The sound of Gravel - Ruth Wariner

pages: 336  published: 2016

This is the autobiography of Ruth Wariner. Ruth's mother was in the clutches of a religious cult, whose main cornerstone of belief was polygamy. Ruth was the 3rd of her mother's 10 children, and had a total of 43 siblings. Her step father having 4 wives and countless numbers of mouths to feed, needless to say that she and her brothers and sisters lived in terrible poverty; constantly moved from one place to the next as her step-dad tried to earn a buck.

Wow, this was a really interesting but tough and frustrating read. What a childhood for Ruth, and what strength of character and good sense she manage to show despite all of the hardships that were thrown her way. It is so reassuring to know that some people can pull themselves through but terribly depressing to know that so many other children are out there suffering because their parents are weak and let themselves be overtaken by manipulative people. So many times Ruth's mom had the opportunity to walk away from it all, to protect her children, give them a brighter future. But she was so weak, and let her own children suffer. It's tragic really that people's beliefs and faith can lead them to turn a blind eye to their children's well-being.