Blessings and Disasters: A Story of Alabama

by Alexis Okeowo

From a New Yorker staff writer and PEN Award winner, a blend of memoir, history, and reportage on one of the most complex and least understood states in America.

“In Alabama, we exist at the border of blessing and disaster….”

Alexis Okeowo grew up in Montgomery, Alabama—the former seat of the Confederacy—as the daughter of Nigerian immigrants. Here, she weaves her family’s story with her state’s, from Alabama’s forced removal of the Creek Nation, making room for enslaved West Africans, to present-day legislative battles for “evolution disclaimers” in biology textbooks. She immerses us in a landscape today dominated not by cotton fields but by auto plants and Amazon warehouses. Defying stereotypes at every turn, Okeowo shows how people can love their home while still acknowledging its sins.

In this perspective-shifting work that is both an intimate memoir and a journalistic triumph, Okeowo investigates her life, other Alabamians’ lives, and the state’s lesser-known histories, to examine why Alabama has been the stage for the most extreme results of the American experiment.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, History, Audiobook, Race, Biography, Biography Memoir

272 pages, Hardcover

First published August 5, 2025

About the author

Alexis Okeowo was born in Houston and grew up in Montgomery, Alabama.

Reviews

[Adeline Gresham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story and I learned a lot. I wish it did not feel like it was is rushed as it was that’s the only thing

[Kenzie | kenzienoelle.reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Henry Holt for the gifted ARC!!

3.5 stars. Okeowo is the daughter of Nigerian immigrants who settled in Alabama. She weaves together her unique, personal perspective and story along with Alabama history to form this book.

I adored the first half of this book. It felt reminiscent of Imani Perry books and I was like dang, I want one of these about all 50 states! The history came alive and there was a lot of history about the Muscogee/ Creek Indians that I had never heard and loved learning. I loved hearing about the author’s personal experience of growing up in the south as a first generation with African parents.

By the second half it started feeling a bit meandering and like there wasn’t a clear through line for this book. This book is marketed as a memoir, but there are definitely a lot more of others stories than of the author herself. I wish the whole book would’ve stuck to her sharing Alabama history interwoven with her story.

[emily *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED this one. it's a blend of a memoir but also the history of African Americans in Alabama. Alexis did a wonderful job composing and compiling the information in this book. I feel like it was super informative and interesting and I learned a lot from this book. The writing was impeccable and well thought out.

thank you to the publishers and netgalley for the ARC!

[Lit_Vibrations · Rating 4 out of 5]

Special thanks to the author & @henryholtbooks for the gifted copy & @macmillan.audio #MacAudio2025 for my gifted ALC‼️

Blending personal experience with history, research, and reportage Alabama’s very own Alexis Okeowo delivers facts and hidden truths about the state of Alabama.

Exploring the impact of stolen land from the Indians, the Creek War, impoverished lifestyles of many Alabamians, the immigrant experience in America, Black voters and their rights, motherhood, sexual assault, politics, and Alabama’s horrific prison system. Okeowo’s writing style is very detailed and well researched.

Throughout her memoir she gives a voice to those who were once silenced by their oppressors and allowed them the opportunity to speak their truth. Okeowo does a great job of blending her own personal life and experiences in the mix. But my biggest downside is that it wasn’t really enough for readers to know who the author really is and how living in Alabama impacted her life whether good or bad.

Overall, it was an okay memoir/history lesson. The author shows readers why it’s important for minorities to preserve their history and culture. Capturing some of Alabama’s darkest history readers are introduced to raw personal stories from real Alabamians who have witnessed first hand that loving a place that doesn’t love you back can have lasting effects on your identity, faith, and community. If you’re interested in learning some true history about the state of Alabama you should read this book!

Rating: 3.5/5⭐️

[Sacha · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Okeowo, a _New Yorker_ writer and the daughter of Nigerian immigrants, grew up in Alabama. In these, uh...complicated? political and social times, Okeowo takes readers (and listeners!) into the south to realize that while many of our external biases and concerns ring true or are at least grounded in some pretty awful realities, there may be more hope than we initially imagined. At this stage, I'll take any hope in humanity I can get.

I really enjoyed reading about Okeowo's young life, experiences with her parents, and her growing understanding of her own identity, however riddled with challenges some of this is. At times, this really feels like memoir, and those were the parts of the read during which I was most engaged. There are other times when the focus reverts generally to the culture of Alabama - past and present - and those times were harder for me to read almost certainly because of what I can admit are my own biases. It's important to understand broader perspectives, I know, but I'm not sure how much personal bandwidth I have for understanding perspectives that I find to be clearly dehumanizing, degrading, racist, sexist, heterosexist, etc. Am I glad I got to know more? Yes. Is this the read I'm recommending to folks who are burned out by the gross narratives surrounding us right now? Nah. If you have the energy to hear about this, there are a lot of us who need you out fighting. Okeowo is going to fall where you want, if what I'm writing is ringing true for you, but her subjects won't. There's a lot of recounting of tough content over time. For some readers, IMO especially those who are sensitive to conversations about abuse and exploitation of women and children, parts of this are a lot.

On the upside, I'm leaving this listen feeling like I learned and enjoying Okeowo's writing style. I will absolutely read more from this author.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this alc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

[DeAja · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book needed more direction. A memoir and a history lesson? This book was more of everybody else’s history and lives with her own memories sprinkled here and there. She barely talked about herself. HER upbringing especially as it pertains to being a first generation American. She talked about her PARENTS stories and even then, barely. She tried to tell everybody else’s story. Tell about your experience instead of speaking for everyone else. I thought the concept was really good at first. There’s ALOT to happen in AL. The syphilis study, the airmen. Even with what she did include, include more references to authors that’s of different ethnicities so people can go to their stories to read directly. You can’t speak for everyone. Just speak for you. Idk there was just a lot that I didn’t like. Let a memoir be a memoir. It’s YOUR story. Also with how it’s written, there’s a lot of redundancy like trying to reach a word count.

[Lyon.Brit.andthebookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Report: Blessings And Disasters

At First Glance: I love everything about this cover… and who is Alabama, I must know.

The Gist: From a New Yorker staff writer and PEN award winner, a blend of memoir, history, and reportage on one of the most complex and least understood states in America.

My Thoughts: So obviously my thoughts going in based off the cover were extremely wrong and I’m here to tell you this tiny but mighty book was a delightful surprise. You asked me what I know about Alabama before reading Blessings and Disasters and it’s…where Hart of Dixie is set, and my oldest would love to Rush at UA. Alexis shares personal experiences alongside examining the states history and I was glued throughout it all! I know how much I love learning about PNW history due to my location… and could only imagine the response to this book by Alabamians. This was beautifully written and looking forward to what Alexis does next!

A Question For Alexis: What’s something recently…book, film, moment…that reminded you of hope?

Thank you Henry Holt and Co. & Macmillan Audio for the ALC

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Lyon.brit.A...

[Erricka Hager · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars rounded up.
I'm a massive fan of books that blend memoir and history, and Alexis did a great job of mixing her own personal and family experience with the story of Black folks in Alabama. The only reason this wasn't a 5-star for me is because I. WANTED. MORE.

Okeowo did an excellent job of describing two unique experiences in which humans are trapped between two worlds: the Indigenous Muscogee/Creek experience and that of Black African immigrants. I loved learning about the various struggles they each encountered living in Alabama. I often found myself exiting the Kindle app to run to Google to read more about the Muscogee experience, especially when it became intertwined with the Black American experience.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review. Pick this one up if you're looking to supplement your lackluster American education with a biographical memoir that exposes the experiences of those who are often overlooked and forgotten.

[kennedy parrish · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐️ I thought this was really beautifully written, researched, and composed.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot of Alabama history which was great. I wish there had been more about her in the book. still a solid read and would read more by her.

#goodreads giveaway

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alexis Okeowo is a journalist, children of Nigerian immigrants, and Alabamian. From the publisher's description, I expected this to be a defense of a misunderstood state, but it reads a lot more like "sure, Alabama has a violent, racist past, has and continues to treat women, tribal people and minorities poorly, but for some reason I like it."

The book is a combination of history about Alabama's past and a personal memoir of the author's relationship to her home state. I found the history well researched and fascinating, even though I was at least somewhat familiar with much of the history of the slave trade, civil war, and subsequent institutional racism. But a lot of the book falls between history and memoir when Okeowo interviews black women about their own histories. These I found mostly overlong and unnecessary to the main themes of the book. For example, there is an extended period around the halfway point of the book where Okeowe describes, in detail, the dating and marriage stories of two women she is interviewing. This would have been more compelling had the stories connected more fully with Alabama's treatment of black women. I didn't feel that much of this was unique to Alabama.

Even though I found this book flawed, I appreciate the need for all of us to hear from minority voices about their American experience. Many thanks to Henry Holt and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Pat | _chaoticbooknook · Rating 3 out of 5]

Happy release week to this book! Thank you to #HenryHoltBooks for this #gifted copy!

Okeowo gives us a chance to explore the oft-maligned state of Alabama through a blend of investigative journalism, memoir, and history. She’s undeniably a great writer and storyteller, deftly weaving all these threads to give us a clearer picture of Alabama. Okeowo’s personal perspective was the most interesting to me: the child of Nigerian immigrants who settled in Alabama. So she grows up being an insider to Alabama, but also not quite because she is neither white nor Black.

I enjoyed learning more about fierce pride Alabamians had in their state - making them dig their heels in all the more when they are the butt of jokes. It was uncomfortable to examine how we outsiders are fast to critique Alabama and the south on their deep contradictions, and yet don’t examine any of our own in less red states.

My main issue is that I just don’t know what the thesis of the book is - and whether we actually get evidence towards it. A story of Alabama? We strongly get that in the first half, but the last half felt much more scattered. We have this arc of the founding of Alabama, its fraught racial history, and this constant tension of trying to sit with its contradictions. But to me it doesn’t quite land. I loved the back story, but I don’t feel like it led to any solid new revelations about Alabama and why it is the way it is culturally. Towards the end, I felt like Okeowo lost what the point she was trying to get across (or perhaps, it just wasn’t clear to me).

Overall, this was an interesting lens into Alabama from a unique POV (both an outsider but yet an insider). Pick it up if you want an introduction to the story of Alabama, though be patient if you do.

[Lauren Gresham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the book Blessings and Disasters A Story of Alabama, Alexis Okeowo brings their trademark journalistic clarity and empathy to a narrative rooted in the complexities of the American South. Best known for their reporting on global struggles for justice and identity, Okeowo turns their gaze closer to home, weaving together history, personal reflection, and community voices to tell a story that is as intimate as it is expansive.

The book does not flatten Alabama into cliché. Instead, Okeowo captures the contradictions of a place shaped by resilience and tragedy, faith and inequity, beauty and pain. Through portraits of everyday lives families navigating generational change, communities grappling with systemic injustice, and individuals finding joy despite hardship Blessings and Disasters paints Alabama as a microcosm of the American experience.

What stands out most is Okeowo’s ability to hold space for nuance. They do not shy away from the wounds of racism, poverty, and environmental disaster, but they also celebrate the creativity, spirituality, and solidarity that flourish in the same soil. The writing is elegant without being detached, rooted in careful observation and an abiding respect for the people whose stories are being told.

As an adult reader, I was moved by how Blessings and Disasters resists easy conclusions. Instead, it asks us to sit with contradiction, to recognize the weight of history while also acknowledging the possibility of renewal.

This is a powerful and necessary book one that lingers long after the last page, inviting reflection on what it means to live, struggle, and find grace in a place often misunderstood.

[NaTaya Hastings · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Blessings and Disasters" offers a sensitive, unflinching exploration of the complex realities faced by Indigenous and black communities in Alabama. As someone who’s spent their whole life in Alabama, I found Okeowo’s depiction to be impressively authentic. It captures both the hardships and the subtle moments of hope that mark daily life in the South.

Part memoir, part investigative report, Okeowo’s narrative is deeply rooted in the lived reality of Alabama’s marginalized communities. The audio format (which was how I read the book) amplifies these stories, as well, helping immerse the listener more fully in the struggles of real people.

The book seamlessly balances individual experiences with a broader understanding of history and systemic racial issues, making complex topics accessible and resonant. And I felt real accuracy in its representation. (Though I am a white woman, so I'm looking at that representation through an outside lens.) Knowing Alabama firsthand, though, I still feel it succeeds in illuminating stories that are too often left unheard.

There were a few minor drawbacks.

For example, the book’s focus occasionally shifts quickly between stories, which made it slightly hard to follow at times. Additionally, I felt some themes could have been explored a bit more deeply to offer even greater understanding.

A couple of sections feel slower, as well, especially in the audio format. However, the overall impact remains strong.

Overall, I felt the book delivered a much-needed look at injustice and resilience in Alabama, told with clarity and care, without neglecting some of the few really good things we have here. It’s a rewarding listen, especially for those seeking a nuanced perspective on race, identity, and community in the South. I highly recommend it. More people should hear these stories for themselves.

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being someone with family living in one Alabama city and friends in another, Blessings and Disasters was a must listen. Unlike some of the other reviews I’ve seen, my favorite parts of the book were the sections that dealt with the history of the state, including, among other really interesting topics, discussions of the slave ship Clotilda and the stories of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. I also appreciated learning of the author’s own history of growing up in Montgomery. She did a great job in telling the good and the bad of both the state’s troubled history and its current challenges. I definitely learned things that I didn’t already know.

The parts that I didn’t enjoy as much related to the experiences of various other people she met along the way. Listening to these sections made me wish that there was more discussion of her own history. Fortunately, I never lost interest for long.

Aside from a small part narrated by Okeowo herself, this audiobook is narrated by Ariel Blake who did an excellent job. I appreciated the fact that, to the best of my knowledge, she correctly pronounced the various cities mentioned throughout. I listened at a 1.25 speed.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing me the opportunity to listen to Blessings and Disasters. The above opinions are my own.

[ShelfLoveWithDee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very different read for me but I did enjoy learning so many historical facts about Alabama and how it has been the site of both great achievements and profound tragedies, i even enjoyed learning how the term "creek Indians" came about and their settlement story as well.

When the book first started I thought for sure I would have a high rating and would love this book being that it was marketed as a memoir with a blend of history and reportage style writing however I feel like the author spoke on one too many different stories and backgrounds and although I appreciated the informative nature of this book i would have loved to see the author focus a lot more of her own story and family history as Nigerian American immigrants that is how the story started and i was really engaged for the first 30-40% but then it began to fall flat for me and just seemed like the author wanted to inform the reader of so much that it was just so much information being thrown at us with no real clear direction.

Narration: The author did an amazing job narrating this book. The audio had a very nice smooth, calming feel to it.

Would love to see the writer add more if he personal history and experience. I don't think I would read this book again as is, but depending on the readers taste, I would recommend this book for the sake of educational purposes.

[Kelly_Hunsaker_reads ... · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Blessings and Disasters Alexis Okeowo, takes the reader to Alabama, sharing the history, politics and culture of the state where she was raised as the daughter of Nigerian immigrants. Her book allows the reader to both confirm and confront the biases they hold. The book is both a memoir and a historical text about the state.

I enjoyed the biographical portions of the book, which allowed me to better understand the author, I watched as she struggled to understand her identity, tackled the prejudices she faced from others and the personal insecurities she faced. I found these portions of the story to be open and insightful.

However the portions of the book which dug into the culture of Alabama were much more difficult to engage with, as I find the political and historical examination of this state challenging at best. The exploitation of women, the LGBTQ community and people of color is depressing and angering. Unsurprisingly there is a great deal of content which makes you flinch.

It is well-written and thoroughly researched, but I think I chose it at the wrong time. I struggled to stay engaged, as the content of the book is painful.

Thank you @henryholtbooks & @macmillan.audio for my #gifted copies.

[Arlena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: Blessings and Disasters
Author: Alexis Okeowo
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:
"Blessings and Disasters" by Alexis Okeowo

My Insight:

'Blessing and Disaster' was well delivered by this author, especially if you are interested in the' history of understanding the intricate layers of the resilience of its people' in Alabama. Now, if you did not live in the South, I know this will be an eye-opener for you, reading how this author gives us a clear picture of this painful history of how one grew up and was shaped into who they are now. This story may be a little hard to read, given its history of the slave trade, civil war, and racism, but if you can get through it, it will be a compelling and unforgettable read. All that's left to say is that it's history, whether we like it or not, of what happened as Alexis Okeowo, who lived through it, growing up there.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Henry Holt and Co. for my ARC copy.

[Destini_Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a truly enjoyable and thought-provoking read. As I moved through the stories, I could feel my emotions stirring, and the writing made it easy to vividly picture each scene unfolding.

What stood out most to me was the way Alexis Okeowo defied the stereotypes placed upon her—stereotypes rooted in appearances rather than her character or who she truly is. Watching her rise above those assumptions and carve out her own path was both inspiring and refreshing.

I also loved the depth of research and thought woven into this book. It added so much richness to her personal journey and gave the narrative an even stronger foundation. I enjoyed so much of her story, and it deeply resonated with me personally. Being raised in Alabama myself—just a little over an hour from where Alexis grew up in Montgomery—I felt an immediate connection to her words and experiences. Many of the challenges she described echoed the same realities I faced growing up in the state, which made the book all the more impactful for me.

I appreciated her honesty in acknowledging the painful history of where she grew up, and how those experiences shaped her into the person she is today. That vulnerability gave the book so much weight and authenticity.

First and foremost, thank you to the author for bravely sharing her reality and experiences. And thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company Publishing for my eARC copy.

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s a lot of great stories in here, but overall, I wish this book was a bit more cohesive. We hear the life stories of a lot of different people, but they seem rushed, like the author is trying to tell us every detail. Things tie together at the end, but I spent most of the book unsure of its thesis. As someone who lives in Alabama, I enjoyed this book because I could easily tie it in to my knowledge of the state’s geography and culture.

An underlying theme I picked up on was Alabama’s fierce distrust of outsiders. You’ll notice that every person whose story is told of “belonging” to Alabama grew up in the state. Immigrants, including the author’s own parents, are viewed with distrust. I see this clearly because it’s my lived experience, and I appreciate how the different stories really encouraged me to think about my own experience in Alabama.

[Kadin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd categorize this book more history lesson and journalistic reporting than a memoir, which is not altogether a bad thing. The author provides a good historical narrative about the lives and history of Black and other POC who have made their homes here. My biggest critique of the book is it seemed to lack direction at times and seemed to make unnecessary transitions to different topics. That said, it's very well written and I think it would be a good read for any Alabamian, as I have been one my entire life. Okeowo more often than not precisely captures the baffling moral inconsistencies and flagrant hypocrisies that you understand all too well if you live in Alabama. She also perfectly described the feeling of claiming the state: equal parts ashamed and protective.

[Nick Surprise · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book leaves me very torn. On the one hand, I wish it was longer. I enjoyed the narrator and the author's writing style, and I found the included stories to be interesting and compelling. Still, the book felt disjointed, as if the reported portions and the memoir-like portions were destined for separate books. At its best, the book attempts to evoke a place through its peoples' stories. Though the author succeeds in demonstrating how Alabama is complex, rife with internal contradictions, I'm not sure what the author wanted me to take away from it. Perhaps more on what Alabama "can be" would help, or even an epilogue that ties together the book with a clear message.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Zach Church · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unusual mix of memoir and reporting and history, not balanced as cleanly as you would think. The book creates a sense of time collapsing so that different eras and people are co-existing in the same space. Not really "ghosts and living," which is so often the case in books about the south, but a true co-existence.

Occasionally I missed one of these transitions or lost a thread, but it was easy enough to recover. Overall, it was a unique tour of a place that cannot be separated from its people.

On a side note, I appreciated the author's ability to empathize and draw all people in the book as real people with real viewpoints, while simultaneously not letting anyone off the hook for racist attitudes, actions, or misinformation.

[Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book on goodreads. It is both enlightening and disheartening. Weaving history to give context to personal experiences of herself and others the author, a reporter by trade, provides a cultural context to what has happened in Alabama. Unfortunately, in current times it shows history is rhyming. Though born in America Okeowo found differences within ethnic groups showing divisions though similarities could have far outweighed differences. Hopefully Alabamans, a lot of Americans, and those residing in foreign countries read this book and think about what is currently happening to American democracy. Perhaps it can be saved.

[kayu99 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a digital ARC from the publisher (Henry Holt and Co.) in exchange for an honest review.

This was an informative read about the history of Alabama and the people who live there. Hearing from different perspectives (including the author and her family) gave me an increased appreciation for the different aspects that contribute to Alabamian culture. I also learned a lot about the Alabama environment and septic system-related public health crisis.

[Kellylynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Difficult one, so much good information but the presentation of it was rough for me. The jumping around each persons story made it a little difficult to follow who's it was. Couple that with the very long paragraphs and chapters making the flow and breaks awkward. And the overall story telling struggled to keep my attention, it was just so dry. I wanted to learn and take it in, but my attention just was not drawn in.

I won this in one of the giveaways.

[Debs · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

The primary feeling I had while listening to this memoir/cultural & historical snapshot of Alabama was gratitude that my Father did not move us to Huntsville when I was three. While I don’t know how I would feel now had I grown up there, from my vantage point as a staunch proponent of women’s rights, lgbtqia+ rights, and as a vehement atheist, I do not feel compatible with that state in the slightest.

[Emma-Kate Schaake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good stuff, just felt a bit jumbled. I appreciate the blend of personal and communal history, but it felt like it skipped around quite a bit and didn’t seem to have a through line besides “Alabama is complicated.”

[Andrea H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book about what it means to call Alabama home. It’s both beautiful and complex. Alexis Okeowo did an excellent job. I would encourage anyone, whether an Alabamaian or a a stranger to the state, to read the book.

[Sherry Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting , emotional, educational, and worth reading!