* Description
* "The Sound of Gravel is a portrait of real courage in a sea of pretenders. Ruth Wariner, you have my respect as a
writer and a survivor." --Kelly Corrigan, New York Times bestselling author of The Middle Place
"A haunting harrowing testament to survival."
--People Magazine
"Wrenching and moving...Wariner is a survivor, but more important, she's a fantastic writer."
--Entertainment Weekly
"An addictive chronicle of a polygamist community"
--New York Magazine
"Engrossingly readable from start to finish... an unsentimental yet wholly moving memoir."
--Kirkus Reviews
"This well-written book is hard to put down and hard to forget."
--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Haunting. Rather than delving into the particulars of the community's beliefs, Wariner reveals them as they arise. This
gives great depth to the portrayal of her situation. With power and in, Wariner's tale shows a road to escape from
the most confining circumstances."
--Booklist
"If your book club is looking for a startling memoir, look no further than The Sound of Gravel. Disturbing, powerful,
and poignant, Wariner delivers a harrowing story of survival and taking the necessary risk of saving yourself."
--Real Simple
"The Sound of Gravel will haunt you, and Ruth Wariner will inspire with her direct, unsentimental prose. I lost
reading this memoir and felt nothing but awe and respect. That Ruth survived to tell this story simply boggles my mind."
--Jennifer Lauck, New York Times bestselling author of Blackbird, Still Waters, Show Me The Way, and Found
"The Sound of Gravel is a riveting portrayal of what it's really like to grow up in a polygamist community. Ruth
Wariner's simple writing, her enduring love for her mother and siblings, and her dramatic escape make this an
engrossing, deeply moving memoir."
--Claire Bidwell Smith, author of The Rules of Inheritance and After This
"What chance does a girl have in a world where men believe that they (and they alone) are destined to be gods? This is
the question Ruth Wariner bravely asks as she brings us into the hardscrabble Mormon polygamous communities of remote
northern Mexico. Like a Dorothy Allison of the American West, Wariner shows us the humanity and tenacity in the people
she comes from while making no apology for wanting something better for herself. Ruth Wariner has given us an
unforgettable portrait of an enduring and deeply misunderstood segment of American society and a deeply moving account
of her own determined pathway out."
--Joanna Brooks, author of The Book of Mormon Girl: A Memoir of an American Faith
"A beautifully narrated story that manages to be both heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. Told with
generosity and without self-pity, I turned each page with admiration of Ruth's resilience and strength of spirit.
Powerless as she watches her misguided mother endure a life of servility to her stepher, Ruth's love for her siblings
and determination to break destructive family patterns will fill your heart with hope and triumph. I will not be
forgetting this incredible memoir anytime soon."
--Cea Sunrise Person, author of North of Normal: A Memoir of My Wilderness Childhood, My Unusual Family, and How I
Survived Both
"I can't remember a book that's had a greater impact on me. Beautifully written, Ruth Wariner's powerful, raw memoir
will touch your heart like nothing you've read before. Told with unflinching honesty and a childlike innocence, Wariner
takes us places--emotional and physical--few will ever experience, or even hom. Ultimately this book is a testament
to the human spirit, a tale of hope. Its stories of tragedy, abuse, trust, and dreams betrayed are more than offset by
Wariner's pure goodness: her courage, determination, wits, resilience, and ultimately, in her quest to save her beloved
siblings, triumph. Jon Krakauer's Under the Banner of Heaven is a very good book. Ruth Wariner's The Sound of Gravel is
a great book, one that will haunt and inspire you for the rest of your life. In her exquisite and powerful telling,
Wariner takes us to the darkest recesses of extreme polygamist Mormonism--on a painfully real and personal level--and
brings us back to the light."
--April Christofferson, author of Trapped
"The Sound of Gravel takes us into the complex relationships of families with intransigent beliefs, religious
convictions so dogmatic that harrowing consequences are forced upon their children. Ruth Wariner, this child of an
isolated polygamist community, not only survives the oppression, but writes this unaffected tale of compassion and
haunting sadness.""
--Sonya Lea, author of Wondering Who You Are: A Memoir
"The Sound of Gravel is a powerful indictment against religious fundamentalism and the way zealots control and harm
generations of women and children. This is an important, and ultimately triumphant, story."
--Julia Scheeres, New York Times bestselling author of Jesus Land and A Thousand Lives
Edition: Reprint
Number of Pages: 368
Genre: Biography + Autobiography
Sub-Genre: Women
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Author: Ruth Wariner
Language: English
Estimated shipping dimensions: 5.4INCH X 8.2INCH X 1.0INCH
DPCI : 248-27-8760
UPC : 9781250077707
TCIN : 51638536
Estimated shippimg weight: 0.7POUND