The Source of All Things: A Memoir

Tracy Ross never knew her biological father who died after a brain aneurysm when she was still an infant. So when her mother married Donnie a gregarious man with an all-wheel-drive jeep and a love of hiking four-year-old Tracy was ecstatic to have a father figure in her life. A loving and devoted step-father Donnie introduced Tracy’s family to the joys of fishing deer hunting camping and hiking among the most pristine mountains of rural Idaho. Donnie was everything Tracy dreamed a dad would be—protective brave and kind. But when his dependence on his eight-year-old daughter’s companionship went too far everything changed. Once Donnie’s nighttime visits began Tracy’s childhood became a confusing blend of normal little girl moments and the sickening secret invasion of her safety. Tormented by this profound betrayal Tracy struggled to reconcile deeply conflicting feelings about her stepfather: on the one hand fear and loathing on the other hand the love any daughter would have for her father. It was not until she ran away from home as a teenager that her family was forced to confront the abuse—and it tore them apart. At sixteen realizing that she must take control of her own future Tracy sent herself to boarding school and began the long slow process of recovery. There in the woods of Northern Michigan Tracy felt called back to the natural world she had loved as a child. Over the next twenty years the mountains and rivers of North America provided Tracy with strength confidence comfort and inspiration. From trekking through the glaciers of Alaska to guiding teenagers through the deserts of Utah Tracy pushed herself to the physical limit on her way to becoming whole again. Yet as she came into her own found love and even started a family Tracy realized that in order to truly heal she had to confront her stepfather about the demons from the past haunting them both. The Source of All Things is a stunning unforgettable story about a wounded daughter her stepfather and a mistake that has taken thirty years and thousands of miles of raw wilderness to reconcile. Only Tracy can know if Donnie is forgivable. But one thing is for certain: In no other story of abuse does a survivor have as much strength compassion bravery and spirit as Tracy displays in The Source of All Things

Hardcover: 304 pages

Publisher: Free Press; First Edition edition (March 8 2011)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1439172978

ISBN-13: 978-1439172971

Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.1 x 9 inches

Shipping Weight: 1 pounds