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I just got back from St. Louis.

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It was my first time there and I met a wonderfully rich collection of people who I\u2019m so excited to introduce you to in a special on-the-ground, in-the-street, from-the-backseat Chapter of 3 Books.

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On the way from the airport to the hotel, the driver regaled me with St. Louis trivia from a deep well of St. Louis pride. \u201cDid you know we hosted the World Fair and the Olympics the same year?\u201d he asked. I knew about the World Fair! \u201cMost do,\u201d he said. \u201cBut not many know about the Olympics. 1904 was a banner year here. We were the fourth largest city in the US at the time!\u201d

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The next day I had time to explore. I knew there was a local bird species that didn\u2019t exist anywhere else in the country! The Eurasian Tree Sparrow was one of six species of birds brought to St. Louis in 1870 by German immigrants. The other five died that winter, but the Tree Sparrow still lives near Lafayette Park where it was first released. It has thrived without expanding its range or disrupting the local ecology.

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After I got an address to try and find the birds, I hailed an Uber and met Jacqueline, who drove a bus in town for 27 years. When I asked her for the best thing about St. Louis she said, \u201cNothing! Watch your back or somebody gonna put a bullet in your head.\u201d Our raw conversation touches on the erosion of community, the deprioritization of connection, and how we might find new kinds of support in our disconnected world. \u201cMy family is whoever loves on me,\u201d Jacqueline said. \u201cBlood makes you kin but it doesn\u2019t make you family.\u201d

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I then met Deneane, a 28-year-old single mother of five who does drop-off, pick-up, and evenings solo every day while driving Uber thirty hours a week, working at a cupcake shop, and running a small business online. We went to the Gateway Arch and Left Bank Books together while talking about enduring\u2014after her mom found bruises all over her body, she left her abusive relationship and \u201cfound the strength to start over.\u201d

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The next morning I gave the talk that sent me down there and then got a final ride to the airport with Albano from Albania, who left his job as a public school teacher in Florida to make more than double as a driver. \u201cUnfortunately,\u201d he said, \u201cif teaching was something others would care about, teachers wouldn\u2019t leave the profession.\u201d

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I hope you feel a kinetic pulse listening to stories from people whose stories aren\u2019t often told. Get ready to laugh, cry, and connect hearts as we tether ourselves to the human connection that exists around us every day.

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Let\u2019s head down to St. Louis and hang out with Jacqueline, Deneane, and Albano as they share the love and connection we are always searching for on 3 Books.

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Let\u2019s flip the page to Chapter 136 now\u2026\xa0