House: A Memoir

The author of Walk on Water documents the history of his home, describing its first owners at the turn of the twentieth century, his own family's acquisition of the house at a time when it was in need of considerable renovations, and the author's perspectives on how a house reflects the American dream. Reprint.

An acclaimed journalist who has written about everything from chefs to pediatric surgeons now turns his attention to the subject of home. In 2001 Michael and Donna Ruhlman purchased a 100-year-old house in suburban Cleveland. Then they set about making it their own. In relating this story-whose details he invests with novelistic drama-Ruhlman moves readers to consider what "home" means in a nation of vagabonds: why Americans long for a home of their own even as they feel compelled to move on. Here, too, is a deft unraveling of the relationship between a physical structure and the family life that transpires inside it. Thoughtful, elegant, and provocative, House is a must for prospective homebuyers and lovers of bravura journalism.

"[Ruhlman] has a wonderful sense of narrative and pace. . . . An amazing visual and aural memory."
-The New York Times Book Review