Reviews

Praise for The Joy Document

• “With authenticity, McGaha shares her daily life and the joy she finds in it. This title will
  inspire readers to pause with a new sense of awareness that every moment can provide an
  opportunity for self-discovery and gratitude when approached with openness and
  loyalty.” — Library Journal

• “Finding beauty and joy in the world at a time of life when we’re ripe for renewal and
  growth.” — AARP

• “McGaha’s lyrical prose lends depth to life’s seemingly forgettable moments.”
  — Publishers Weekly

• “In a culture that fears aging and perpetuates ideals of youthfulness over valuing the
  elderly, The Joy Document offers wisdom that honors the process of growing older. I
  admire Jennifer McGaha’s insight on embracing life’s simple moments with gratitude and
  joy. Despite facing loss and navigating through challenging times like a global crisis,
  there’s still opportunity to find joy in the here and now.” — Rainie Howard, author of The
  Love Habit and host of The Rainie Howard Show

• “With her beautiful storytelling, Jennifer McGaha inspires us to join her in creating a
  light-filled life. Through a commitment to curiosity, to mindful noticing, to gratitude, to
  joyful celebration, she epitomizes what it means to be a radiant rebel!” — Karen
  Walrond, author of Radiant Rebellion and The Lightmaker’s Manifesto

• “Jennifer McGaha is that trail partner who calls you back when you’ve marched ahead, to
  show you a lady slipper hidden under a fern. Her joys will open your eyes to your own.”
  — Heather Newton, author of The Puppeteer’s Daughters

• “This delightful book of essays is infused with wisdom and light. McGaha’s style, forged
  from her Appalachian roots, the music that fuels her forest runs, and a lifetime shared
  with beloved family and animals– goats, dogs, opossum, and deer–brings to mind the
  work of Brian Doyle, Anne Lamott and Margaret Renkl. Humor, wordplay, and honest
  asides pepper the pages. The Joy Document challenges each of us to look for beauty and
  kindness in what surrounds and perhaps confronts us. For me, reading it was soul
  medicine.” — Karen Luke Jackson, author of If You Choose To Come and The View Ever
  Changing

Praise for Bushwhacking

• “McGaha makes a very convincing argument that in order to understand the unknown writers
  must get up from the desk, go outside, and step into it.” —Wiley Cash, New York Times
  bestselling author of When Ghosts Come Home
  
• “This wondrous book focuses on the importance of writing, the necessity of using words to
  connect us to our world—especially the natural world…She shows that the only authentic
  choice is to write—as she herself does—beautifully, fearlessly, absorbing the world around
  you.“ —Sue William Silverman, author of How to Survive Death and Other Inconveniences
  

• “Bushwhacking is rich with the smell of mountain laurel, the musky stink of a menacing
  bear, the splendor of a Blue Ridge sunset, and, in equal part, with keen wisdom and practical
  writing advice.” —Dinty W. Moore, author of The Mindful Writer
  

• “Bushwhacking is a revelation in the crowded society of books on writing and far more even
  than this: it’s a wonderful and encouraging clarion call to reclaim our wildness as writers and
  even to consider our entire lives as works of art. It makes you want to run outside and
  run–and then come back inside to get some words down on the page. She is a courage teacher of the highest order.” —Robert Vivian, author of The Tall Grass Trilogy
• “Gutsy, entertaining, and heartening, McGaha’s dispatches guide and inspire.” — Publishers Weekly

Praise for Flat Broke with Two Goats

• “An easy read with a warm tone, like hearing from an old friend, McGaha’s memoir is
  touching, funny, and hard to put down.” —Booklist
  
• “A determinedly upbeat memoir”— Kirkus Reviews
  
• “This sweet miracle of a memoir tells the story of a struggling couple who have to lose their
  house, and just about everything else, to find home.” —Tommy Hays, author of The
  Pleasure Was Mine
  
• “An enjoyable, back-to-the-land memoir.” —Library Journal
  

• “This memoir ticks all the boxes. It’s funny and life-affirming, despite or perhaps because of
  the complete obliteration of the author’s life… I laughed and cried while reading the book…
  I loved the way she develops over the course of the book as she becomes grounded in
  reality… I particularly enjoyed the escapades of the chicks and goats.” — The Book Lover’s
  Boudoir
  

• “The tale of the family’s downfall is so harrowing and so familiar… What shines through
  the entire book, though, is McGaha’s writing…There is also quiet beauty in her words, often
  at unexpected moments…” — The Blue Kitchen
  

• “Without saccharin, Flat Broke With Two Goats conveys the humor,
  grit, and raw honesty needed to keep going even when the path is unclear.” —Seana Zimmer
  from SCLS of New Jersey

• “…the narration is excellent and the author’s wit and sense of humor shine through.”
  —Rosepoint Publishing