Windfall: The Prairie Woman Who Lost Her Way and the Great-Granddaughter Who Found Her

What is more appealing than the thought of an easy way to strike it rich? This thought is the underlying theme of this book by Bolstad, a journalist and documentary filmmaker. With her unexpected mineral rights inheritance in hand and stories about her family, Bolstad journeys to North Dakota to uncover what happened to her great-grandmother, Anna, and how the mineral right came to be. Her book is filled with expertly researched details about the history of oil in the United States, including the politics and racial injustices surrounding the exploration for oil. It’s also interwoven with personal stories and the mystery surrounding Anna. While being an informative book, the woven tale feels disjointed and unbalanced with a heavy focus on the oil industry, which takes away from the main draw to the book: Anna.