Scavenging Beauty:
A Memoir in Walks
Past Event
Link: Live Happy Podcast
Synopsis
In this beguiling memoir of discovery and transformation, a woman walks every street in Santa Cruz County, California, and finds unexpected healing
Angelica Glass spent decades as a social worker helping families struggling with poverty, addiction, abuse and neglect. Needing relief from work-related stress, she turned to walking as an outlet. What began as a way to incorporate more exercise into her busy life transformed into something extraordinary: a years-long odyssey in which Glass drew upon physical exercise, a close observation of the natural world, and long periods of introspection to reconcile with her own past. Between moments of awe as she explored her community and documented what she saw with her camera, she grappled with the turmoil of her early years in a complicated, challenging family, the aging process, long-held insecurities, and grief. Whether wandering through residential neighborhoods, over redwood-strewn mountain passes, or along the seashore, Glass found solace and developed a growing sense of peace. By looking to the natural world to suture old wounds — by scavenging beauty on her terms— she came to understand what it means to feel whole.
Praise For Scavenging Beauty:
Scavenging Beauty is utterly, astonishingly good. Angelica Glass takes us from the disordered ecosystem of a difficult childhood though the healing perfection of the natural world, and all of it is suffused with exquisite nuance, clear-eyed compassion, and a curiosity that overflows its banks. Her transformation is transformative. This is among the very best memoirs in this genre. I'm a better person for having read it. -Catherine Newman, NYT bestselling author of Sandwich and Wreck
“Quietly powerful, this one is pure gold” -Booklist Starred Review
“Striking…a winning testament to the transformative power of curiosity. Readers will be pleased they walked so many miles in the author’s shoes.” –Publishers Weekly
“I’m not sure why Angelica Glass decided to write Scavenging Beauty, but I am certain that it hit home with me. This is a magnificent account of humanity that should prompt all who read it to take a walk through their life and give it the time, credit, and understanding that we as individuals deserve. Enjoy the journey.” –David Baldacci, New York Times bestselling author of Nash Falls
“In her debut memoir, Glass chronicles her years-long project of walking on every street in Santa Cruz County, California, which embedded her in a verdant natural world and afforded much quiet time for reflection. . . .Raw and harrowing memories, gracefully recounted. –Kirkus Reviews
“A moving excavation of the long tail of family trauma and the healing power of a long walk.” –Katherine May, bestselling author of Wintering and Enchantment
“Angelica Glass has written an extraordinary memoir of a harrowing childhood and the healing and transformation she experienced while walking every single street in Santa CruCounty. This is beautiful nature writing, coupled with depth and insight into trauma forgiveness and especially love. This book inspires as it charms.” –Anne Lamott, New YorkTimes bestselling author of Somehow
“A good walk sharpens the eye, and Angelica Glass has made a raw, crystal-clear amble outof her life. Her steps will make you want to stand up from your chair and set off throughyour own life.” –Craig Childs, author of The Wild Dark
“Memories of a childhood marked by economic hardship and abuse intertwine with the natural world in this graceful début mem-oir, which is structured around the author's seven-year project of walking every street in Santa Cruz County, in Califor-nia. Glass, a former child-welfare social worker, writes with quiet precision about growing up as one of eight children with a mother whose love often turned into violence, and a father whose failures cast an equally enduring shadow. Encounters with shifting coastlines, towering redwoods, and mycelial networks spark meditations on inheritance, resil-ience, and the work of remaking a life.” -The New Yorker
Link: KQED/Forum Interview
Photo Credit: Margann Mentor
Photo credit: Shmuel Thaler
Briefly Noted-The New Yorker
