Jana Richman Utah Writer

Riding in the Shadows of Saints

Riding in the Shadows of Saints

From the book jacket of Riding in the Shadows of SaintsA Woman’s Story of Motorcycling the Mormon Trail:

This is the story of Jana Richman’s journey on a motorcycle across the Mormon Trail in search of her roots and an understanding of the faith that brought peace to five generations of women before her.

Written with searing candor and a beguiling lack of sentimentality, Riding in the Shadows of Saints is rich in history and detail regarding the origins beliefs, rituals, and social mores of the Mormon culture. Richman, born into the Mormon Church but no longer a member, explores the meaning of faith and the perils of middle-age motorcycling with equal aplomb.

Traveling blue highways into the nation’s heartland, visiting graveyards, chatting with missionaries, and soaking in the rituals of the faith she so casually shrugged off as a teenager, Richman begins to unravel her family’s mysteries and confront her own long-held prejudices about the Mormon Church.

Read an excerpt of the Riding in the Shadows of Saints.


Praise for Riding in the Shadows of Saints: A Woman’s Story of Motorcyling the Mormon Trail

Well crafted, intimate, and engaging: an unorthodox rite of passage with ruminations on faith, feminism, and more.”  –Kirkus Reviews

Beautifully poetic . . . exploratory . . . thought-provoking.”  –New Orleans Times-Picayune

Tartly funny.”  —Chicago Tribune

“Universally compelling.”  –Publisher’s Weekly

Surprising and refreshing.”  –Philadelphia Inquirer


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