Dirt

Growing Strong Roots in What Makes the Broken Beautiful

By: Mary Marantz

Narrated by: Mary Marantz

Length: 6 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

Dirt is a story about the places where we start. From a single-wide trailer in the mountains of rural West Virginia to the halls of Yale Law School, Mary Marantz's story is one of remembering our roots while turning our faces to the sky. From growing up in that trailer, where it rained just as hard inside as out and the smell of mildew hung thick in the air, Mary has known what it is to feel broken and disqualified because of the muddy scars leaving smudged fingerprints across our lives. Generations of her family lived and logged in those hauntingly treacherous woods, risking life and limb just to barely scrape by. And yet that very struggle became the redemption song God used to write a life she never dreamed of.

Mixed with warmth, wit, and the bittersweet, sometimes achingly heartbreaking places we go when we dig in instead of give up, Dirt is a story of healing. With gut-wrenching honesty and hard-won wisdom, Mary shares her story for anyone who has ever walked into the world and felt like their scars were still on display, showing that you are braver, better, and more empathetic for what you have survived. Because God does his best work in the muddy, messy, and broken - if we'll only learn to dig in.

©2020 Mary Marantz (P)2020 eChristian

Favorite! So beautifully written! 🧁

I have never listened to a book from beginning to end in one sitting. This book is so beautifully written.

Inspiring story

I’ve heard Mary Marantz speak so when I saw the book was also narrated by her, I knew I wanted to listen to it as opposed to reading it myself. Wonderful, descriptive writing. Really enjoyed this inspirational memoir.

Loved it ... want to listen again!

I loved listening to Dirt read by the author!! I just finished and already want to listen again. I’ve recommended it to several friends! Beautiful and hard wrapped in a bow of grace.

Amazing story of strength and Grace,

Story told and narrated with an interesting cadence, Mary reflected on incidents on her life and what it taught her looking back as an adult. Mary grew up so poor and her father worked so hard. Both people prevailed,

Excellent story of hard work and perserverance

It is interesting to me to hear stories of how people overcome challenges in their lives. I also appreciate how I can learn from individuals' stories and take the good out of what they try to convey to the reader. Thank you for sharing your story.

Can’t wait for the next book!

This was such a well written book with many great lessons. I just recently finished and am already excited for her next book to come out!

Great book. Read it. Listen to it.

Growing up in poverty, on welfare, in rural WV and going on to earn a master's degree, with all the complications that ensues, being told in many subtle and not so subtle ways that I'm not one of them, which she didn't address, I could completely relate to much of this. A recommended read for imaging or reliving poverty and/or for owning your journey from wherever you've come to wherever you're going.

Torn

The story itself was amazing. The quality of the recording was frustrating. The book kept pausing for a really long time, all the time which made it frustrating to listen to. Other than that, I would recommend it.

MUST LISTEN

If I could give this book 50 stars, I would! Few books are as engaging as Dirt and few authors have the ability to transport you away from your current space and time like Mary can. Read the book, yes, it’s amazing. But listen to it, too. Mary’s words on the page and the way she reads her writing are captivating, engaging, and will sit with you long after the book is finished.

Quality writing.

I heard Mary Marantz on the radio, then went straight to Amazon to order her book. It is a compelling up-from-poverty story. But, I was pleasantly surprised by how well it is written. It may be the rare book that I reread.