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.Ī memoir from a woman who adopted a baby girl and then supported the birth parents when they became homeless.In her early 30s, McGrady pregnant and fell in love with the idea of being a mother, but then miscarried. 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. Then Vanessa made a highly uncommon gesture: when Grace's biological parents became homeless, Vanessa invited them to stay.

Her sweet baby, Grace, was a dream come true.

***THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER! WE'RE HOPING TO RESCHEDULE WITH VANESSA MCGRADY SOON.KEEP AN EYE ON OUR WEBSITE OR SUBSCRIBE TO OUR EMAIL NEWSLETTER FOR UPDATES!*** 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.Īfter two years of waiting to adopt-slogging through paperwork and bouncing between hope and despair-a miracle finally happened for Vanessa McGrady.

Rock Needs River by Vanessa McGrady