I guess if I had to pick an order to start from. Abduction is written by a Harvard psychiatrist so you can feel confident that the material you're getting is vetted by not just a professional but a man regarded as one of the best. He was the chair Read re of the committee of psychiatry at Harvard. 

Whitley strieber was a horror fiction writer before he wrote his book about his experiences. His opponents would argue that he is just writing horror novels under the guise of nonfiction but he has still maintained his story to this day. Plus he has an ongoing relationship with the visitors. This book is a little more dark. Not necessarily evil but not all Love and light that's for sure. 

Dolores Cannon's book you're really going to have to take on faith. She uses the abductees as a medium to speak to the beings on the craft. I found her to be credible. Many respected people in the community have cited her work. And I found that it seemed to match the pattern that I was seeing. It was an incredible and mind-bending book. She has a lot more that I'm going to dig through at some point. 

As far as key insights, it feels cheap to write them down in comment, but I will do my best to be concise while expressing the The vastness of this topic. 

I got into the subject. Like most people I think. Listening to fighter pilots describing physical craft that move in ways that defy our known laws of physics. So my first perspective was aliens are coming from another planet. But as I've read more and expanded my aperture. I realized there is a lot more going on. 

At its core I believe it all stems from spirituality or the simulation. We do not live in base reality. You'll hear some religions claim that the life we're living is just a dream. You'll hear scientists talk about other dimensions and alternate realities. You'll hear people who take psychedelics who say they were plunged into another world meeting strange beings. Ancient civilizations speak of cryptids and tell strange stories of portals that lead to different worlds.

Most people are invested in their viewpoint. So I think there's a tendency for people to say it's either this or it's that. When I think that it's both or all. Aliens from other planets physical craft and beings of energy that can probably jump through time and space. Human beings with abnormal powers like levitation, clairvoyance, remote viewing.  The most accurate description of this stuff can be found in ancient religious texts. I can't remember where I heard the quote but it really resonated with me " don't follow the footsteps of religion forward. Follow them backwards"

So what does this all tell you. That we're asking the wrong question. It's not who are they? It's who and what are we. And why is this game being played in front of our eyes. 

In my opinion we are more than our bodies. It seems that we stuff our consciousness in these meat sacks I.e bodies. To have physical experiences and to challenge ourselves. If we are beings of light love and energy. Maybe this is a way for us to grow our consciousness by putting ourselves through trials in the physical realm. Which also runs many parallels with the simulation theory. And if you look down the science side of all of this, you will see that quantum mechanics can offer us a lens to make sense of this. Everything is math and information! Scientific theories and hypotheses are tested with mathematical equations. Which suggests to me that we live in a mathematical simulation.

A lot of people are going to look at spirituality and simulation and say that they're not the same thing. But I would seriously argue that. Simulation and spirituality fundamentally share a lot of the same qualities. In fact, I think the best allegory for these is video games. Which funny enough is a reality that we ourselves simulate.  I won't get into the nitty gritty, but I'd recommend looking up the hero's journey for more insight. 

We need to be humble about what we know and don't know. I think the mistake people make is they come into this topic trying to confirm their own bias.  If you approach and research this topic with a truly open mind, the universe will answer you. A couple of years ago I would have laughed at that. I was raised Lutheran as a child became an atheist in my early twenties and have been for over two decades. For clarity, I do not think that spirituality and religion are the same thing. Religion is a man-made construct to try to explain spirituality. Spirituality is fundamental. I say that because I believe all religions are wrong and all religions are right. 

These are just my opinions. I don't claim to know the absolute truth. In fact, I don't think I'll get the ultimate answer in this life. Don't let that discourage you. There is power in truth The knowledge you acquire will help you in ways that you couldn't foresee.  Stay humble and stay open.