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The co-op bookstore for avid readers
To the Moon and Back (Reese's Book Club)
Reader Score
71%
71% of readers
recommend this book
A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK: "A breathtaking debut about family, identity, and love across generations." --REESE WITHERSPOON "Eliana Ramage will break your heart and take you to the stars. From painfully accurate depictions of adolescence to effortless jumps through time and space--I loved it all." --KILEY REID In this dazzlingly powerful story of family, ambition and belonging, one young woman's obsessive quest to become the first Cherokee astronaut irrevocably alters the fates of the people she loves most. Steph Harper is on the run. She has been all her life, ever since her mother drove five-year-old Steph and her younger sister through the night to Cherokee Nation, a place they had never been, but where she hoped they might finally belong. In response to the turmoil, Steph sets her sights as far away from Oklahoma as she can get, vowing that she will let nothing get in the way of pursuing the rigorous physical and academic training she knows she will need to be accepted by NASA, and ultimately, to go to the moon. Spanning three decades and several continents, To the Moon and Back encompasses Steph's turbulent journey, along with the multifaceted and intertwined lives of the three women closest to her: her sister Kayla, an artist who goes on to become an Indigenous social media influencer, and whose determination to appear good takes her life to unexpected places; Steph's college girlfriend Della Owens, who strives to reclaim her identity as an adult after being removed from her Cherokee family through a challenge to the Indian Child Welfare Act; and Hannah, Steph and Kayla's mother, who has held up her family's tribal history as a beacon of inspiration to her children, all the while keeping her own past a secret. In Steph's certainty that only her ambition can save her, she will stretch her bonds with each of these women to the point of breaking, at once betraying their love and generosity, and forcing them to reconsider their own deepest desires in her shadow. Told through an intricately woven tapestry of narrative, To the Moon and Back is an astounding and expansive novel of mothers and daughters, love and sacrifice, alienation and heartbreak, terror and wonder. At its core, it is the story of the extraordinary lengths to which one woman will go to find space for herself.
Book Details
- Publisher: Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster
- Publish Date: Sep 2nd, 2025
- Pages: 448
- Language: English
- Edition: undefined - undefined
- Dimensions: 9.19in - 6.37in - 1.22in - 1.34lb
- EAN: 9781668065853
- Categories: • Literary• Coming of Age• Indigenous - General (see also Indigenous Peoples of Turtle
About the Author
Ramage, Eliana: - Eliana Ramage holds an MFA in fiction from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. She has received residencies and fellowships from the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center, Lambda Literary, Tin House, and Vermont Studio Center. A citizen of the Cherokee Nation, she lives in Nashville with her family. To the Moon and Back is her first novel.
Praise for this book
"Ramage will break your heart and take you to the stars. From painfully accurate depictions of adolescence to effortless jumps through time and space--I loved it all." --Kiley Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Such a Fun Age
"To the Moon and Back is a singular, sonorous, wholehearted novel that you'll want to devour and savor at once. Eliana Ramage is a dynamite writer--every sentence positively shimmers." --Claire Lombardo, New York Times bestselling author of The Most Fun We Ever Had "A story of decisions; right, wrong and everything in between, with characters so perfectly rendered that you'll want to hug them or give them a shake. An immersive and exciting debut."--Amanda Peters, author of The Berry Pickers "A novel that has the generosity to be many things--bittersweet, thrillingly perceptive, enormously funny. To the Moon and Back is a wonderful reckoning with the true price of an at-any-cost ambition and a powerful story about the mixture of combativeness, compromise and love that forms the heart of a family." --Kaliane Bradley, New York Times bestselling author of The Ministry of Time "To the Moon and Back simply soars. Eliana Ramage has given us a brilliant, faceted, warm-hearted novel, with characters to love and truly root for, and pages that seem to turn themselves." --Sarah Thankam Matthews, author of All This Could Be Different "To the Moon and Back is a passionate and compulsively readable novel. Dare I say, a stellar debut." --Margot Livesey, author of The Road to Belhaven "Eliana Ramage's To the Moon and Back is a captivating debut about family, queer identity, love, career and heritage. This novel has something for everyone." --De'Shawn Charles Winslow, author of In West Mills and Decent People "A John Irving-esque tragicomic saga... This author is as ambitious as her protagonist: There are three novels worth of material here, all good. The moon or bust!" --Kirkus Review (starred review)
"To the Moon and Back is a singular, sonorous, wholehearted novel that you'll want to devour and savor at once. Eliana Ramage is a dynamite writer--every sentence positively shimmers." --Claire Lombardo, New York Times bestselling author of The Most Fun We Ever Had "A story of decisions; right, wrong and everything in between, with characters so perfectly rendered that you'll want to hug them or give them a shake. An immersive and exciting debut."--Amanda Peters, author of The Berry Pickers "A novel that has the generosity to be many things--bittersweet, thrillingly perceptive, enormously funny. To the Moon and Back is a wonderful reckoning with the true price of an at-any-cost ambition and a powerful story about the mixture of combativeness, compromise and love that forms the heart of a family." --Kaliane Bradley, New York Times bestselling author of The Ministry of Time "To the Moon and Back simply soars. Eliana Ramage has given us a brilliant, faceted, warm-hearted novel, with characters to love and truly root for, and pages that seem to turn themselves." --Sarah Thankam Matthews, author of All This Could Be Different "To the Moon and Back is a passionate and compulsively readable novel. Dare I say, a stellar debut." --Margot Livesey, author of The Road to Belhaven "Eliana Ramage's To the Moon and Back is a captivating debut about family, queer identity, love, career and heritage. This novel has something for everyone." --De'Shawn Charles Winslow, author of In West Mills and Decent People "A John Irving-esque tragicomic saga... This author is as ambitious as her protagonist: There are three novels worth of material here, all good. The moon or bust!" --Kirkus Review (starred review)
"A story of decisions; right, wrong and everything in between, with characters so perfectly rendered that you'll want to hug them or give them a shake. An immersive and exciting debut."--Amanda Peters, author of The Berry Pickers "A novel that has the generosity to be many things--bittersweet, thrillingly perceptive, enormously funny. To the Moon and Back is a wonderful reckoning with the true price of an at-any-cost ambition and a powerful story about the mixture of combativeness, compromise and love that forms the heart of a family." --Kaliane Bradley, New York Times bestselling author of The Ministry of Time "Ramage will break your heart and take you to the stars. From painfully accurate depictions of adolescence to effortless jumps through time and space--I loved it all." --Kiley Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Such a Fun Age
"To the Moon and Back is a singular, sonorous, wholehearted novel that you'll want to devour and savor at once. Eliana Ramage is a dynamite writer--every sentence positively shimmers." --Claire Lombardo, New York Times bestselling author of The Most Fun We Ever Had "To the Moon and Back simply soars. Eliana Ramage has given us a brilliant, faceted, warm-hearted novel, with characters to love and truly root for, and pages that seem to turn themselves." --Sarah Thankam Matthews, author of All This Could Be Different "To the Moon and Back is a passionate and compulsively readable novel. Dare I say, a stellar debut." --Margot Livesey, author of The Road to Belhaven "Eliana Ramage's To the Moon and Back is a captivating debut about family, queer identity, love, career and heritage. This novel has something for everyone." --De'Shawn Charles Winslow, author of In West Mills and Decent People "A John Irving-esque tragicomic saga... This author is as ambitious as her protagonist: There are three novels worth of material here, all good. The moon or bust!" --Kirkus Review (starred review) "Wondrous and deeply moving, Ramage's first outing explores ambition, sexuality, and familial bonds with sensitivity and piercing insight. Not to be missed."--Booklist (starred review) "If ambition is rocket fuel, Steph [Harper] has a full tank."--Oprah Daily
"To the Moon and Back is a singular, sonorous, wholehearted novel that you'll want to devour and savor at once. Eliana Ramage is a dynamite writer--every sentence positively shimmers." --Claire Lombardo, New York Times bestselling author of The Most Fun We Ever Had "To the Moon and Back simply soars. Eliana Ramage has given us a brilliant, faceted, warm-hearted novel, with characters to love and truly root for, and pages that seem to turn themselves." --Sarah Thankam Matthews, author of All This Could Be Different "To the Moon and Back is a passionate and compulsively readable novel. Dare I say, a stellar debut." --Margot Livesey, author of The Road to Belhaven "Eliana Ramage's To the Moon and Back is a captivating debut about family, queer identity, love, career and heritage. This novel has something for everyone." --De'Shawn Charles Winslow, author of In West Mills and Decent People "A John Irving-esque tragicomic saga... This author is as ambitious as her protagonist: There are three novels worth of material here, all good. The moon or bust!" --Kirkus Review (starred review) "Wondrous and deeply moving, Ramage's first outing explores ambition, sexuality, and familial bonds with sensitivity and piercing insight. Not to be missed."--Booklist (starred review) "If ambition is rocket fuel, Steph [Harper] has a full tank."--Oprah Daily
"A story of decisions; right, wrong and everything in between, with characters so perfectly rendered that you'll want to hug them or give them a shake. An immersive and exciting debut."--Amanda Peters, author of The Berry Pickers "A novel that has the generosity to be many things--bittersweet, thrillingly perceptive, enormously funny. To the Moon and Back is a wonderful reckoning with the true price of an at-any-cost ambition and a powerful story about the mixture of combativeness, compromise and love that forms the heart of a family."--Kaliane Bradley, New York Times bestselling author of The Ministry of Time "Ramage will break your heart and take you to the stars. From painfully accurate depictions of adolescence to effortless jumps through time and space--I loved it all."--Kiley Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Such a Fun Age
"To the Moon and Back is a singular, sonorous, wholehearted novel that you'll want to devour and savor at once. Eliana Ramage is a dynamite writer--every sentence positively shimmers."--Claire Lombardo, New York Times bestselling author of The Most Fun We Ever Had "To the Moon and Back simply soars. Eliana Ramage has given us a brilliant, faceted, warm-hearted novel, with characters to love and truly root for, and pages that seem to turn themselves."--Sarah Thankam Matthews, author of All This Could Be Different "To the Moon and Back is a passionate and compulsively readable novel. Dare I say, a stellar debut."--Margot Livesey, author of The Road to Belhaven "Eliana Ramage's To the Moon and Back is a captivating debut about family, queer identity, love, career and heritage. This novel has something for everyone."--De'Shawn Charles Winslow, author of In West Mills and Decent People "A John Irving-esque tragicomic saga... This author is as ambitious as her protagonist: There are three novels worth of material here, all good. The moon or bust!"--Kirkus Review (starred review) "Wondrous and deeply moving, Ramage's first outing explores ambition, sexuality, and familial bonds with sensitivity and piercing insight. Not to be missed."--Booklist (starred review) "Exceptional. . . .Ramage nimbly handles this sprawling story, capturing the hearts of these characters in chapters narrated by alternating voices. . . . Readers will enjoy losing themselves in the ongoing drama of To the Moon and Back, full of complex characters, beautiful prose and arresting scenes."--BookPage, (starred review) "If ambition is rocket fuel, Steph [Harper] has a full tank."--Oprah Daily "Ramage, a member of the Cherokee Nation herself, stuffs the book to the brim with big ideas and digressions, from indigenous history to family identity, but it is the eminently human voice of Steph that keeps this maiden voyage feeling grounded and real."--NPR "A queer coming-of-age story, a Native family drama, Ramage's tragicomic debut shoots for the stars."--The Boston Globe "In the hands of a lesser novelist, the story would be overstuffed, but Ramage's epic debut is absorbing and thought-provoking."--Arlington Magazine "[To the Moon and Back is] a thought-provoking read about ambition, identity, family, and Indigeneity."--Book Riot
"To the Moon and Back is a singular, sonorous, wholehearted novel that you'll want to devour and savor at once. Eliana Ramage is a dynamite writer--every sentence positively shimmers."--Claire Lombardo, New York Times bestselling author of The Most Fun We Ever Had "To the Moon and Back simply soars. Eliana Ramage has given us a brilliant, faceted, warm-hearted novel, with characters to love and truly root for, and pages that seem to turn themselves."--Sarah Thankam Matthews, author of All This Could Be Different "To the Moon and Back is a passionate and compulsively readable novel. Dare I say, a stellar debut."--Margot Livesey, author of The Road to Belhaven "Eliana Ramage's To the Moon and Back is a captivating debut about family, queer identity, love, career and heritage. This novel has something for everyone."--De'Shawn Charles Winslow, author of In West Mills and Decent People "A John Irving-esque tragicomic saga... This author is as ambitious as her protagonist: There are three novels worth of material here, all good. The moon or bust!"--Kirkus Review (starred review) "Wondrous and deeply moving, Ramage's first outing explores ambition, sexuality, and familial bonds with sensitivity and piercing insight. Not to be missed."--Booklist (starred review) "Exceptional. . . .Ramage nimbly handles this sprawling story, capturing the hearts of these characters in chapters narrated by alternating voices. . . . Readers will enjoy losing themselves in the ongoing drama of To the Moon and Back, full of complex characters, beautiful prose and arresting scenes."--BookPage, (starred review) "If ambition is rocket fuel, Steph [Harper] has a full tank."--Oprah Daily "Ramage, a member of the Cherokee Nation herself, stuffs the book to the brim with big ideas and digressions, from indigenous history to family identity, but it is the eminently human voice of Steph that keeps this maiden voyage feeling grounded and real."--NPR "A queer coming-of-age story, a Native family drama, Ramage's tragicomic debut shoots for the stars."--The Boston Globe "In the hands of a lesser novelist, the story would be overstuffed, but Ramage's epic debut is absorbing and thought-provoking."--Arlington Magazine "[To the Moon and Back is] a thought-provoking read about ambition, identity, family, and Indigeneity."--Book Riot
"If ambition is rocket fuel, Steph [Harper] has a full tank."--Oprah Daily "Ramage stuffs the book to the brim with big ideas and digressions, from indigenous history to family identity, but it is the eminently human voice of Steph that keeps this maiden voyage feeling grounded and real."--NPR "A queer coming-of-age story, a Native family drama, Ramage's tragicomic debut shoots for the stars."--The Boston Globe "A story of decisions; right, wrong and everything in between, with characters so perfectly rendered that you'll want to hug them or give them a shake. An immersive and exciting debut."--Amanda Peters, author of The Berry Pickers "A novel that has the generosity to be many things--bittersweet, thrillingly perceptive, enormously funny. To the Moon and Back is a wonderful reckoning with the true price of an at-any-cost ambition and a powerful story about the mixture of combativeness, compromise and love that forms the heart of a family."--Kaliane Bradley, New York Times bestselling author of The Ministry of Time
"To the Moon and Back is a singular, sonorous, wholehearted novel that you'll want to devour and savor at once. Eliana Ramage is a dynamite writer--every sentence positively shimmers."--Claire Lombardo, New York Times bestselling author of The Most Fun We Ever Had "To the Moon and Back simply soars. Eliana Ramage has given us a brilliant, faceted, warm-hearted novel, with characters to love and truly root for, and pages that seem to turn themselves."--Sarah Thankam Matthews, author of All This Could Be Different "To the Moon and Back is a passionate and compulsively readable novel. Dare I say, a stellar debut."--Margot Livesey, author of The Road to Belhaven "Eliana Ramage's To the Moon and Back is a captivating debut about family, queer identity, love, career and heritage. This novel has something for everyone."--De'Shawn Charles Winslow, author of In West Mills and Decent People "A John Irving-esque tragicomic saga... This author is as ambitious as her protagonist: There are three novels worth of material here, all good. The moon or bust!"--Kirkus Review (starred review) "Wondrous and deeply moving, Ramage's first outing explores ambition, sexuality, and familial bonds with sensitivity and piercing insight. Not to be missed."--Booklist (starred review) "Exceptional. . . .Ramage nimbly handles this sprawling story, capturing the hearts of these characters in chapters narrated by alternating voices. . . . Readers will enjoy losing themselves in the ongoing drama of To the Moon and Back, full of complex characters, beautiful prose and arresting scenes."--BookPage, (starred review) "Ramage's epic debut is absorbing and thought-provoking."--Arlington Magazine "[To the Moon and Back is] a thought-provoking read about ambition, identity, family, and Indigeneity."--Book Riot
"To the Moon and Back is a singular, sonorous, wholehearted novel that you'll want to devour and savor at once. Eliana Ramage is a dynamite writer--every sentence positively shimmers."--Claire Lombardo, New York Times bestselling author of The Most Fun We Ever Had "To the Moon and Back simply soars. Eliana Ramage has given us a brilliant, faceted, warm-hearted novel, with characters to love and truly root for, and pages that seem to turn themselves."--Sarah Thankam Matthews, author of All This Could Be Different "To the Moon and Back is a passionate and compulsively readable novel. Dare I say, a stellar debut."--Margot Livesey, author of The Road to Belhaven "Eliana Ramage's To the Moon and Back is a captivating debut about family, queer identity, love, career and heritage. This novel has something for everyone."--De'Shawn Charles Winslow, author of In West Mills and Decent People "A John Irving-esque tragicomic saga... This author is as ambitious as her protagonist: There are three novels worth of material here, all good. The moon or bust!"--Kirkus Review (starred review) "Wondrous and deeply moving, Ramage's first outing explores ambition, sexuality, and familial bonds with sensitivity and piercing insight. Not to be missed."--Booklist (starred review) "Exceptional. . . .Ramage nimbly handles this sprawling story, capturing the hearts of these characters in chapters narrated by alternating voices. . . . Readers will enjoy losing themselves in the ongoing drama of To the Moon and Back, full of complex characters, beautiful prose and arresting scenes."--BookPage, (starred review) "Ramage's epic debut is absorbing and thought-provoking."--Arlington Magazine "[To the Moon and Back is] a thought-provoking read about ambition, identity, family, and Indigeneity."--Book Riot
"A powerful, resonant debut."--People "If ambition is rocket fuel, Steph [Harper] has a full tank."--Oprah Daily "Ramage stuffs the book to the brim with big ideas and digressions, from indigenous history to family identity, but it is the eminently human voice of Steph that keeps this maiden voyage feeling grounded and real."--NPR "A queer coming-of-age story, a Native family drama, Ramage's tragicomic debut shoots for the stars."--The Boston Globe "A story of decisions; right, wrong and everything in between, with characters so perfectly rendered that you'll want to hug them or give them a shake. An immersive and exciting debut."--Amanda Peters, author of The Berry Pickers "A novel that has the generosity to be many things--bittersweet, thrillingly perceptive, enormously funny. To the Moon and Back is a wonderful reckoning with the true price of an at-any-cost ambition and a powerful story about the mixture of combativeness, compromise and love that forms the heart of a family."--Kaliane Bradley, New York Times bestselling author of The Ministry of Time
"To the Moon and Back is a singular, sonorous, wholehearted novel that you'll want to devour and savor at once. Eliana Ramage is a dynamite writer--every sentence positively shimmers."--Claire Lombardo, New York Times bestselling author of The Most Fun We Ever Had "To the Moon and Back simply soars. Eliana Ramage has given us a brilliant, faceted, warm-hearted novel, with characters to love and truly root for, and pages that seem to turn themselves."--Sarah Thankam Matthews, author of All This Could Be Different "To the Moon and Back is a passionate and compulsively readable novel. Dare I say, a stellar debut."--Margot Livesey, author of The Road to Belhaven "Eliana Ramage's To the Moon and Back is a captivating debut about family, queer identity, love, career and heritage. This novel has something for everyone."--De'Shawn Charles Winslow, author of In West Mills and Decent People "A John Irving-esque tragicomic saga... This author is as ambitious as her protagonist: There are three novels worth of material here, all good. The moon or bust!"--Kirkus Review (starred review) "Wondrous and deeply moving, Ramage's first outing explores ambition, sexuality, and familial bonds with sensitivity and piercing insight. Not to be missed."--Booklist (starred review) "Exceptional. . . .Ramage nimbly handles this sprawling story, capturing the hearts of these characters in chapters narrated by alternating voices. . . . Readers will enjoy losing themselves in the ongoing drama of To the Moon and Back, full of complex characters, beautiful prose and arresting scenes."--BookPage, (starred review) "Ramage's epic debut is absorbing and thought-provoking."--Arlington Magazine "[To the Moon and Back is] a thought-provoking read about ambition, identity, family, and Indigeneity."--Book Riot
"To the Moon and Back is a singular, sonorous, wholehearted novel that you'll want to devour and savor at once. Eliana Ramage is a dynamite writer--every sentence positively shimmers."--Claire Lombardo, New York Times bestselling author of The Most Fun We Ever Had "To the Moon and Back simply soars. Eliana Ramage has given us a brilliant, faceted, warm-hearted novel, with characters to love and truly root for, and pages that seem to turn themselves."--Sarah Thankam Matthews, author of All This Could Be Different "To the Moon and Back is a passionate and compulsively readable novel. Dare I say, a stellar debut."--Margot Livesey, author of The Road to Belhaven "Eliana Ramage's To the Moon and Back is a captivating debut about family, queer identity, love, career and heritage. This novel has something for everyone."--De'Shawn Charles Winslow, author of In West Mills and Decent People "A John Irving-esque tragicomic saga... This author is as ambitious as her protagonist: There are three novels worth of material here, all good. The moon or bust!"--Kirkus Review (starred review) "Wondrous and deeply moving, Ramage's first outing explores ambition, sexuality, and familial bonds with sensitivity and piercing insight. Not to be missed."--Booklist (starred review) "Exceptional. . . .Ramage nimbly handles this sprawling story, capturing the hearts of these characters in chapters narrated by alternating voices. . . . Readers will enjoy losing themselves in the ongoing drama of To the Moon and Back, full of complex characters, beautiful prose and arresting scenes."--BookPage, (starred review) "Ramage's epic debut is absorbing and thought-provoking."--Arlington Magazine "[To the Moon and Back is] a thought-provoking read about ambition, identity, family, and Indigeneity."--Book Riot