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  • Rock Needs River

  • A Memoir About a Very Open Adoption
  • Written by: Vanessa McGrady
  • Narrated by: Vanessa McGrady
  • Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (3 ratings)

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Rock Needs River cover art

Rock Needs River

Written by: Vanessa McGrady
Narrated by: Vanessa McGrady
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Publisher's Summary

From a story first told in the popular New York Times parenting blog comes a funny, touching memoir about a mother who welcomes more than a new daughter into her home.

After two years of waiting to adopt - slogging through paperwork and bouncing between hope and despair - a miracle finally happened for Vanessa McGrady. Her sweet baby, Grace, was a dream come true. Then Vanessa made a highly uncommon gesture: when Grace’s biological parents became homeless, Vanessa invited them to stay.

Without a blueprint for navigating the practical basics of an open adoption or any discussion of expectations or boundaries, the unusual living arrangement became a bottomless well of conflicting emotions and increasingly difficult decisions complicated by missed opportunities, regret, social chaos, and broken hearts.

Written with wit, candor, and compassion, Rock Needs River is, ultimately, Vanessa’s love letter to her daughter, one that illuminates the universal need for connection and the heroine’s journey to find her tribe.
©2019 Vanessa McGrady. (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.
Women Art & Literature Parenting & Families Relationships
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What the critics say

“The love McGrady feels toward Grace, whom she has dedicated the book and her life to, is the sweet layer of frosting on top on a multilayered cake. An expressive and love-filled tale of adoption and of befriending the biological parents of the adopted child.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“Moving…McGrady’s memoir is a touching and honest adoption story.” (Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about Rock Needs River

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Profile Image for Anonymous User

really beautiful story

As someone who wants to adopt a kid solo, this was a great book. Really grateful for this perspective!

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