Unraveled: The True Story of a Woman, Who Dared to Become a Different Kind of Mother

Maria Housden

Jun 2005 · Penguin Random House Audio · Narrated by Staci Snell

About this audiobook

As a twelve-year-old girl, Maria Housden’s vision of a happy future included everything that society expects girls to yearn for: a home, a husband, and, of course, children. Life had other plans.

Unraveled is Housden’s riveting and thoughtful story of how, after the death of her young daughter, she found the courage to break away from her role as a wife and stay-at-home mom and strike out on her own in search of a more fulfilling life. Leaving her three surviving children in the primary custody of her husband, Housden faced down the disbelief of friends and family and began a journey that would ultimately lead her not only to the truth about herself, but also to a deeper and more loving connection with her children.

Housden writes about the emotional reckoning that led to her decision and the ways in which she has become the best mother she can be while no longer living with her children full-time. With fierce honesty and the same gift for poignantly beautiful writing that she demonstrated in the bestselling Hannah’s Gift, Housden makes a valuable contribution to our collective conversation about mothering, marriage, and the assumptions we make about the way life is supposed to be. Unraveled is the remarkable story of one woman’s choice not to live every girl’s dream . . . and instead to find her own.

About the author

Maria Housden is an author and lecturer. Her first book, Hannah's Gift: Lessons from a Life Fully Lived, has become an international bestseller, translated into more than fifteen languages. She is also the author of Unraveled: The True Story of a Woman Who Dared to Become a Different Kind of Mother.

Staci Snell has worked in radio and later, as an elementary school teacher. She lives in Los Angeles where she works as an actor. Her television credits include The Shield, The Division, and various commercials. As an audiobook narrator, her numerous titles include Sandra Brown's Demon Rumm, Ann Rule's Kiss Me, Kill Me, Sharon Rocha's For Laci, and Jill Smolinski’s The Next Thing on My List.