A River Could Be a Tree

“An intriguing tale of one woman’s search for identity and community.” – Kirkus Reviews.

“Inspiring and brave, A River Could Be a Tree defines…the freedom to discover our own unique path in life and the courage to choose it…. Her story serves as a powerful reminder that we don’t have to settle for what is expected of us. We can all find pieces of ourselves reflected in this delightful memoir.” – Ruth Wariner, author of New York Times bestseller, The Sound of Gravel: A Memoir

“This coming-of-age memoir takes the reader from the faith of a childhood immersed in the Worldwide Church of God, to Orthodox Jewish New York, by way of Israel and Germany..” – Lucia Greenhouse, author of fathermothergod: My Journey Out of Christian Science

“An odyssey of love and faith, told in a voice mixed with pathos and humor. Angela Himsel shows us how intricate, layered, and painful are the bounds of family, and finally how it is possible to honor both the ties we are born with and the ones we choose to create on our own.” – Gabrielle Selz, author of Unstill Life: A Daughter’s Memoir of Art and Love in the Age of Abstraction

“Honest, yet humane, Himsel masterfully describes her spiritual walk along life’s long-narrow bridge from an impoverished childhood in rural Indiana with parents fiercely devoted to an apocalyptic cult and ending in the embracing warmth of the Jewish community of the Upper West Side. Her journey is a testament to the importance of having no fear. In this regard, Himsel is not just a force of nature; she’s the Mary Karr (author of The Liar’s Club and Lit) of Indiana.” – Mort Zachter, author of Dough: A Memoir, AWP Award Winner

“A River Could Be a Tree is a riveting, intimate memoir of growing up in rural America in a family of eleven children with a father who is an avid follower of an Evangelical Christian sect. With boundless curiosity and rigorous erudition, Angela Himsel navigates a spiritual life while deftly melding the personal with the compelling realities of life in a cult and cultural norms in other religions. Sprawling several religious worlds, this tragicomic memoir is spellbinding.”  – Eva Fogelman, author of Conscience and Courage: Rescuers of Jews During the Holocaust