One can argue that we all come from dysfunctional families to one degree or another. Amanda Uhle’s memoir, Destroy This House (Summit Books/Simon & Schuster, August 2025), may just reach a higher degree than most. She was raised sometimes in wealth, sometimes in poverty. Her mother hoarded food and fabric. Her father changed careers at the drop of a hat and moved the family in the dark of night whenever bills came due. Uhle is the publisher and executive director of the publishing house, McSweeney’s.
“The process of writing the memoir—and this may sound strange—was actually joyful,” says Uhle. “It was kind of wonderful to remember who my parents were as I was writing it. For me, it was about a sense of discovery.”
To reinforce her own memories, Uhle did research by studying letters, photos, newspaper clippings. The family lived in 10 different homes across five states, often moving to escape accruing mortgage payments and other unpaid bills.
“They were mysterious people,” Uhle says. “My father was a bit of a schemer. He had many different careers. He was inventing things, he was charismatic, he was funny. We were always in money trouble. And my mom was eccentric in her own way. The most notable in the book was that she was a hoarder of clothing and food, canned goods and things, and fabric. She was also very creative.”
As Uhle grew older, she repeatedly tried to fill in the gaps her mother left open. She tried to clean the house, cook meals, sometimes to her mother’s appreciation, other times angered her mother. Older, Uhle would attempt to pay bills and file taxes, not always succeeding.
Now contemplating whether she was help or hindrance—or both—to her parents, Uhle says: “Every person has to find a path in between those two feelings of am I doing too much or am I doing too little to help.”
Amanda Uhle writes about culture, politics, and civil rights for The Washington Post, Politico Magazine, The Boston Globe, and Newsweek. She is coeditor of the I, Witness series of first-person stories by youth activists, former director of the 826michigan youth writing and tutoring program, and cofounder, with Dave Eggers, of the International Congress of Youth Voices.
Uhle will be reading on Thursday, August 28, 6:30 p.m., at Bookbug/this is a bookstore. The event is free but registration is requested.
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