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  • The Sound of Gravel

  • A Memoir
  • By: Ruth Wariner
  • Narrated by: Ruth Wariner
  • Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (27 ratings)
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The Sound of Gravel cover art

The Sound of Gravel

By: Ruth Wariner
Narrated by: Ruth Wariner
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Summary

"The narration by Wariner compliments the candid nature of her story...A captivating and emotional story delivered in a straightforward way without an ounce of self-pity." (Library Journal)

A riveting, deeply-affecting audiobook memoir of one girl's coming-of-age experiences in a polygamist cult.

Ruth Wariner was the 39th of her father's 42 children. Growing up on a farm in rural Mexico, where authorities turned a blind eye to the practices of her community, Ruth lives in a ramshackle house without indoor plumbing or electricity. At church, preachers teach that God will punish the wicked by destroying the world and that women can only ascend to Heaven by entering into polygamous marriages and giving birth to as many children as possible. After Ruth's father - the man who had been the founding prophet of the colony - is brutally murdered by his brother in a bid for church power, her mother remarries, becoming the second wife of another faithful congregant.

In need of government assistance and supplemental income, Ruth and her siblings are carted back and forth between Mexico and the United States, where her mother collects welfare and her step-father works a variety of odd jobs. Ruth comes to love the time she spends in the States, realizing that perhaps the community into which she was born is not the right one for her. As Ruth begins to doubt her family's beliefs and question her mother's choices, she struggles to balance her fierce love for her siblings with her determination to forge a better life for herself.

Recounted from the innocent and hopeful perspective of a child, The Sound of Gravel is the remarkable true story of a girl fighting for peace and love. This is an intimate, gripping audiobook resonant with triumph, courage, and resilience.

©2016 Ruth Wariner (P)2016 Macmillan Audio

What listeners say about The Sound of Gravel

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Very good memoir narrator ruined it

Real shame this narrator was chosen for a very moving story l, she sounded bored and very monotone

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good Story, poor narrator

The story was heartfelt and moving but the narration was seriously lacking, almost confusing. The pauses were in the wrong places and the way it was read was uper monotone. That almost made me turn the book off but the story was compelling enough to listen despite being annoyed.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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This memoir will stay with me forever

This wonderful book is both riveting and heartbreaking at the same time. Ruth Wariner has put in to words the harrowing account of growing up in a cult, where the very people who are supposed to protect you, turn a blind eye to the practices of their community.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Emotinal rollercoaster

What an amazing woman and story. Worth a listen, really makes you count your lucky stars.

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