Turn to Stone: A Memoir

A memoir of sex, angst, and rocks, Turn to Stone chronicles one woman's ascent--on walls of stone and within herself--as she faces her demons and finds freedom and power in the raw and wild adventure of rock climbing.

Down on the ground, it was hard to connect, hard to attach, hard to untangle, hard to let go. But up here, I understood. Up here, I could make it good.

Broken by an abusive relationship, Emily Meg Weinstein impulsively tries rock climbing on a California road trip, following strangers into the vertical world. Soon, she is consumed by her addiction to the freedom she feels when she's up on the wall. Holding on to the rocks, she is free from societal constraints and expectations, free from her own sorrows and longings.

Raw and dark, but also funny, Weinstein describes the steep learning curve of becoming a climber, spending weeks at a time sleeping in the back of her Subaru, and a long, dark night stuck on top of a mountain. As she ascends, Weinstein faces her demons, finding power and grace in risk and adventure. Like Cheryl Strayed's Wild, but in the vertical, or William Finnegan's Barbarian Days, if lived by a Jewish woman from Long Island, Turn to Stone tells the story of a journey into nature that becomes a crucible of self-discovery.

Against a tapestry of van-dwellers, anarchists, and Jedi-like Stonemasters, Weinstein explores a world where each leap of faith is an existential lesson. From living on the edge, stepping into the unknown, and falling through thin air, Emily learns to forgive her own failures, heal her deepest wounds, and find courage in the face of fear. Throwing herself at walls of stone, she learns what it means to be human. Fitting her body into the rocks' broken places, she makes herself whole.

Author: Emily Meg Weinstein
Publisher: S&s/Simon Element
Published: 09/02/2025
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.00w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9781668047859


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 07/15/2025
Booklist 08/01/2025

About the Author
Emily Meg Weinstein was born in New York and raised in Queens and Long Island. She lives on a houseboat in the San Francisco Bay, roams in her second home, the Free Ford Freestar, and roots for the New York Mets.