Jana Richman

The Ordinary Truth Jana Richman 1st edition

“With tough women and sensitive men, desert-dry humor, hot-springs sensuality, heartbreaking secrets, escalating suspense, and a 360-degree perspective on the battle over water, Richman?s twenty-first-century western is riveting, wise, and compassionate.?
— Booklist starred review

When Nell Jorgensen buried her husband, she buried a piece of herself—and more than one secret. Now, thirty-six years later, the rift between Nell and her daughter Kate threatens to implode as Kate, now forty-six and a water manager for the Nevada Water Authority, plans to pipe water from a huge aquifer that lies beneath the family ranch to thirsty Las Vegas. Meanwhile, Nell's twenty-one-year-old granddaughter Cassie intends to unearth those old secrets and repair the resentments that grew in their place. Throughout the novel, sparse and beautiful landscapes surround an emotional wilderness of love, loss, and family.

Jana Richman is the award-winning author of The Last Cowgirl (HarperCollins, 2009), which won the 2009 Willa Award for Contemporary Fiction. A sixth-generation Utahn, Jana was born and raised in Utah's west desert, the daughter of a small-time rancher and a hand-wringing Mormon mother. With the exception of a few misguided years spent in New York City trying to make a fortune on Wall Street, she has lived her entire life west of the hundredth meridian. She writes about issues that threaten to destroy the essence of the west—and about passion, beauty, and love. Jana lives in Escalante, Utah.

Praise for The Ordinary Truth:

“...with a unique voice, Richman crystallizes how secrets and silences flow through the generations...with depth of characters, beauty of language, and a haunting understanding of the landscapes that define us.?
—Jane Kirkpatrick, bestselling author of Where Lilacs Still Bloom

"The Ordinary Truth tells a page-turner of a story about love and loyalty, loss and regret—and, ultimately, the stunning absolution of the simple truth. Richman writes...with the sure hand of a formidable storyteller."
—Stephen Trimble, author of Bargaining For Eden: The Fight for the Last Open Spaces in America


Praise for Jana Richman's The Last Cowgirl:

"Richman's mastery of the emotional geography is illuminating... Calls to mind the work of Pat Conroy."
—Kirkus Reviews


Praise for Jana Richman?s Riding in the Shadows of Saints: A Woman?s Story of Motorcycling the Mormon Trail:

“Openhearted and uncommonly balanced.?
—Entertainment Weekly

“Tartly funny.?
—Chicago Tribune

“Surprising and refreshing.?
—Philadelphia Inquirer

“Much to admire in [this] moving memoir...[Richman] can write lyrically and unsentimentally about the most intimate experiences.?
—Newsday (New York)

“Beautifully poetic...exploratory...thought-provoking.?
—New Orleans Times-Picayune

“Frank and beguilingly unsentimental, Riding in the Shadows of Saints is an honest look at a powerful and wealthy institution and the people who live within its structures.?
—Tucson Citizen

“A mixture of road trip musings, quirky adventure tales, and spiritual reflections, with a healthy dose of unresolved family issues...universally compelling.?
—Publishers Weekly

“Well crafted, intimate, and engaging: an unorthodox rite of passage with rumination on faith, feminism, and more.?
—Kirkus Reviews

“Like all great memoirs, Riding in the Shadows of Saints engages the heart while delighting the mind.?
—Fenton Johnson, author of Keeping Faith

“...a marvelous journey—and a most memorable book.?
—Gregory McNamee, author of Gila and Blue Mountains Far Away

“This book makes a significant contribution to feminizing the history of the American West.?
—Alison Hawthorne Deming, author of Writing the Sacred into the Real

“A poignant mother/daughter love affair, a heart-wrenching father/daughter schism...a timeless quest for spiritual meaning.?
—Sally Denton, author of Faith and Betrayal