70 ratings | 5 reviews | avg rating:4.94

Deb Olin Unferth’s Followers (229)

Deb’s Bookshelves

to-read (1)
currently-reading (0)
read (71)

Deb’s Friends (104)

Chaitali Sen

355 books | 231 friends

J.A.

3,066 books | 1,183 friends

Kevin

1,850 books | 1,614 friends

Oriana

2,378 books | 1,685 friends

S P

388 books | 133 friends

Alex Helm

96,775 books | 1,422 friends

Lincoln

1,217 books | 1,075 friends

Mike

2,735 books | 218 friends

More friends…

Deb Olin Unferth

Goodreads Author

Born

The United States

Website

https://www.debolinunferth.com

Genre

Literature & Fiction, Memoir, Contemporary

Member Since

February 2020

edit data

Deb Olin Unferth is the author of six books, including the novel Barn 8 and the story collection Wait Till You See Me Dance. Her work has appeared in Harper’s, The Paris Review, Granta, Vice, NOON, the New York Times, and McSweeney’s. She has received a Guggenheim fellowship, a Creative Capital grant, three Pushcart Prizes, and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. An associate professor at the University of Texas in Austin, she also runs the Pen City Writers, a creative writing program at a penitentiary in southern Texas.

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask Deb Olin Unferth questions, please sign up.

Combine Editions
Deb Olin Unferth’s books

Average rating: 3.65 · 7,098 ratings · 1,253 reviews · 25 distinct works • Similar authors

	Barn 8 3.51 avg rating — 3,047 ratings — published 2020 — 15 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Vacation 3.63 avg rating — 1,101 ratings — published 2008 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Wait Till You See Me Dance 3.88 avg rating — 708 ratings — published 2017 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Revolution: The Year I Fell in Love and Went to Join the War 3.52 avg rating — 414 ratings — published 2011 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	I, Parrot: A Graphic Novel by Deb Olin Unferth (Goodreads Author), Elizabeth Haidle (Illustrator) 3.11 avg rating — 343 ratings — published 2017 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Minor Robberies really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 91 ratings — published 2007	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Likeable 3.66 avg rating — 74 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	PANK 5 4.23 avg rating — 26 ratings — published 2011	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Happy Green Family 3.67 avg rating — 9 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Stay Where You Are by Deb Olin Unferth (Goodreads Author), Derek Shetterly (Narrator) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 3 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Deb Olin Unferth…

rss
Deb’s Recent Updates

Deb is now friends with Alex Helm
Jan 06, 2026 07:33PM · like
Deb and 438 other people liked Rapunzel210's review of Still Life with Woodpecker: "I first read this book in 1981 or thereabouts when I was married to my first husband. I had three children and felt completely trapped in a dangerously toxic, dead-end relationship that I saw no way out of. Still Life with Woodpecker, more than anyth" Read more of this review »
Feb 10, 2025 08:57PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Deb rated a book it was amazing Dwelling by Emily Hunt Kivel	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Brilliant, hilarious, addictive reading. Beautiful storytelling, great energy. Very moving. Her first book, too, which is cool. A new voice. Feels very much in conversation with these dark times.
Feb 02, 2025 12:24PM · 7 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Dwelling by Emily Hunt Kivel. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Dwelling by Emily Hunt Kivel <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Deb rated a book it was amazing The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 15, 2024 06:56AM · 3 likes · like
Deb rated a book it was amazing How Not to Kill Yourself: A Portrait of the Suicidal Mind by Clancy Martin	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 20, 2024 08:08AM · 2 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of How Not to Kill Yourself by Clancy Martin. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — How Not to Kill Yourself by Clancy Martin <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Deb rated a book it was amazing Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 04, 2024 03:11PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Deb rated a book it was amazing Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 03, 2024 01:47PM · like
Deb rated a book it was amazing Having and Being Had by Eula Biss	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 22, 2024 05:30PM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Having and Being Had by Eula Biss. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Having and Being Had by Eula Biss <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Deb rated a book it was amazing Leg: The Story of a Limb and the Boy Who Grew from It by Greg Marshall	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 14, 2024 12:50PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Leg by Greg Marshall. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Leg by Greg Marshall <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

More of Deb's books…

Quotes by Deb Olin Unferth (?)

“You know how it is to want something. Desire builds like a little house in your head and it sits there, half-constructed in your mind. Women who want children are this way. Artists are this way about pictures. It doesn't go away. You may forget for a few months but then it's back, the unfinished pieces of what you want.”
― Deb Olin Unferth, Vacation

10 likes

“Humans, we just hop out of things, off things. We splatter ourselves in inappropriate places. Because we have nothing to live for. Because we want to destroy what we can. Because we want to be something we can’t. Because we don’t really believe we can die.”
― Deb Olin Unferth, Vacation

tags: humans, life

7 likes

“It takes bravery to care for someone — no matter who he is or what made him, whether he is weak or walking or jumping out of windows. The risk involved is enormous.”
― Deb Olin Unferth, Vacation

6 likes

See all Deb Olin Unferth's quotes »

Polls

March BoTM Nominations ~ A Book On Animals ~ 1st Poll

Top 5 Books Move Onto Final Poll

Watership Down

by Richard Adams

11 votes, 31.4%

The Elephant Whisperer

by Lawrence Anthony

5 votes, 14.3%

The Art of Racing in the Rain

by Garth Stein

5 votes, 14.3%

The Perfect Horse: the Daring U.S. Mission to Rescue the Priceless Stallions Kidnapped by the Nazis

by Elizabeth Letts

4 votes, 11.4%

Holy Cow

by David Duchovny

3 votes, 8.6%

Where the Red Fern Grows

by Wilson Rawls

3 votes, 8.6%

Seabiscuit: An American Legend

by Laura Hillenbrand

2 votes, 5.7%

Rose in a Storm

by Jon Katz

1 vote, 2.9%

The Call of the Wild

by Jack London

1 vote, 2.9%

Barn 8

by Deb Olin Unferth

0 votes, 0.0%

35 total votes

comments and details

More...

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
The Seasonal Read...: Fall Challenge 2011 Completed Tasks - DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS IN THIS TOPIC!	2251	793	Nov 30, 2011 09:05PM
Get Graphic: Goodreads Giveaways	253	124	Dec 14, 2017 05:01PM
Crazy Challenge C...: How Many Pages?? 2017	434	201	Jan 31, 2018 06:33PM
Reading with Style: SP 18 Completed Tasks	864	137	May 31, 2018 09:00PM
The Seasonal Read...: Completed Tasks: PLEASE DO NOT DELETE ANY POST IN THIS THREAD	2194	415	May 31, 2018 09:01PM
A Million More Pages: Fairy Tale Spell-Out ~ see message 6 for a special announcement	214	270	Jul 03, 2018 08:36AM
A Million More Pages: Grimm's Fairy Tales	227	232	Jul 03, 2018 08:43AM
Crazy Challenge C...: June 2017 Spell Challenge - Six Letter Words	149	85	Sep 12, 2018 08:04AM

More…

Deb’s Friend Comments

No comments have been added yet.

Deb Olin Unferth’s Followers (229)

Deb’s Bookshelves

Deb’s Friends (104)

Deb Olin Unferth

Goodreads Author

Learn moreAsk the Author

Combine EditionsDeb Olin Unferth’s books

rssDeb’s Recent Updates

See a Problem?

Preview — Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins

See a Problem?

Preview — Dwelling by Emily Hunt Kivel

See a Problem?

Preview — How Not to Kill Yourself by Clancy Martin

See a Problem?

Preview — Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq

See a Problem?

Preview — Having and Being Had by Eula Biss

See a Problem?

Preview — Leg by Greg Marshall

Polls

Topics Mentioning This Author

Deb’s Friend Comments

Learn more
Ask the Author

Combine Editions
Deb Olin Unferth’s books

rss
Deb’s Recent Updates