Turn to Stone - by Emily Meg Weinstein (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A memoir of sex, angst, and rocks, Turn to Stone chronicles one woman's ascent--on walls of stone and within herself--as she faces her demons and finds freedom and power in the raw and wild adventure of rock climbing.

Down on the ground, it was hard to connect, hard to attach, hard to untangle, hard to let go. But up here, I understood. Up here, I could make it good.

Broken by an abusive relationship, Emily Meg Weinstein impulsively tries rock climbing on a California road trip, following strangers into the vertical world. Soon, she is consumed by her addiction to the freedom she feels when she's up on the wall. Holding on to the rocks, she is free from societal constraints and expectations, free from her own sorrows and longings.

Raw and dark, but also funny, Weinstein describes the steep learning curve of becoming a climber, spending weeks at a time sleeping in the back of her Subaru, and a long, dark night stuck on top of a mountain. As she ascends, Weinstein faces her demons, finding power and grace in risk and adventure. Like Cheryl Strayed's Wild, but in the vertical, or William Finnegan's Barbarian Days, if lived by a Jewish woman from Long Island, Turn to Stone tells the story of a journey into nature that becomes a crucible of self-discovery.

Against a tapestry of van-dwellers, anarchists, and Jedi-like Stonemasters, Weinstein explores a world where each leap of faith is an existential lesson. From living on the edge, stepping into the unknown, and falling through thin air, Emily learns to forgive her own failures, heal her deepest wounds, and find courage in the face of fear. Throwing herself at walls of stone, she learns what it means to be human. Fitting her body into the rocks' broken places, she makes herself whole.

Review Quotes

"Turn to Stone marks the arrival of a brave, feminist, seeking, and essential voice in nonfiction. Read this book and be forever changed." --Emily Rapp Black, New York Times bestselling author of The Still Point of the Turning World and Sanctuary

"Turn to Stone may be a book about what Emily gave to climbing, and what climbing gave to her, but it is also about what she gives us, and that is a hell of a lot. As a writer, an athlete, an explorer of peaks and valleys both internal and external, Emily helps us face what scares us most and find the courage to become the people we are meant to be. Her voice is vulnerable, authentic, and wickedly funny. This book will be a fixture in every Sprinter van, Subaru and beat-up backpack from Joshua Tree to the Adirondacks and beyond."

--Laurel Braitman, New York Times bestselling author of Animal Madness and What Looks Like Bravery

"How should we live? Emily Meg Weinstein bravely sets out to answer this question in Turn to Stone. Eschewing tired pop-psychology platitudes, Weinstein shares with insight and humor the tale of a path not commonly taken, an honest and clear-eyed story to read while the world burns around us." -Kerry Cohen, author of Crazy for You and Loose Girl

About the Author

Emily Meg Weinstein was born in New York and raised in Queens and Long Island. She lives on a houseboat in the San Francisco Bay, roams in her second home, the Free Ford Freestar, and roots for the New York Mets.