The Friends of the Seaside Library host Ruth Wariner, author of “The Sound of Gravel,” Thursday, June 16, at 7 p.m. “The Sound of Gravel” is the true story of one girl’s coming-of-age in a polygamist family. The event will take place in the Community Room and there will be book sales and signings presented by Beach Books.

Ruth Wariner was the 39th of her father’s 42 children. Growing up on a farm in rural Mexico, where authorities turn a blind eye to the practices of her community, Wariner lives in a ramshackle house without indoor plumbing or electricity. At church, preachers teach that God will punish the wicked by destroying the world and that women can only ascend to heaven by entering into polygamous marriages and giving birth to as many children as possible. After Wariner’s father — the man who had been the founding prophet of the colony — is murdered by his brother in a bid for church power, her mother remarries, becoming the second wife of another faithful congregant.

Wariner lives in Portland. At 15, she left Colonia LeBaron, the polygamist Mormon colony in Mexico, where she grew up, and moved to California. After earning her GED, she put herself through college, eventually becoming a high school Spanish teacher. She remains close to her siblings and is happily married.

Seaside Public Library is located at 1131 Broadway. For more information call 503-738-6742 or visit us at www.seasidelibrary.org.