“A story about finding beauty in the darkest places.”

Myrl Talkington

Myrl Talkington is the author of Walk the Pretty Way Home, a powerful memoir that explores the search for beauty in life’s darkest places. Raised in the backwoods of rural Oklahoma, Myrl’s childhood was shaped by isolation and hardship under the control of her father, an abusive and radical preacher.

Walk the Pretty Way Home

Walk the Pretty Way Home is an extraordinary memoir about finding beauty in dark places. Myrl Talkington recounts her experiences growing up in poverty in the backwoods of Oklahoma after her father, an abusive radical preacher, moves Myrl, her terminally ill mother, and six siblings (one of whom was also abusive) to a remote farmland to avoid sending her mother for tuberculosis treatment. Myrl must fight to make her faith her own, rather than the twisted faith of her father, in order to stay focused on “the pretty road” while enduring neglect and abuse. A story of bravery and resilience, Talkington’s poignant and often humorous memoir will make readers laugh, cry, and stand behind Myrl as she finds her voice in a world that attempts to silence her … and discovers that although God’s judgment may be fearsome, His grace is abundant.

This book would make a beautiful movie! It is an inspirational true story of a little girl with all the disadvantages of a down trodden childhood, but never gives up. Seeing the bright side of most good and beautiful in her life, she learns to navigate her way through, always thinking of her family and seeing the beauty wherever life’s situations take her. Her tenacity and faith brings her to a wonderful life of beauty. This memoir is a must to read. To be positive and grateful, helpful to others, and her faithfulness, is a good reminder to us all to see that it is the best way to live, no matter the circumstances. I 💕 love this book.

If you loved the theme of resilience in memoirs like Educated, The Glass Castle, or Hillbilly Elegy, you will love this book! The writer’s voice is honest, vulnerable, and often hilarious as she retells much of her story from a coming-of-age perspective. It’s tasteful, but she doesn’t hide the darkness of her past. Her trauma is matched by her joy — you will be amazed that she finds a road leading away from fear and shame…and toward self-reliance, deep joy, genuine faith, and surprising compassion. Highly recommend!

The book grips you from the prologue and then takes an immediate plunge into a world whose grit and grime creeps into your imagination. The quick chapters catch you up in what seems like a series of tall tales but are all too real for the author. The young heroine is such a scamp, handling heart rending circumstances with daring and a strong determined sense of self. A longing for beauty infuses her life with hope and an inner conviction that her horizons will change, that God's promises although seen through a warped lens can ultimately be depended upon.

What an amazing book. The challenges faced in life but kept moving forward. In a time we're in this book brought light into this dark world.

I have just finished “Walk the Pretty Way Home” and could not put it down! What an inspiring book! Truly one of the best I’ve ever read! ! God’s hand is all over this story. You‘Ll laugh, cry, be angry, but so proud of this gutsy little girl who pulls herself out of the most awful circumstances imaginable to become a successful decorator.

{ 5 Stars }

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Myrl Talkington

Walk the Pretty Way Home

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