Preview
  • The Source of All Things

  • A Memoir
  • By: Tracy Ross
  • Narrated by: Tracy Ross
  • Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (29 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Source of All Things

By: Tracy Ross
Narrated by: Tracy Ross
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $17.96

Buy for $17.96

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

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 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 16, 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 20 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.

©2011 Tracy Ross (P)2011 Simon and Schuster
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

"Though the abuse is a defining moment in her life, it is not the sole focus of her book. She details her love for the natural world - a passion first cultivated by Lee - with stints in New Mexico, Alaska, and Colorado. But it's the return to Redfish Lake with Lee, 30 years after the abuse began there, that is the soul of this compelling story." ( Publishers Weekly)
"Brave and heartbreaking... her courageous story will bring solace and inspiration to others drowning in fear and lacking a voice of their own." ( Elle)
"Disturbing but beautifully written... [We've] heard stories like these before, but rarely in such clear, unsentimental prose." ( O magazine)

What listeners say about The Source of All Things

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    18
  • 4 Stars
    7
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    16
  • 4 Stars
    6
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    16
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Talk about taking so long

Well I still hate memoirs this one has to be one of the better ones as it reads like fiction. but at the same time she was trying to hard to make it sound sentimental for people to feel sorry. way to much comparison telling. This almost felt like a wine testing book. " The way I felt the first time was like eating strawberry ice cream" every part of her feelings had to be described as one of the senses.

but at the same time this made it a easy read as it just flowed and made it feel like a fiction story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Testimonial

Great story!! Sorry to hear that people is like that. Tracey did the right thing by going to authority.
However I pulled up action and sci fi. I read the reviews but throughout the whole story I’m waiting for something that will ease my level of guts and blood. So if u looking for a testimonial this is your book. If you looking for action look elsewhere.
Reader somehow keep my attention. So I thing book great wrong category.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing

Tracee truly created a raw and emotional story that led us on a journey with her as she sought to piece herself together after her childhood abuse.I commend her for sharing her story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Brave Woman

Tracy Ross has been brave in so many ways. Brave to put up with what her step-father did to her, so courageous to be able to write about it, and amazing to narrate what she wrote. A very determined woman. I salute her!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!