered young women who have disappeared throughout the years. However, these aren't just any young women, they are aboriginals. These poor young women disappeared on what is known as The Highway of Tears located in Canada. The book gives insight into the road itself and the disappearance of some of these women. There were some who were found dead and there were others who were unfortunately never found. This heartbreaking story tells not only of the disappearances, but of the anguish and agony the families go through over their missing loved ones wondering if they will ever see their family member alive again. McDiarmid's novel also highlights the injustices these women faced. There were no helicopter searches. No trained search dogs. No public outcry. No publicity whatsoever. Yet, when a young white female went missing all of these things were put in place to help try and find her and return her safely to her family. These aboriginal families did all that they could to try and find their loved ones, but were turned away with excuses being given and resources being left untouched.
This story is hard to read and I had to step away from it a couple times. It is a good true crime read and will open your eyes to the racial bias and injustices of these poor women. McDiarmid is a fantastic investigative journalist and she dug deep into the story of The Highway of Tears and really conveyed a sad yet compelling story. She artfully mixed story with facts and I felt like this book was the product of a Dateline or 20/20 expose. I really enjoyed the fact that there were specific examples given, it made the book even more realistic and it allowed for me to connect in a way I might not have been able to had it just been a general story.
One thing I think is of important note is the fact that this book is very statistic heavy. I personally thought it really cemented the gravity of the story, but I can see how it might be too much for some. The statistics also helped present how much the Canadian justice system failed these poor young women.
Jessica McDiarmid's debut true crime novel tackles the tough topic of murdered young women who have disappeared throughout the years. However, these aren't just any young women, they are aboriginals. These poor young women disappeared on what is known as The Highway of Tears located in Canada. The book gives insight into the road itself and the disappearance of some of these women. There were some who were found dead and there were others who were unfortunately never found. This heartbreaking story tells not only of the disappearances, but of the anguish and agony the families go through over their missing loved ones wondering if they will ever see their family member alive again. McDiarmid's novel also highlights the injustices these women faced. There were no helicopter searches. No trained search dogs. No public outcry. No publicity whatsoever. Yet, when a young white female went missing all of these things were put in place to help try and find her and return her safely to her family. These aboriginal families did all that they could to try and find their loved ones, but were turned away with excuses being given and resources being left untouched.
This story is hard to read and I had to step away from it a couple times. It is a good true crime read and will open your eyes to the racial bias and injustices of these poor women. McDiarmid is a fantastic investigative journalist and she dug deep into the story of The Highway of Tears and really conveyed a sad yet compelling story. She artfully mixed story with facts and I felt like this book was the product of a Dateline or 20/20 expose. I really enjoyed the fact that there were specific examples given, it made the book even more realistic and it allowed for me to connect in a way I might not have been able to had it just been a general story.
One thing I think is of important note is the fact that this book is very statistic heavy. I personally thought it really cemented the gravity of the story, but I can see how it might be too much for some. The statistics also helped present how much the Canadian justice system failed these poor young women.