My Head For A Tree by Martin Goodman
The book opens with a scene that seems almost mythical: In 1730, a woman named Amrita Devi pressed her body against a tree trunk as axes swung toward it. Her final words, before her head was severed, would echo through centuries: “Sar santey rukh rahe to bhi sasto jan” — “My head for a tree; it’s a cheap price to pay.” By day’s end, 363 Bishnoi villagers lay dead.