Stealing

A Novel

By: Margaret Verble

Narrated by: DeLanna Studi

“This powerful novel should join classics like Ernest J. Gaines’s The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, Helena Maria Viramontes’s Under the Feet of Jesus, and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.”—New York Times Book Review

A gripping, gut-punch of a novel about a Cherokee child removed from her family and sent to a Christian boarding school in the 1950s—an ambitious, eye-opening reckoning of history and small-town prejudices from Pulitzer Prize finalist Margaret Verble.

Kit Crockett lives on a farm with her grief-stricken, widowed father, tending the garden, fishing in a local stream, and reading Nancy Drew mysteries from the library bookmobile. One day, Kit discovers a mysterious and beautiful woman has moved in just down the road.

Kit and the newcomer, Bella, become friends, and the lonely Kit draws comfort from her. But when a malicious neighbor finds out, Kit suddenly finds herself at the center of a tragic, fatal crime and becomes a ward of the court. Her Cherokee family wants to raise her, but the righteous Christians in town instead send her to a religious boarding school. Kit’s heritage is attacked, and she’s subjected to religious indoctrination and other forms of abuse. But Kit secretly keeps a journal recounting what she remembers—and revealing just what she has forgotten. Over the course of Stealing, she unravels the truth of how she ended up at the school and plots a way out. If only she can make her plan work in time.

In swift, sharp, and stunning prose, Margaret Verble spins a powerful coming-of-age tale and reaffirms her place as an indelible storyteller and chronicler of history.

Beautiful and heartbreaking.

Gripping and important story, with wonderful and engaging characters.
So much of the history of the U.S. has been hidden, and it is authors like Ms. Verble who help bring it out in the open.

Margaret Verble, master storyteller

Stealing is a compelling story of a native girl in eastern Oklahoma who liberates herself from abuse. Beautifully written and beautifully narrated. Margaret Verble is a master story teller.

Ended too soon.

I thought it was interesting. There a lot of truth in the story. Native children were stolen from their families and many suffered horrible abuse. I would like to have read more, seeing justice given to the abusers.

The mindset of the little girl

I liked how she dealt with people and family around her - both the good and the bad.

Unforgettable Character and Story

Kit Crockett is a character you won't soon forget. She narrates this coming of age story through flashbacks to the life she had before she was removed from her Cheorokee family and sent to a Christian residential school. She is a smart and resourceful child whose innocence is stolen from her when tragedy strikes. We come to learn of the circumstances surrounding her removal to the boarding school and the abuse (including sexual abuse) she endures before and during her stay there. Margaret Verble has written a powerful story. To me, the ending was a bit unsatisfying but overall it was well worth listening to/reading. The performance was stellar. DeLanna Studi perfectly captures the voice of Kit.