Destroy This House

A Memoir

By: Amanda Uhle

Narrated by: Rebekkah Ross

“Incredible…riveting.” —Dax Shepard, Armchair Expert podcast

For fans of The Glass Castle and The Liars’ Club, a tender, heartbreaking, and hilarious memoir chronicling the challenges of growing up with a desperately scheming father, a mother plagued by an acute hoarding disorder, and parenting parents while seeking independence.

The Long family’s love was fierce, their lifestyle bizarre, and their deceptions countless. Once her parents were gone, Amanda Uhle realized she was closer to them than anyone else, yet she found herself utterly confounded by the lives they had led.

Amanda’s striving fashion designer mother and her charismatic wheeler-dealer father wove a complex life together that spanned ten different homes across five states over forty perplexing years. Throughout her childhood, as her mother’s hoarding disorder flourished and her father’s schemes crumbled, contradictions abounded. They bartered for dental surgery and drove their massive Lincoln Town Car to the food bank. When financial ruin struck, they abandoned their repossessed mansion for humble parish housing, and Amanda’s father became a preacher. They swung between being filthy rich and dirt poor, devious and virtuous, lonely and loved, fake and real.

In Destroy This House, Amanda sets out to document her parents’ unbelievable exploits and her own hard-won escape into independence. With humor and tenderness, Uhle has crafted a heartfelt and utterly unique memoir, capturing the raucousness, pain, joy, and ultimately, the boundless love that exists between all parents and children.

Beautiful Honest Tribute

I thoroughly enjoyed Amanda’s telling of her family. It was honest and honoring at the same time. Amanda, like her father, is a gifted storyteller. I was engaged from start to finish. I think every one of us can understand the complicated relationship we have with our parents and how it shapes us. I wanted to rescue her and Adam as much as I wanted to help her parents find the healing they needed.

Couldn’t put it down!

Brutal, compassionate look into the life of a daughter and parents affected by living in and through the challenges of hoarding…and so much more. Very well written. I couldn’t put it down after the first page.

beautifully heartbreaking

I loved the way the stories were laid out, almost like mini essays, but chronological. Her story can be felt; beautifully heartbreaking and heartwarming

A well written memoir that both captivated and spoke to me

Went through this book super fast because it was both a well told story and had points that touched home.

Cathartic

Excellently written & read. Much of it is very different from my own experiences, but certain moments jumped out and I caught myself crying. Or even more often, I'd feel angry. Many times I would see exactly how something was going to unfold later on because it was unfortunately a familiar situation. I find the idea of going back and piecing together her parent's lives fascinating. It was an excellent listen, and I could see myself listening again later on.