Stealing: A Novel

Written 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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Feb 7, 2023
• ISBN: 9780063267077

Margaret Verble

MARGARET VERBLE is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation. Her first novel, Maud’s Line, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Her second novel, Cherokee America, has recently been listed by the New York Times as one of the 100 Notable Books of the Year for 2019. She lives in Lexington, Kentucky.  

Reviews for Stealing

[Eve · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing first person story from a child’s perspective as she survives being put into an abusive children’s home for essentially being Native American. Her love for her family and her growing self awareness shines through.

[Rachael Poppins Stodard · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Very good writing, lots of description, but the main scene was ignored and only later discussed, then it just abruptly ended. After all that detail!

[Keenna Holmes · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great story just ended too abruptly! I hope there’s a sequel

[Cia Leest · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This might be an excellent book for kids or adolescents, but I do not think many adults will care for it.

[Lorna van Arkel · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautifully told, heart wrenching loved it, well read as well