What do you think?
Scavenging Beauty: A Memoir in Walks
In this beguiling memoir of discovery and transformation, a woman walks every street in Santa Cruz County, California, and finds unexpected healing
Angelica Glass spent decades as a social worker helping families struggling with poverty, addiction, abuse and neglect. Needing relief from work-related stress, she turned to walking as an outlet. What began as a way to incorporate more exercise into her busy life transformed into something a years-long odyssey in which Glass drew upon physical exercise, a close observation of the natural world, and long periods of introspection to reconcile with her own past.
Between moments of awe as she explored her community and documented what she saw with her camera, she grappled with the turmoil of her early years in a complicated, challenging family, the aging process, long-held insecurities, and grief.
Whether wandering through residential neighborhoods, over redwood-strewn mountain passes, or along the seashore, Glass found solace and developed a growing sense of peace. By looking to the natural world to suture old wounds — by scavenging beauty on her terms — she came to understand what it means to feel whole.
Angelica Glass spent decades as a social worker helping families struggling with poverty, addiction, abuse and neglect. Needing relief from work-related stress, she turned to walking as an outlet. What began as a way to incorporate more exercise into her busy life transformed into something a years-long odyssey in which Glass drew upon physical exercise, a close observation of the natural world, and long periods of introspection to reconcile with her own past.
Between moments of awe as she explored her community and documented what she saw with her camera, she grappled with the turmoil of her early years in a complicated, challenging family, the aging process, long-held insecurities, and grief.
Whether wandering through residential neighborhoods, over redwood-strewn mountain passes, or along the seashore, Glass found solace and developed a growing sense of peace. By looking to the natural world to suture old wounds — by scavenging beauty on her terms — she came to understand what it means to feel whole.
Audible Audio
Published July 7, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
August 10, 2026
“I need to take a break, my shoes are tired.”
This book, and my experience reading it, became deeply personal.
On July 13, 2026, I posted on Facebook about what I jokingly called my “literary crisis.” For someone who reads or re-visits books as much as I do, I had somehow managed to run out of them. The two sets of bookends on my dresser—the cat bookends holding books donated to my Little Free Library Shed that I wanted to read before passing them along, and the horse bookends holding library books with their ticking due dates—were both doing an excellent job of holding up absolutely nothing.
Not one book.
I had even resorted to browsing my own collection of self-help books for entertainment. 😝
Thankfully, the library was opening that Tuesday, so I knew hope was on the horizon.
One of my good friends saw my post and insisted on sending me a book written by her friend. On July 26, it arrived.
That book was this one.
The first thing that caught my attention was the beautiful cover and, especially, the subtitle: “A Memoir in Walks.”
What a concept.
A memoir told through walking experiences that heal.
And I immediately knew I could relate.
One of the most important parts of my day is walking with my husband and our Cardigan corgis, Oliver and Oscar, at least twice a day. That ritual has become particularly meaningful through my own cancer journey.
When I first became ill, I could hardly walk a mile, because of the shortness of breath I was experiencing. Now, I look forward to longer distance walks daily —the nature, the neighbors, the beach, the parks, the sense of community, and all the wonderful conversations that happen along the way.
So, as I began reading, I found myself wondering: What could I learn from this author about something that has become so important in my own life?
Quite a lot.
Over seven years and 15 pairs of shoes, the author found herself fulfilling what she set out to do when she declared to her wife: she would walk every street in their home county of Santa Cruz, California.
What began as walking became something much larger.
As she shares, step by step and block by block, she discovered her community—and, in the process, found pieces of herself. Her walks brought encounters with neighbors, memories of family, moments of joy and sorrow, and opportunities to revisit experiences that had shaped her.
Some memories brought smiles. Others brought tears. But together, they created something she needed: a sense of healing, understanding, and well-being. Something she could share with her siblings, as she began to write this book.
I found myself thinking about my own neighborhood walks with my husband, along with Oliver and Oscar. Oliver’s tail typically goes up when he realizes we are getting close to one of his dog friends’ houses. Sure enough, his “girlfriend,” Leah, pops her head over the balcony to greet the boys—and us—with a welcome bark.
Then there are the other little discoveries: watching house renovations take shape, new homes being built, noticing children grow up, seeing familiar faces, meeting new neighbors. Things that might seem insignificant when rushing through a day suddenly become meaningful when you are walking slowly enough to notice them.
The author understands that transformation.
“Step by step, block by block, my understanding of my community begins to expand.”
That line captures so much of what this book is about.
There is also something understandably honest about the way the pandemic changed how many of us connect with one another. I used to meet friends for meals and tea breaks. Now, more often than not, we meet for a walk. There is something comforting about walking and talking—being outside, moving together, noticing the world around us, and simply appreciating the moment.
The author found that same kind of connection. Her walks became an invigorating exploration of her neighborhood, but also an exploration of family, memory, identity, and herself.
And perhaps that is what resonated with me most.
Walking is not simply about getting from one place to another. Sometimes it gives us the space to process what we have survived, appreciate where we are, and recognize how much beauty exists in the ordinary moments around us.
The author writes beautifully about silence, “resonance, and space within which to experience attunement with the natural world.” Her descriptions are so vivid that photographs aren't necessary. I could see the places she walked, feel the changing landscapes, and understand why those miles became so meaningful.
This is a story about healthy self-discovery, healing, family, community, and learning to be present.
It is also a reminder that every day matters. We don't know how many walks we have left, how many conversations, how many sunsets, or how many ordinary moments will eventually become the memories we treasure most.
And perhaps that is why this book arrived when it did.
It came to me at a time when I had literally run out of books—and when walking had become such an important part of my own life.
What began as a friend's thoughtful solution to my “literary crisis” turned into something much more meaningful. Thank you, Jody. ♥️
An easy-to-read, captivating, thoughtful, and heartfelt memoir that reminded me to slow down, pay attention, appreciate my community, and keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Highly recommended.
One last thing…
I don't want the following trigger warnings to dissuade anyone from taking this journey, because the author presents these difficult experiences with great sensitivity and care. Still, readers should be aware that the memoir addresses physical, sexual, and mental child abuse and deprivation.
This book, and my experience reading it, became deeply personal.
On July 13, 2026, I posted on Facebook about what I jokingly called my “literary crisis.” For someone who reads or re-visits books as much as I do, I had somehow managed to run out of them. The two sets of bookends on my dresser—the cat bookends holding books donated to my Little Free Library Shed that I wanted to read before passing them along, and the horse bookends holding library books with their ticking due dates—were both doing an excellent job of holding up absolutely nothing.
Not one book.
I had even resorted to browsing my own collection of self-help books for entertainment. 😝
Thankfully, the library was opening that Tuesday, so I knew hope was on the horizon.
One of my good friends saw my post and insisted on sending me a book written by her friend. On July 26, it arrived.
That book was this one.
The first thing that caught my attention was the beautiful cover and, especially, the subtitle: “A Memoir in Walks.”
What a concept.
A memoir told through walking experiences that heal.
And I immediately knew I could relate.
One of the most important parts of my day is walking with my husband and our Cardigan corgis, Oliver and Oscar, at least twice a day. That ritual has become particularly meaningful through my own cancer journey.
When I first became ill, I could hardly walk a mile, because of the shortness of breath I was experiencing. Now, I look forward to longer distance walks daily —the nature, the neighbors, the beach, the parks, the sense of community, and all the wonderful conversations that happen along the way.
So, as I began reading, I found myself wondering: What could I learn from this author about something that has become so important in my own life?
Quite a lot.
Over seven years and 15 pairs of shoes, the author found herself fulfilling what she set out to do when she declared to her wife: she would walk every street in their home county of Santa Cruz, California.
What began as walking became something much larger.
As she shares, step by step and block by block, she discovered her community—and, in the process, found pieces of herself. Her walks brought encounters with neighbors, memories of family, moments of joy and sorrow, and opportunities to revisit experiences that had shaped her.
Some memories brought smiles. Others brought tears. But together, they created something she needed: a sense of healing, understanding, and well-being. Something she could share with her siblings, as she began to write this book.
I found myself thinking about my own neighborhood walks with my husband, along with Oliver and Oscar. Oliver’s tail typically goes up when he realizes we are getting close to one of his dog friends’ houses. Sure enough, his “girlfriend,” Leah, pops her head over the balcony to greet the boys—and us—with a welcome bark.
Then there are the other little discoveries: watching house renovations take shape, new homes being built, noticing children grow up, seeing familiar faces, meeting new neighbors. Things that might seem insignificant when rushing through a day suddenly become meaningful when you are walking slowly enough to notice them.
The author understands that transformation.
“Step by step, block by block, my understanding of my community begins to expand.”
That line captures so much of what this book is about.
There is also something understandably honest about the way the pandemic changed how many of us connect with one another. I used to meet friends for meals and tea breaks. Now, more often than not, we meet for a walk. There is something comforting about walking and talking—being outside, moving together, noticing the world around us, and simply appreciating the moment.
The author found that same kind of connection. Her walks became an invigorating exploration of her neighborhood, but also an exploration of family, memory, identity, and herself.
And perhaps that is what resonated with me most.
Walking is not simply about getting from one place to another. Sometimes it gives us the space to process what we have survived, appreciate where we are, and recognize how much beauty exists in the ordinary moments around us.
The author writes beautifully about silence, “resonance, and space within which to experience attunement with the natural world.” Her descriptions are so vivid that photographs aren't necessary. I could see the places she walked, feel the changing landscapes, and understand why those miles became so meaningful.
This is a story about healthy self-discovery, healing, family, community, and learning to be present.
It is also a reminder that every day matters. We don't know how many walks we have left, how many conversations, how many sunsets, or how many ordinary moments will eventually become the memories we treasure most.
And perhaps that is why this book arrived when it did.
It came to me at a time when I had literally run out of books—and when walking had become such an important part of my own life.
What began as a friend's thoughtful solution to my “literary crisis” turned into something much more meaningful. Thank you, Jody. ♥️
An easy-to-read, captivating, thoughtful, and heartfelt memoir that reminded me to slow down, pay attention, appreciate my community, and keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Highly recommended.
One last thing…
I don't want the following trigger warnings to dissuade anyone from taking this journey, because the author presents these difficult experiences with great sensitivity and care. Still, readers should be aware that the memoir addresses physical, sexual, and mental child abuse and deprivation.
September 12, 2026
I discovered this book through the most beautiful review from my GR friend Karen.
Here is her review link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
After reading her heartfelt review, I just had to read this.
I have always been an avid hiker and walker. It is where I center myself, especially in nature. I inherited this love from my father. He is living with us as I help care for him with his dementia. My husband and I have not been doing our hikes or neighborhood walks very often, but decided to get back into it. As we began, I started reading this story, and it shook me.
Angelica Glass decided that she would walk her entire city block by block. Through her walks, she revisits memories that are both joyful and harrowing. She also begins to discover her community, and the strength to look at her past and begin healing and step into hope.
There is so much that she experiences in the years it took to walk all the blocks. Seeing change in the scenery, meeting new faces, rediscovering the joy of the little things.
This resounded with me. As my father looses time on a daily basis, I find I am in grief already. However, this book helped me to see that my walks and love of them are a gift from this man. So now, we take all the pictures when we walk- whether it is in the woods, or park, or even the neighborhood. Then we come home and share them with my father- which always leads to stories and memories. I may not have a lot of time to have these talks with him, but this is where we connect most. And I will be able to look back on the pictures of my walks and have a treasure trove of memories of him to add to the ones of when I was a child.
Thank you, Karen for reviewing this book. It is has a treasured spot on my special shelf!
Highly recommend this to anyone. Cherish all the moments- big and small.
Here is her review link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
After reading her heartfelt review, I just had to read this.
I have always been an avid hiker and walker. It is where I center myself, especially in nature. I inherited this love from my father. He is living with us as I help care for him with his dementia. My husband and I have not been doing our hikes or neighborhood walks very often, but decided to get back into it. As we began, I started reading this story, and it shook me.
Angelica Glass decided that she would walk her entire city block by block. Through her walks, she revisits memories that are both joyful and harrowing. She also begins to discover her community, and the strength to look at her past and begin healing and step into hope.
There is so much that she experiences in the years it took to walk all the blocks. Seeing change in the scenery, meeting new faces, rediscovering the joy of the little things.
This resounded with me. As my father looses time on a daily basis, I find I am in grief already. However, this book helped me to see that my walks and love of them are a gift from this man. So now, we take all the pictures when we walk- whether it is in the woods, or park, or even the neighborhood. Then we come home and share them with my father- which always leads to stories and memories. I may not have a lot of time to have these talks with him, but this is where we connect most. And I will be able to look back on the pictures of my walks and have a treasure trove of memories of him to add to the ones of when I was a child.
Thank you, Karen for reviewing this book. It is has a treasured spot on my special shelf!
Highly recommend this to anyone. Cherish all the moments- big and small.
May 13, 2026
This was an upsetting yet hopeful memoir. The author set a personal goal of walking every street in Santa Cruz county. As she gets deeper into the project, she takes up photography and starts to see the world differently through her new hobby. I loved that the beauty of nature opened her up to safely explore her troubled past, coming to terms with some of it and better understanding the rest.
Glass had a very difficult childhood. She and her many siblings were poorly cared for, abused in various ways, and neglected. She eventually became a social worker, and I appreciated hearing her thoughts about her family’s dynamics from both a professional and an emotional POV. This is a sad and unsettling read, but it also contains so much room for grace. Recommended.
Thank you to the NetGalley and Riverhead Books for allowing me to read an ARC of this title.
Glass had a very difficult childhood. She and her many siblings were poorly cared for, abused in various ways, and neglected. She eventually became a social worker, and I appreciated hearing her thoughts about her family’s dynamics from both a professional and an emotional POV. This is a sad and unsettling read, but it also contains so much room for grace. Recommended.
Thank you to the NetGalley and Riverhead Books for allowing me to read an ARC of this title.
September 21, 2026
Homage to Jesse Burgess. 3 1/2 stars.
September 6, 2026
How could I not enjoy this memoir. I love walking and hiking, nature and the great outdoors in general, and love photography. I deeply invested in the LGBTQ community which is front and center in her life.
On audiobook, it is narrated by the author. I wasn’t sure if I liked having an author narrating her own book but once I got used to her method and voice, I found having her narrate her own book was exactly how it should be to personalize and get me involved in her journey.
There are some triggers in her memoir as you might expect from an extremely, abusive childhood. My heart goes out to her and all her siblings (8 kids born to parents who didn’t want to be parents). Seriously messed up adults.
The love that the author has for her siblings, children, and her wife, along with her career choice is wonderful.
How brave she is for her honesty and outpouring of her feelings, experiences, and difficulties.
Bravo!
PS Loved her photography enjoyment and storytelling.
On audiobook, it is narrated by the author. I wasn’t sure if I liked having an author narrating her own book but once I got used to her method and voice, I found having her narrate her own book was exactly how it should be to personalize and get me involved in her journey.
There are some triggers in her memoir as you might expect from an extremely, abusive childhood. My heart goes out to her and all her siblings (8 kids born to parents who didn’t want to be parents). Seriously messed up adults.
The love that the author has for her siblings, children, and her wife, along with her career choice is wonderful.
How brave she is for her honesty and outpouring of her feelings, experiences, and difficulties.
Bravo!
PS Loved her photography enjoyment and storytelling.
June 20, 2026
Thank you NetGalley and Riverhead Books for the ARC of Angelica Glass' memoir, "Scavenging Beauty."
In "Scavenging Beauty," Angelica Glass ruminates on the many phases of her life over hundreds of miles walked through Santa Cruz County, California. She relives a childhood spent with violent, disengaged parents, finding herself and her way as a teenager and young adult, and settling into a fulfilling life with a wife and children. Over the miles walked, Glass reflects on the understanding that while our past makes us who we are, it does not define us, and if we are able to accept the past, we can create a beautiful and fulfilling future for ourselves.
Walking is a meditation for Glass. Sometimes with a partner, but often alone, walking allows Glass the freedom to remember without distraction, I know that when I take a long walk, after a bit the chatter in my mind stops and I begin to pay more attention to birdsong, crickets and cicadas, to the splash and purl of the river beside the walking path. Poems are born in that not-quite-silent quiet, memories reflected on. I walk a familiar loop; Glass makes her walking meditations and reflections an adventure, exploring every road in the county she resides in.
Parts of this book are heartbreaking. No child should have to endure the abuse and neglect that Glass and her siblings did. It is that childhood that led Glass to become a social worker and serve others. Glass is forthright about the childhood abuse she experienced, so sensitive readers may wish to proceed with caution. Otherwise, "Scavenging Beauty" is well worth the read, perhaps followed by a long contemplative walk.
In "Scavenging Beauty," Angelica Glass ruminates on the many phases of her life over hundreds of miles walked through Santa Cruz County, California. She relives a childhood spent with violent, disengaged parents, finding herself and her way as a teenager and young adult, and settling into a fulfilling life with a wife and children. Over the miles walked, Glass reflects on the understanding that while our past makes us who we are, it does not define us, and if we are able to accept the past, we can create a beautiful and fulfilling future for ourselves.
Walking is a meditation for Glass. Sometimes with a partner, but often alone, walking allows Glass the freedom to remember without distraction, I know that when I take a long walk, after a bit the chatter in my mind stops and I begin to pay more attention to birdsong, crickets and cicadas, to the splash and purl of the river beside the walking path. Poems are born in that not-quite-silent quiet, memories reflected on. I walk a familiar loop; Glass makes her walking meditations and reflections an adventure, exploring every road in the county she resides in.
Parts of this book are heartbreaking. No child should have to endure the abuse and neglect that Glass and her siblings did. It is that childhood that led Glass to become a social worker and serve others. Glass is forthright about the childhood abuse she experienced, so sensitive readers may wish to proceed with caution. Otherwise, "Scavenging Beauty" is well worth the read, perhaps followed by a long contemplative walk.
Want to Read
June 7, 2026As someone who worked through a lot of personal issues through movement & falling in love with exercise, this immediately called out to me. I'm a little worried it'll be too hot to take my own daily walks when this book comes out, though. 😰
Click here to hear more about this book and my other anticipated releases of the upcoming quarter over on my Booktube channel, abookolive!
Click here to hear more about this book and my other anticipated releases of the upcoming quarter over on my Booktube channel, abookolive!
August 3, 2026
Just over a dozen years ago, California social worker Angelica Glass casually remarked to her wife that she was planning to walk every street in their home county of Santa Cruz --- urban, rural, desert, forest, wasteland, beachfront, all of it. The journey began in 2013, lasted seven years and 15 pairs of shoes, and eventually gave birth to her compelling memoir, SCAVENGING BEAUTY.
Those hundreds of miles on foot weren’t simply about doing something memorable for its own sake. It was only when the project was well underway that Glass, middle-aged and at the peak of a successful career, began sifting through reawakened memories of a dysfunctional and traumatic childhood that her adult self had never quite come to terms with.
As someone professionally dedicated to helping victims of trauma and domestic abuse restore their identities and lives, Glass had lived most of hers in survival mode, lacking much of the help she was trained to give others.
Born into a family of eight children with a relentlessly abusive, mentally ill mother (later diagnosed with bipolar disorder) and an alcoholic father, Glass and her siblings never experienced how “normal” middle-class American households lived until their high school years. Daily life outside the home and developing social connections began revealing startling and frightening contrasts between their well-dressed, regularly fed friends and the dirty, feral, academically indifferent Glass children, who were often teased by classmates and publicly rebuked by teachers.
Through long hours of recuperative walking, Glass finally found a safe environment in which to probe the darker and more painful memories that surrounded her childhood, adolescence and much of her early adulthood. She soon took to recording her impressions and reflecting on what had surfaced. Those notes and memories eventually would coalesce into SCAVENGING BEAUTY.
Given the underlying framework of a populous California county with nearly 300,000 residents and 1,295 officially mapped streets (although Glass did find a few uncharted ones), this book is anything but a walking-tour kind of guide. She names a few streets and roads, but they are merely a catalyst for an ever-changing series of human and natural environments that sharpened her physical senses, tested her endurance, and opened closed or even unused parts of her mind to new awareness.
Usually walking alone, over time Glass became less fearful of what the recesses of her memory might reveal and began experiencing little epiphanies between the footsteps --- moments of understanding, resolution and even closure on traumas that would be appalling if any of our children experienced them.
Another crucial element that makes SCAVENGING BEAUTY so powerful is the pictures. Actually, there are no pictures in the book at all. The reader has to imagine them, which surprisingly didn’t feel like a shortcoming at all.
When Glass discovered as a confused and restless teen how to use a manual camera, photography became a way of seeing and processing the world on her own terms, and it was a vital interpretive tool on every walk. She describes how gratifying it was to find just the right image to capture the essence of every street she explored. Perhaps photography could be the subject of a future book.
Another unusual, but in this case essential, facet of SCAVENGING BEAUTY was that Glass courageously decided to make it a collaborative effort. Although she is the sole author, she interviewed all of her siblings to ensure that some of the most foundational memories were corroborated by those who also lived them with her.
As each chapter of the book was completed, Glass read it to them in online meetings. Since the eight sisters and brothers were born across a span of nearly two decades, there were a number of revelations that they shared for the first time. But all of them supported her work. How many families would be brave enough to do this?
As brilliant and transformative as SCAVENGING BEAUTY is, it does contain some very visceral descriptions of physical, sexual and mental child abuse and deprivation. But once warned, the vast majority of readers will come away, as I did, with feelings of gratitude, appreciation and even resolution for how our own imperfect but unique lives turned out. Ten thumbs up for this one.
Reviewed by Pauline Finch
Those hundreds of miles on foot weren’t simply about doing something memorable for its own sake. It was only when the project was well underway that Glass, middle-aged and at the peak of a successful career, began sifting through reawakened memories of a dysfunctional and traumatic childhood that her adult self had never quite come to terms with.
As someone professionally dedicated to helping victims of trauma and domestic abuse restore their identities and lives, Glass had lived most of hers in survival mode, lacking much of the help she was trained to give others.
Born into a family of eight children with a relentlessly abusive, mentally ill mother (later diagnosed with bipolar disorder) and an alcoholic father, Glass and her siblings never experienced how “normal” middle-class American households lived until their high school years. Daily life outside the home and developing social connections began revealing startling and frightening contrasts between their well-dressed, regularly fed friends and the dirty, feral, academically indifferent Glass children, who were often teased by classmates and publicly rebuked by teachers.
Through long hours of recuperative walking, Glass finally found a safe environment in which to probe the darker and more painful memories that surrounded her childhood, adolescence and much of her early adulthood. She soon took to recording her impressions and reflecting on what had surfaced. Those notes and memories eventually would coalesce into SCAVENGING BEAUTY.
Given the underlying framework of a populous California county with nearly 300,000 residents and 1,295 officially mapped streets (although Glass did find a few uncharted ones), this book is anything but a walking-tour kind of guide. She names a few streets and roads, but they are merely a catalyst for an ever-changing series of human and natural environments that sharpened her physical senses, tested her endurance, and opened closed or even unused parts of her mind to new awareness.
Usually walking alone, over time Glass became less fearful of what the recesses of her memory might reveal and began experiencing little epiphanies between the footsteps --- moments of understanding, resolution and even closure on traumas that would be appalling if any of our children experienced them.
Another crucial element that makes SCAVENGING BEAUTY so powerful is the pictures. Actually, there are no pictures in the book at all. The reader has to imagine them, which surprisingly didn’t feel like a shortcoming at all.
When Glass discovered as a confused and restless teen how to use a manual camera, photography became a way of seeing and processing the world on her own terms, and it was a vital interpretive tool on every walk. She describes how gratifying it was to find just the right image to capture the essence of every street she explored. Perhaps photography could be the subject of a future book.
Another unusual, but in this case essential, facet of SCAVENGING BEAUTY was that Glass courageously decided to make it a collaborative effort. Although she is the sole author, she interviewed all of her siblings to ensure that some of the most foundational memories were corroborated by those who also lived them with her.
As each chapter of the book was completed, Glass read it to them in online meetings. Since the eight sisters and brothers were born across a span of nearly two decades, there were a number of revelations that they shared for the first time. But all of them supported her work. How many families would be brave enough to do this?
As brilliant and transformative as SCAVENGING BEAUTY is, it does contain some very visceral descriptions of physical, sexual and mental child abuse and deprivation. But once warned, the vast majority of readers will come away, as I did, with feelings of gratitude, appreciation and even resolution for how our own imperfect but unique lives turned out. Ten thumbs up for this one.
Reviewed by Pauline Finch
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Full Disclosure: I received an advance copy of this book for a pre-release review. Book obtained courtesy of the publisher.
Angelica Glass manages to capture so much raw truth and healing through a literal and nostalgic lens as she shares her beautiful and tragic memoir in “Scavenging Beauty.” As she embarks on a journey to help combat the stress of years as a social worker by walking the streets of Santa Cruz, documented with photographs along the way, she discovers more than just the healing power of the physical nature that surrounds her. As she travels down different roads, memories from her heartbreaking childhood are triggered and flood her mind as she starts to look at them through the eyes of an adult who has now experienced motherhood, various personal and professional relationships, victories, and loss. Her story is a bittersweet tapestry woven together by harsh childhood tribulations, including abuse and neglect, and new realizations that can only develop through time and experience. Not only are you accompanying her on wonderfully descriptive strolls through some of the most breathtaking parts of California’s illustrious Santa Cruz, but you are also taken down memory lane as she revisits her past and reprocesses various traumatic events. Even though the reality is harsh as you learn more about what she endured as a child and teenager, she has a way of infusing hope as she clearly has overcome many obstacles to get to the vantage point of the present to be able to look back with a different level of understanding and acceptance. Her story reminds us of the strength of the human spirit to endure often unfair and cruel hands that we are dealt. This story resonates with me on several levels and reminds me of things my own mother has shared about her childhood. Glass takes her trauma and allows healing to flow through her words as she allows vulnerability to guide her towards peace and forgiveness, including for herself. This was a very captivating and compelling reading experience. She is beyond inspiring and I hope she writes more books in years to come.
Thank you to Riverhead Books for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.
Angelica Glass manages to capture so much raw truth and healing through a literal and nostalgic lens as she shares her beautiful and tragic memoir in “Scavenging Beauty.” As she embarks on a journey to help combat the stress of years as a social worker by walking the streets of Santa Cruz, documented with photographs along the way, she discovers more than just the healing power of the physical nature that surrounds her. As she travels down different roads, memories from her heartbreaking childhood are triggered and flood her mind as she starts to look at them through the eyes of an adult who has now experienced motherhood, various personal and professional relationships, victories, and loss. Her story is a bittersweet tapestry woven together by harsh childhood tribulations, including abuse and neglect, and new realizations that can only develop through time and experience. Not only are you accompanying her on wonderfully descriptive strolls through some of the most breathtaking parts of California’s illustrious Santa Cruz, but you are also taken down memory lane as she revisits her past and reprocesses various traumatic events. Even though the reality is harsh as you learn more about what she endured as a child and teenager, she has a way of infusing hope as she clearly has overcome many obstacles to get to the vantage point of the present to be able to look back with a different level of understanding and acceptance. Her story reminds us of the strength of the human spirit to endure often unfair and cruel hands that we are dealt. This story resonates with me on several levels and reminds me of things my own mother has shared about her childhood. Glass takes her trauma and allows healing to flow through her words as she allows vulnerability to guide her towards peace and forgiveness, including for herself. This was a very captivating and compelling reading experience. She is beyond inspiring and I hope she writes more books in years to come.
Thank you to Riverhead Books for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
In some ways, I feel like this book was written for me. The details might be different, but the framework is eerily similar. The book follows the author as she traverses every road in Santa Cruz,CA over the course of years. As she does so, she meditates on, and tries to work through, the memories and trauma of growing up in a dysfunctional home filled with abuse, addiction, and chaos. The author and I are of a similar age. She lives and works in Santa Cruz, and I was raised in Santa Cruz (Felton, specifically). She came from an abusive home, as did I. She attempts to manage some of her emotions through walking, and I, having never learned how to drive, must walk everywhere whether I like it or not. Reading about her childhood, was so immersive for me. The era (the 70s), the roads (ones that I have walked a million times before), the family dynamics (often insane), and even some of the events I was either at or knew someone who was. The Love Creek Flood of '82? I was there. Wading in water up to my hips, as I tried to get my Grandmother out of her house. The guy who murdered his pregnant girlfriend in 2006? I went to school with him from the 2nd grade until we graduated from high school. (And let's just say, I was not surprised by what he did. He was so unkind to me in school.) Lest I lead you to believe that this book is all doom and gloom, it's not. There are many lighthearted moments, as well as profound moments of joy as the author fully immerses herself in the flora and fauna that surround her. She has a passion for capturing these moments with her camera, and sharing what she was thinking at the moment she took the shot. Fans of books by Gladys Taber, will delight in Glass' focused detail on the physical world and all the wonders it holds, if we only choose to pay attention to it. ** This ARC was provided to me by NetGalley, but all opinions are my own.
September 6, 2026
I love books about walking, and the author's idea of walking every single street of her town resonated with my sometimes tendency to be thorough almost to the point of OCD. But when she gets into it, there's no grid map or consecutive naming of streets. There must have been some sort of plan for covering every highway and byway, but that's not what the book is about as it evolves away from a discussion of the realization of her plan to a focus on the things that pass through her head as she walks and the bits of beauty that she observes along the way. That's very much how I would do it too. The great joy of walking combines the pleasure of being present in the world around you and with the opportunity to let your mind fly off into the clouds. Her thoughts are mostly focused on recovering memories, healing and connections to family, which makes sense for a book which is, as the subtitle says, a memoir in walks.
But there are so many ways in which Ms. Glass is a totally different person from me. From her traumatic childhood to her sexuality to her super close relationships with her adult brothers and sisters to her turn toward reading and learning after years of educational failure to her commitment to a helping profession, it's a very different life experience from my own. The turn of her thoughts curves off away from mine in so many ways. But still she grounds her life on a set of core values that I respect and strive to practice - building and maintaining strong relationships, family, respect for other people and the importance of human connection. She's probably a lot better at those things than I am, so I felt that I had much to learn from her that was better absorbed by letting her thoughts and memories roll over me than could ever be achieved by a catalog of values or a list of the streets that she walked.
But there are so many ways in which Ms. Glass is a totally different person from me. From her traumatic childhood to her sexuality to her super close relationships with her adult brothers and sisters to her turn toward reading and learning after years of educational failure to her commitment to a helping profession, it's a very different life experience from my own. The turn of her thoughts curves off away from mine in so many ways. But still she grounds her life on a set of core values that I respect and strive to practice - building and maintaining strong relationships, family, respect for other people and the importance of human connection. She's probably a lot better at those things than I am, so I felt that I had much to learn from her that was better absorbed by letting her thoughts and memories roll over me than could ever be achieved by a catalog of values or a list of the streets that she walked.
August 28, 2026
What a beautifully written, sometimes lyrical life story about the healing power of walking, nature, books, and song. Her mother had a mental illness and was sometimes abusive. Even in the two parent home, she and her seven siblings were often left to care for one other. Many of the reflections occur during her self assigned project to walk all of the streets in Santa Cruz County, California. Some run along the Pacific coast beaches and rugged forest sections. She’s observant of details, seeing the world through a photographer’s eye.
I related to Glass when she talks about withdrawing quietly into a corner to read. Her love of books sustained her during a difficult childhood, a passion that continues into adulthood.
One thing the family shared was a common passion for music. Here’s an example of her powerful way with language: “ Singing conveys history in the language of emotion . . . If we were ever happy as a family, it was in these moments spontaneously breaking into song as we sat in our living room, cramped in a vehicle full of camping gear, or gathered around a popping fire singing into the dark.”
Let me repeat that: “Singing conveys history in the language of emotion.”
Book Riot recommended this as an audiobook. Glass is an excellent narrator of her own story. I’m glad I read it in this format.
I related to Glass when she talks about withdrawing quietly into a corner to read. Her love of books sustained her during a difficult childhood, a passion that continues into adulthood.
One thing the family shared was a common passion for music. Here’s an example of her powerful way with language: “ Singing conveys history in the language of emotion . . . If we were ever happy as a family, it was in these moments spontaneously breaking into song as we sat in our living room, cramped in a vehicle full of camping gear, or gathered around a popping fire singing into the dark.”
Let me repeat that: “Singing conveys history in the language of emotion.”
Book Riot recommended this as an audiobook. Glass is an excellent narrator of her own story. I’m glad I read it in this format.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Scavenging Beauty is a breathtaking exploration of resilience, memory, and unexpected grace. When Angelica Glass sets out to walk every road in Santa Cruz County, her early morning journeys evolve into a pilgrimage through her turbulent past with seven siblings and abusive parents. Seamlessly weaving memoir with California’s natural and cultural history, Glass crafts a profound and captivating narrative. Her prose—lyrical, sharp, and often darkly humorous— proves that even scavenged life can be made beautiful.
July 26, 2026
This is more a memoir than a book about walking. It was my error in selecting it, but reading it, even partially, introduced me to Rebecca Solnit's book Wanderlust: A History of Walking. So for that I am grateful.
July 27, 2026
Not what I was expecting, looking for gentle walks, this is a dark reality I wasn't prepared for, thus did not enjoy... I think everyone's memoir is special and courageous, wrong timing for me, right now I need escapism, not harsh realities.
August 31, 2026
Finished this at same time I finished Furious, the tv series starring Emmy Rossum, and The Butterfly Girl (Naomi Cottle #2) by Rene Denfeld. Little did I know that I was starting a triumvirate of works about child abuse despite the disparate formats.
Did Not Finish
July 14, 202641%
September 18, 2026
Please read this book. I have to take a break, that was so beautiful.
October 2, 2026
It was all about her life, growing up in disfunctional situations, her insights as she walked along familiar and unfamiliar streets in Santa Cruz.
August 22, 2026
Listened to the audiobook. Narration was ok. I totally understand and believe in the healing power and benefits of walking outside in nature as it personally saved me when I experienced my own trauma however this book just felt awkward to me. Some of her childhood memories regarding her mother were rough to hear but overall the story itself wasn’t impactful.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Full Disclosure: I am acquainted with the author and was provided with an advance copy of this book by a friend.
One evening in 2013 Angelica Glass eased herself into a hot bath in an attempt to unwind after a long, taxing day of child welfare social work when an idea popped into her head: to walk the length of every street and road in Santa Cruz County. So begins not just a physical journey but a spiritual and emotional one. After gaining the support of her wife and two sons, Angelica embarks on a muti-year exploration of forests, meadows, towns, villages, hamlets, creeks, rivers, and beaches, sometimes rising as early as 5:00 am to complete planned routes. The walks sharpen her powers of observation and she develops serious skills as a photographer in order to capture and document the wondrous and beautiful plants, animals, and (some) humans she encounters. The descriptions of these daily treks are engaging enough on their own, but this is also the story of Angelica’s childhood and early adult life. As she walks, memories, some long suppressed, come forward to be acknowledged and examined. One of eight children (she was number 6) born to a mom and dad who were ill-equipped to be the parents of such a multitude, she, along with her siblings, endured years of physical and verbal abuse as well as profound neglect. They managed, in spite of the chaos, to make it through to adulthood, with the older siblings often helping to parent the younger, but not without much pain, grief, and suffering. All this is told in vivid detail and these are difficult passages for the reader. Angelica really bares her soul. But through her stories we see that it is possible to emerge from trauma strong and healthy, though it is not a straight path and requires time, commitment, and determination. This book is a testament to various healing powers: of nature, of families and friends, and of forgiveness.
One evening in 2013 Angelica Glass eased herself into a hot bath in an attempt to unwind after a long, taxing day of child welfare social work when an idea popped into her head: to walk the length of every street and road in Santa Cruz County. So begins not just a physical journey but a spiritual and emotional one. After gaining the support of her wife and two sons, Angelica embarks on a muti-year exploration of forests, meadows, towns, villages, hamlets, creeks, rivers, and beaches, sometimes rising as early as 5:00 am to complete planned routes. The walks sharpen her powers of observation and she develops serious skills as a photographer in order to capture and document the wondrous and beautiful plants, animals, and (some) humans she encounters. The descriptions of these daily treks are engaging enough on their own, but this is also the story of Angelica’s childhood and early adult life. As she walks, memories, some long suppressed, come forward to be acknowledged and examined. One of eight children (she was number 6) born to a mom and dad who were ill-equipped to be the parents of such a multitude, she, along with her siblings, endured years of physical and verbal abuse as well as profound neglect. They managed, in spite of the chaos, to make it through to adulthood, with the older siblings often helping to parent the younger, but not without much pain, grief, and suffering. All this is told in vivid detail and these are difficult passages for the reader. Angelica really bares her soul. But through her stories we see that it is possible to emerge from trauma strong and healthy, though it is not a straight path and requires time, commitment, and determination. This book is a testament to various healing powers: of nature, of families and friends, and of forgiveness.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews