HOW I FOUND MYSELF IN THE MIDWEST | A Busboys and Poets Books Presentation

Just after turning forty, Steve Grove left Silicon Valley as a Google executive to move to his home state of Minnesota with his wife and fellow tech exec, Mary Grove, and their one-year-old twins. Grove returned home with fresh eyes. Yearning to put down new roots, he traded his career at Google for a position in state government with Governor Tim Walz. Far from working at a fast-paced tech company, Grove’s shift to leading a large government bureaucracy brought a sequence of struggles and triumphs vividly portrayed with both humor and affection. 

But this story of reinvention takes on new urgency when crisis strikes, as the coronavirus pandemic and the tragic M**der of George Floyd unfolds just miles from his newfound home, thrusting Grove’s work into an unexpected spotlight. Tasked with distributing billions in aid, rolling out pandemic restrictions, redeveloping neighborhoods, and navigating deep divisions in a state long proud of its exceptionalism, Grove’s journey through crisis brings new insights about himself and his new community. His experiences of the political, geographic, and racial divisions in his home state yield surprising discoveries about what also binds us together. 

From making new friends and building a family to reconciling with his past and exploring his faith, Grove’s journey to find purpose by going local provides a roadmap for anyone looking to discover what gives meaning to their life. Along the way, Grove shares insights about a part of the country that many people ignore at their peril, and why he is optimistic about America’s future. How I Found Myself in the Midwest will move and inspire you, no matter where you choose to call home.

Steve Grove is joining us on the Busboys stage alongside NPR host of Wild Card Rachel Martin for a conversation about “finding meaning and purpose in your own backyard” (Katie Couric). Copies of the book will be available for purchase during and after the event, and Grove will be signing following the program.

This event is free and open to all. Our program begins at 6:00 pm, and will be followed by an audience Q&A. Copies of HOW I FOUND MYSELF IN THE MIDWEST will be available for purchase before and after the event. Please note that this event is in person and will not be livestreamed. 

We ask that guests RSVP in order to receive direct updates about the event from Busboys and Poets Books

Steve Grove is CEO and publisher of the Minnesota Star Tribune. Previously, he was Minnesota’s commissioner of employment and economic development. Before moving back to his home state, Grove built a career in Silicon Valley as an executive at Google and YouTube, most recently as the founding director of the Google News Lab and previously as YouTube’s first head of news and politics. A graduate of Claremont McKenna College with a master’s degree from the Harvard Kennedy School, Grove also worked as a journalist for The Boston Globe, ABC News, and the Northfield News, his hometown newspaper, and has served as an advisor to the White House and State Department on counterterrorism strategy. Steve and his wife Mary are the cofounders of Silicon North Stars, a nonprofit that helps underserved youth find career pathways in technology. They are the proud parents of eight-year-old twins, a yellow lab, and two farm cats. For more information visit, stevegrove.com.

Rachel Martin is the co-creator and host of Wild Card, an interview game show about life's biggest questions. She invites notable guests to play a card game that lets them open up about the memories, insights, and beliefs that have shaped their lives.

Martin spent six years as a host of Morning Edition, and was the founding host of NPR's award-winning morning news podcast Up First. She previously hosted Weekend Edition Sunday.

She served as National Security Correspondent for NPR, where she covered both defense and intelligence issues, and also worked as a NPR foreign correspondent, where she covered the London terrorist attacks, issues surrounding immigration and shifting cultural identities in Europe.

Martin worked extensively in Afghanistan, covering the reconstruction effort after the U.S. invasion and the country's first democratic presidential election. She also reported from Iraq, where she covered U.S. military operations and the strategic alliance between Sunni sheiks and the U.S. military in Anbar province. She traveled to Saudi Arabia in 2015 to report on women's rights, and in 2022, she reported from Ukraine's border with Belarus in the leadup to the Russian war.

Martin was part of the team that launched NPR's experimental morning news show, The Bryant Park Project, a live two-hour daily multimedia program that she co-hosted with Alison Stewart and Mike Pesca.

Martin also previously served as NPR's religion correspondent. Her piece on Islam in America was awarded "Best Radio Feature" by the Religion News Writers Association in 2007. In 2011, her story on racial discrimination in Hollywood won a Salute to Excellence Award from the National Association of Black Journalists and her series on the effects of the opioid epidemic on children won a Gracie award in 2019.

She started her career at public radio station KQED in San Francisco as a producer and reporter.

She holds an undergraduate degree in political science and an honorary doctorate from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash., and a Master's degree in international affairs from Columbia University.

She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband, two sons and dog named Lola F. Bear, Esq.

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