How I Found Myself in the Midwest: A Memoir of Reinvention

by Steve Grove

A passionate tribute to the power of moving forward by going back home, a Minnesota native son shares an urgent invitation to rediscover the grounding power of community through his story of leaving a life in Silicon Valley to return to the Midwest.

Just after turning forty, Steve Grove left his life in Silicon Valley working as a Google executive to move back to his home state of Minnesota with his wife and fellow tech exec, Mary Grove, and their one-year-old twins. Gone from the Midwest for two decades, Grove returned home with fresh eyes. Yearning to put down new roots, he traded his job at Google for a position as the lead economic development official under 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 murder of George Floyd unfold just miles from his newfound home, thrusting Grove into an unexpected spotlight. Tasked with distributing billions in aid, rolling out pandemic restrictions, addressing systemic racism, revamping unemployment insurance, and redeveloping neighborhoods, Grove’s new life brings new insights about himself and his new community. His experiences of the political, geographic, and racial divisions in his home state yield suprising 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 deeply personal story 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 is at once a riveting narrative and encouraging guide for anyone looking to build community at a time of dizzying change. It will inspire you to find purpose, no matter where you choose to call home.

Genres: Nonfiction

304 pages, Hardcover

Published June 24, 2025

Reviews

[Kate (kate_reads_) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t expect a political memoir to move me this much—but this one did.

What struck me most about this book wasn’t just Steve Grove’s proximity to power—it was his humility, his honesty, and his deep commitment to growth. Whether he’s talking about his work during COVID, navigating race as a white man in leadership, or having vulnerable conversations with his dad about religion, Grove shows up with something rare: a willingness to examine himself and change. This doesn’t read like a résumé. It reads like a reckoning.

His early chapters—leaving Google, returning to Minnesota, trying to build something with intention—are compelling on their own. But it’s the quiet moments that resonated most. His frank acknowledgment of how hard it is to make friends as an adult? Devastating. Real. I came for the politics, stayed for the raw truth about the emotional gauntlet of making friends in your 40s.

Throughout the book, I kept thinking about what we’ve lost in the U.S. over the last few years. Grove worked with Governor Tim Walz—a leader who, by all accounts, tried his best to do the right thing, to listen, to be fair. And now? Reading this with hindsight feels like grieving a presidency we never got. A Harris/Walz administration was within reach—and instead, we’re in the bad place. That underlying sense of what could have been permeates every page.

But this isn’t a bitter book. It’s honest, hopeful, and deeply human. It doesn’t center ego—it centers effort. Grove doesn’t ask to be admired; he asks to be understood. And that makes all the difference.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoughtful, honest look at community, identity, and innovation in the heartland

As a fellow technologist and Midwesterner, I really appreciated how Steve Groves brings attention to local issues and innovation happening in so-called “flyover country.” His book is a reminder that there’s a lot the coasts can learn from the Midwest—especially when it comes to building community and remembering the people you’re actually trying to serve.

One line that stuck with me: “Copycat cultures don’t stand out. Being different does.” That mindset shows up throughout the book in both the stories he tells and the way he lives them.

I also appreciated Steve’s vulnerability in writing about the personal challenges of moving from California to Minnesota, especially how it impacted his family and his honest take on how difficult it can be to make friends in your 40s.

This is a great read not just for people interested in local government, but for anyone trying to find their footing in an increasingly chaotic world.

[Sarah Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review: How I Found Myself in the Midwest: A Memoir of Reinvention by Steve Grove
Perspective: Female Sociologist & Public Health Professional

Rating: 4/5

Reactions & Emotional Resonance
As a memoir, Grove’s narrative offers a deeply personal account of professional reinvention and geographic homecoming that I found both relatable and intellectually provocative. While not written as a sociological text, his experiences navigating Minnesota’s political landscape during the pandemic and racial justice uprisings provided unexpected insights into community dynamics and institutional responses to crisis. I appreciated his candid reflections on the emotional weight of bureaucratic work during turbulent times - these passages resonated with my own observations of how public servants negotiate personal ethics with systemic constraints.

Strengths
-Authentic Voice: Grove’s writing captures the messy reality of midlife transitions with honesty and vulnerability. His descriptions of struggling to reconcile tech-world efficiency with government processes rang particularly true.
-Place-Based Insight: The memoir excels in portraying how regional identity shapes both personal and collective responses to crisis. His observations about Midwestern culture offer valuable qualitative data for those studying geographic determinants of social cohesion.
-Crisis Narrative: The sections detailing his work during COVID-19 and the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder provide a compelling first-person account of public sector leadership during unprecedented challenges.

Constructive Criticism
-Contextual Gaps: While understandably focused on personal experience, the memoir occasionally misses opportunities to situate individual struggles within broader socioeconomic patterns that would enrich its sociological relevance.
-Privilege Dynamics: The narrative could benefit from more explicit reflection on how Grove’s professional background and personal circumstances enabled his reinvention - a perspective that would make the story more accessible to readers without similar advantages.
-Emotional Depth: Some of the most potentially powerful moments (particularly around racial justice work) feel somewhat surface-level, leaving me wanting more psychological introspection about his evolving understanding of systemic inequities.

Final Thoughts
As a memoir, this book succeeds in its primary aim - offering an engaging, thoughtful account of one man’s journey home. While not designed to address public health or sociological questions directly, it inadvertently provides valuable case study material about community resilience and the personal dimensions of public service. Grove’s story will likely resonate most with readers navigating their own professional transitions or those interested in contemporary Midwestern identity.

Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for the review copy. This personal narrative offers unexpected insights about place, purpose and public life in turbulent times.

Rating: 4/5 (A compelling memoir that, while not academic, offers thoughtful observers much to reflect upon.)

[Ambar Bajpai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating read. The author does an incredible job of weaving together deeply personal stories, an insiders perspective on government during the turbulence of the the Covid pandemic and George Floyd tragedy, and a fascinating career spanning, both private and public sector work. All of the above is done in a way that leaves the reader inspired to do their part to make their own communities just a little better in whatever way they can. Just brilliant

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read although a more appropriate title would have been "How I Found Myself in Minnesota".This is a sort of "you can go home again" about leaving home an going far away when you're young and realizing you want your children raised in the kind of culture/environment that you grew up in. The author goes to California, goes to work for Google in the early days and meets his wife there and they have children and make the decision to return to his home state of Minnesota for numerous reasons. There are many challenges and the author does a good job of relaying them. A worthwhile read in my opinion.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you @simonbooks #partner for my free copy 💖.

✨What it is about:
Steve Grove, a midwestern native and current CEO of the largest publication in Minnesota, The Minnesota Star Tribune, shares his experience in moving back to his home state after time away.✨

💭My thoughts:
I thought this memoir was a thoughtful and honest account of Steve’s return to his home state of Minnesota. After leaving home, he lived in California and worked at Google. Over time, he got married and began feeling a desire to raise a family closer to his roots and traditions, so he headed back home.
Grove definitively captures the messiness of midlife transitions with honesty, sharing how his life shifted both personally and professionally. He does this in a very down to earth and casual way, very easy to understand. He moved from the private sector into government work, which brought him a renewed sense of purpose and a lot of personal growth. He also reflects on working in government during the Covid pandemic and the challenges that came with it.
He opens up about the personal struggles he faced, like making friends as an adult, adjusting with his family, and reflecting on his faith and relationship with his father due to it. I felt that his partnership with his wife was the backbone of this story, weaving strength and stability through each of their shared challenges. It grounds the memoir and offers a heartfelt look at navigating change together with someone you love.
This was a powerful reflection on identity, purpose, and finding optimism in the midst of chaos.

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you like:
📖Memoirs
📖Stories about moving and starting over
📖 Big tech and government
📖Real talk about adult issues

⚠️CW: Mentions of infertility, IVF, surrogacy, pregnancy, parental conflicts due to religious differences, Covid pandemic and events right occurring right after like riots, George Floid, lockdown etc.

[Karen Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steve Grove realistically writes about his experience from small town boy in Northfield, Minnesota to Google exec in California's Silicon Valley and back again to Minnesota's Twin Cities. (I experienced the same boomerang journey at about the same time - from small town to Silicon Valley to Minneapolis.)

I love how he captured idiosyncracies of Minnesotans, such as Minnesota Nice or Minnesota Ice passive-aggressive tendencies.

His insights are fascinating, including how he and the Walz administration weathered the COVID pandemic storm and how he fared in a test that measures implicit racism. His relationships with his family -especially wife Mary - sound lovely.

He got into Google while young and has some Google glasses on while recounting the experience. He believes, for example, that the company's astoundingly generous parental leave is typical for big companies (I worked at several big Silicon Valley companies and never saw anything near this). He also talks about the possibility of working again at Google - which is much easier to do in your 20s than in your 50s (high-tech companies skew young).

Steve Grove is CEO and Publisher of the Minnesota Star Tribune and I was disappointed that he barely covers this - primarily the job research part. Perhaps that will be included in a later memoir (let's hope!).

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has a gorgeous cover of the deep woods which made want to go back to Indiana! Steve Groves was working for Google in the Silicon Valley, then he wanted to go back to Minnesota where he grew up. I shared that yearning but for Southern Indiana.

It was a huge shift from a cushy job with a job that was extremely challenging in Minnesota.. And that is where his parents lived, they could provide support and love for their twins.

He also wanted to give back to community instead of just working for company. Also, he had a personal journey with his relationship with his father and how he felt about religion. As a child he did not realize the underlying racism that runs through Minnesota history. As an adult he started to see it in his community, then there was the murder of George Floyd. He decided to do the most that he could to fight racism in his new job. Of course there is more to this book but it is definitely a book that makes you think about many issues that are often poorly or not addressed at all.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't quite sure what this book would cover and after finishing it, I am impressed by the scope of the book and how the author ties different stories and facts together. It's a story of relocation, but Grove digs deep into the whys of his family's move and his own career as he explores how to make a positive impact in his own community. All of this may sound a little "heavy" but I found it to be quite readable and plenty of food for thought here. It would be a great selection for a book group that enjoys meaty nonfiction.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. The author did a great job of presenting his case without coming off as being preachy.

[Monica McOwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an enlightening journey of the Authors coming home to the Midwest to find what matters most. After many years of infertility, my husband & I adopted our Son in our 40's. We chose to move to a small town when he was four & have never looked back! I loved learning about COVID, George Floyd killing etc from Authors perspective. Spirituality discovery was also interesting. Moving anywhere in our 40's can be difficult, but my husband & I learned that community, civic involvement, and helping others is what makes small town living amazing! Great read-inspiring and very honest sharing of how we all need to understand others more.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a resident of Minnesota, I was interested to read this book about a couple who left their lives and careers in Silicon Valley and moved to Minneapolis. The book is partly a memoir and partly a history of COVID and the George Floyd murder with some other social commentary thrown in for good measure. I enjoyed reading about the author's experiences working in the Walz administration.

[Stephanie Zahrbock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talk of the stacks selection 9/2025; was skeptical to read this written by a cisgender white male, but found it refreshingly thoughtful, well researched, and intelligent focusing on the good, the bad, and the ugly of Minnesota with clear and direct language. Will consider recommending it to ARC book club.

[Patty Steffens · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was going to focus on a Silicon Valley Professiinal who moves to a Minnesota Town and adjust to Midwest life. This book is so much more than that. This book shares the authors thoughts and experiences, with a slight focus on government, social, and political issues, as he and his family become part of the community.

[Susan Keller · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book by a man who has the courage to leave a good job in silicone valley to find more for himself and his family. He and his family found what they were looking for and I enjoyed learning about Minnesota!

[Erika Ruch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember watching Steve during the daily Covid-19 press conferences and appreciating his straight forward approach (and his cool glasses). This book was an insightful look at the machinations of government and his own journey. Well done.

[Joseph · Rating 2 out of 5]

Generally underwhelming. There were a few interesting tidbits about Minnesota's history, culture, etc. But most of the book was more like a memoir, and the author's life/writing simply isn't interesting enough to justify reading a memoir.

[Marleen Lundberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring, honest read. I am proud of the vulnerability and carefully told story, including the challenges of living in real life.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this one and really enjoyed it given the similarity to my own life, moving back to Minnesota from the Bay Area in 2019.

[Marlene Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An honest and insightful memoir of a personal journey from Silicon Valley to public service, then a whole new professional adventure to publishing, while actively reflecting on his personal desire for family, community. It is an inspiring perspective on continuous learning as the essential component of personal satisfaction, professional sucess, and leadership in government and the private sector.