
The King of Highbanks Road
Rediscovering Dad, Rural America, and Learning to Love Home Again
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $19.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Steve Watkins
-
By:
-
Steve Watkins
About this listen
What is a normal life, anyway? Perfect parents, who never argued or made a mistake? Some 2.2 perfectly behaved children who magically morphed into honor students, then doctors and lawyers with no problems, or nary a regret? All this, evolving from the safety of some picket fence inside the boundaries of which never a harsh word was spoken?
How far back must you go in your family before hitting grief or hurt? Steve Watkins never knew what to call it, but he knew something about growing up on a small rural farm in the 1980s felt different. Something strange and out of the ordinary.
Somewhere along the way, someone called it the "U.S. Farm Crisis", and the label stuck. One psychologist who counseled widow after grieving widow called it a wrecking ball that blindsided rural America. Another academic described it simply as “ungodly hell”.
Watkins called it childhood. This book is for:
- Anyone who ever had a difficult relationship with a parent
- Anyone who couldn’t get away from home fast enough to start their own life
- Anyone who ever wondered why they are the way they are
Watkins infuses humor with transparency and a delightful tale of rural America as he recounts a quest for self-discovery, purpose, and the surprise reward of learning to love home again.
©2020 Steve Watkins (P)2020 Steve WatkinsListeners also enjoyed...
-
All My Knotted-Up Life
- A Memoir
- By: Beth Moore
- Narrated by: Beth Moore
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
All My Knotted-Up Life is a beautifully crafted portrait of resilience and survival, a poignant reminder of God’s enduring faithfulness, and proof positive that if we ever truly took the time to hear people’s full stories . . . we’d all walk around slack-jawed.
-
-
Finished in one day
- By nedmac mama on 02-22-23
By: Beth Moore
-
How Far to the Promised Land
- One Black Family's Story of Hope and Survival in the American South
- By: Esau McCaulley
- Narrated by: Esau McCaulley
- Length: 5 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For much of his life, Esau McCaulley was taught to see himself as an exception: someone who, through hard work, faith, and determination, overcame childhood poverty, anti-Black racism, and an absent father to earn a job as a university professor and a life in the middle class.
-
-
An excellent story of Redemption
- By James Carmichael on 09-23-23
By: Esau McCaulley
-
Like a River
- Finding the Faith and Strength to Move Forward After Loss and Heartache
- By: Granger Smith
- Narrated by: Granger Smith
- Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On June 4th, 2019, country music singer Granger Smith was enjoying a final evening with his kids before heading to Nashville for the CMT Music Awards and his next tour. While helping his daughter London with her gymnastics, his youngest son fell into their pool. Granger did everything he could to get to him, but he was too late. River drowned, and Granger's world shattered.
-
-
Amazing book
- By Kindle Customer on 08-01-23
By: Granger Smith
-
Some Kind of Crazy
- An Unforgettable Story of Profound Brokenness and Breathtaking Grace
- By: Terry Wardle
- Narrated by: Terry Wardle
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An unforgettable story, in the tradition of Hillbilly Elegy and Educated, that reveals how a careful look at a broken past can open a path to profound healing and a satisfying future. In fact, Jesus does some of his best work with people who find themselves there. In sharing his remarkable journey, Terry offers hope that healing and wholeness are possible no matter how broken a life may be. His larger-than-life story will help you move forward along your own healing path.
-
-
Compelling, authentic, hopeful, and inviting!
- By Regrind22 on 06-06-21
By: Terry Wardle
-
The Boy in the Window
- A Mennonite Memoir
- By: Bobby Eaton
- Narrated by: Andrew Weaver
- Length: 5 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Robert Ragland toiled every day on his family’s Appalachian tobacco farm as a young boy. His father, an impoverished and illiterate sharecropper, spent his earnings on alcohol and beat his children and wife constantly. And Robert couldn’t take one more strike. Meanwhile, Mennonite families had moved to town, providing food and comfort when Robert’s mother broke her leg. Witnessing compassion from these people, Robert wondered: What would it feel like to belong to a group where I was wanted, loved, and appreciated?
-
-
Very touching and inspiring
- By Paul on 08-11-23
By: Bobby Eaton
-
Lead Me
- Finding Courage to Fight for Your Marriage, Children, and Faith
- By: Matt Hammitt, Bart Millard - Foreword
- Narrated by: Matt Hammitt
- Length: 5 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Lead Me, Matt identifies the tension many men experience when trying to balance work and home life. With bracing honesty, vulnerable storytelling, and practical application, Matt challenges you to be faithful both to God's vocational call and to His call to lead your family well. Discover the extraordinary joy of actively and intentionally pursuing your wife and children. Matt reminds us that it's messy. It's difficult. And it's the most rewarding thing you can do, beyond following Christ.
-
-
Raw reality
- By Hickupnorth on 10-27-24
By: Matt Hammitt, and others
-
All My Knotted-Up Life
- A Memoir
- By: Beth Moore
- Narrated by: Beth Moore
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
All My Knotted-Up Life is a beautifully crafted portrait of resilience and survival, a poignant reminder of God’s enduring faithfulness, and proof positive that if we ever truly took the time to hear people’s full stories . . . we’d all walk around slack-jawed.
-
-
Finished in one day
- By nedmac mama on 02-22-23
By: Beth Moore
-
How Far to the Promised Land
- One Black Family's Story of Hope and Survival in the American South
- By: Esau McCaulley
- Narrated by: Esau McCaulley
- Length: 5 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For much of his life, Esau McCaulley was taught to see himself as an exception: someone who, through hard work, faith, and determination, overcame childhood poverty, anti-Black racism, and an absent father to earn a job as a university professor and a life in the middle class.
-
-
An excellent story of Redemption
- By James Carmichael on 09-23-23
By: Esau McCaulley
-
Like a River
- Finding the Faith and Strength to Move Forward After Loss and Heartache
- By: Granger Smith
- Narrated by: Granger Smith
- Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On June 4th, 2019, country music singer Granger Smith was enjoying a final evening with his kids before heading to Nashville for the CMT Music Awards and his next tour. While helping his daughter London with her gymnastics, his youngest son fell into their pool. Granger did everything he could to get to him, but he was too late. River drowned, and Granger's world shattered.
-
-
Amazing book
- By Kindle Customer on 08-01-23
By: Granger Smith
-
Some Kind of Crazy
- An Unforgettable Story of Profound Brokenness and Breathtaking Grace
- By: Terry Wardle
- Narrated by: Terry Wardle
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An unforgettable story, in the tradition of Hillbilly Elegy and Educated, that reveals how a careful look at a broken past can open a path to profound healing and a satisfying future. In fact, Jesus does some of his best work with people who find themselves there. In sharing his remarkable journey, Terry offers hope that healing and wholeness are possible no matter how broken a life may be. His larger-than-life story will help you move forward along your own healing path.
-
-
Compelling, authentic, hopeful, and inviting!
- By Regrind22 on 06-06-21
By: Terry Wardle
-
The Boy in the Window
- A Mennonite Memoir
- By: Bobby Eaton
- Narrated by: Andrew Weaver
- Length: 5 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Robert Ragland toiled every day on his family’s Appalachian tobacco farm as a young boy. His father, an impoverished and illiterate sharecropper, spent his earnings on alcohol and beat his children and wife constantly. And Robert couldn’t take one more strike. Meanwhile, Mennonite families had moved to town, providing food and comfort when Robert’s mother broke her leg. Witnessing compassion from these people, Robert wondered: What would it feel like to belong to a group where I was wanted, loved, and appreciated?
-
-
Very touching and inspiring
- By Paul on 08-11-23
By: Bobby Eaton
-
Lead Me
- Finding Courage to Fight for Your Marriage, Children, and Faith
- By: Matt Hammitt, Bart Millard - Foreword
- Narrated by: Matt Hammitt
- Length: 5 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Lead Me, Matt identifies the tension many men experience when trying to balance work and home life. With bracing honesty, vulnerable storytelling, and practical application, Matt challenges you to be faithful both to God's vocational call and to His call to lead your family well. Discover the extraordinary joy of actively and intentionally pursuing your wife and children. Matt reminds us that it's messy. It's difficult. And it's the most rewarding thing you can do, beyond following Christ.
-
-
Raw reality
- By Hickupnorth on 10-27-24
By: Matt Hammitt, and others
-
Eye of the Storm
- Experiencing God When You Can't See Him
- By: Ryan Stevenson
- Narrated by: Ryan Stevenson
- Length: 5 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Many recognize the blockbuster song “Eye of the Storm”, but few know about the arduous journey that took Ryan Stevenson from farm boy to acclaimed singer and songwriter. Here, Stevenson shares about the turmoil of his early life, the grief experienced during his mother’s long battle with cancer, the stress and burnout of his days working as a paramedic, and how an unexpected lightning storm would turn his life around. When the dark clouds roll in, Stevenson listens to that still, small voice - the voice of a trustworthy God who holds on to him even during the fiercest storms.
-
-
a true testimony!
- By Kristi Lyles on 09-04-20
By: Ryan Stevenson
-
Nothing Wasted
- God Uses the Stuff You Wouldn’t
- By: Kasey Van Norman
- Narrated by: Kasey Van Norman
- Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We all have past experiences we wish we could redo or undo altogether. In Nothing Wasted, counselor and teacher Kasey Van Norman's vulnerability invites you to discover God's personal and purposeful design for your future - not in spite of your story, but through it.
-
-
Nothing Wasted
- By MelanieG on 09-17-24
By: Kasey Van Norman
-
Never Settle
- Sports, Family, and the American Soul
- By: Marty Smith
- Narrated by: Marty Smith
- Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The amazing and blessed life of popular ESPN reporter and correspondent for College GameDay Marty Smith, whose mission in this thoughtful and funny memoir is to return fans to the true soul of sports in this country. Never Settle is the funny but oh, it's true story of how Marty got here, and a revealing look at his journey. Never Settle includes all the best stories and behind-the-scenes moments from Marty's wild life, covering topics including: college football, racing, fathers and sons, and how sports can bring us together.
-
-
Marty Smith did an amazing job with this book
- By Rocky Baker on 08-26-20
By: Marty Smith
-
Not My First Rodeo
- Lessons from the Heartland
- By: Kristi Noem
- Narrated by: Kristi Noem, Charity Spencer
- Length: 6 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
“We don’t complain about things, Kristi. We fix them.” Taking her father’s words to heart, South Dakota's first woman governor Kristi Noem shares heartfelt—and heartbreaking—lessons on making things right in the world, from her childhood on a farm in the vastness of rural America, to the marbled halls of Congress, to the national spotlight amid a global pandemic.
-
-
Fantastic book
- By Ken Miner on 06-28-22
By: Kristi Noem
-
The Good, the God and the Ugly
- The Inside Story of a Supernatural Family
- By: Kathy Vallotton, Bill Johnson - foreword, Beni Johnson - foreword
- Narrated by: Kathy Vallotton
- Length: 5 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At just 12 years of age, Kathy met Kris, age 15, and for her it was love at first sight. Before her lay the adventure of doing life with a man who would become an influential prophetic leader; raising children while being part of one of the largest Spirit-filled networks on the globe; and her own position of leadership, sparking a movement with her husband that has impacted much of the world.
-
-
Easily held my attention!
- By Amazon Customer on 07-13-24
By: Kathy Vallotton, and others
-
On My Worst Day
- The Narrative Changes When Redemption Enters In
- By: John Lynch
- Narrated by: John Lynch
- Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The hope-infused audio of On My Worst Day reveal the redemption you’ve longed for. Discover firsthand how the narrative of your life changes as you dare to believe that your worst days do not define you. With each impactful story, you will be awakened to the undeniable power of the cross that sets you free. Whether for the first time or the first time in a long time, you will encounter the voice of God, who has adored you from the beginning, and you will hear his words to you: You are enough, my child. Surpassingly enough.
-
-
Honesty
- By Vince on 02-18-25
By: John Lynch
-
Where the Light Fell
- A Memoir
- By: Philip Yancey
- Narrated by: Philip Yancey
- Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Where the Light Fell is a gripping family narrative set against a turbulent time in post-World War II America, shaped by the collision of Southern fundamentalism with the mounting pressures of the civil rights movement and '60s-era forces of social change. In piecing together his fragmented personal history and his search for redemption, Yancey gives testament to the enduring power of our hunger for truth and the possibility of faith rooted in grace instead of fear.
-
-
The full sweep
- By Amazon Customer on 10-12-21
By: Philip Yancey
-
A Burning in My Bones
- The Authorized Biography of Eugene H. Peterson, Translator of The Message
- By: Winn Collier
- Narrated by: Richard Poe
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Encounter the multifaceted life of one of the most influential and creative pastors of the past half century with unforgettable stories of Eugene’s lifelong devotion to his craft and love of language, the influences and experiences that shaped his unquenchable faith, the inspiration for his decision to translate The Message, and his success and struggles as a pastor, husband, and father. Author Winn Collier was given exclusive access to Eugene and his materials for the production of this landmark work.
-
-
Thank you
- By Beth Spafford on 04-02-21
By: Winn Collier
-
Welcome Homeless
- One Man's Journey of Discovering the Meaning of Home
- By: Alan Graham
- Narrated by: Maurice England
- Length: 5 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Welcome Homeless is about becoming fully human by being fully present. It is about finally connecting with the disconnected and finding our identity through knowing the true identities of others. Graham wants to engrain the human story in you so deeply that you start being who you were made to be - that you start finally being like the image from which you were made and start empathizing instead of sympathizing with the people around you.
-
-
Very entertaining and life impacting
- By A. Carr on 10-11-24
By: Alan Graham
-
West of the West
- Dreamers, Believers, Builders, and Killers in the Golden State
- By: Mark Arax
- Narrated by: Mark Arax
- Length: 13 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Teddy Roosevelt once exclaimed, "When I am in California, I am not in the West. I am west of the West", and in this book, Mark Arax spends four years travelling up and down the Golden State to explore its singular place in the world. This is California beyond the clichés. This is California as only a native son, deep in the dust, could draw it.
By: Mark Arax
-
The Dad Difference
- The Four Most Important Gifts You Can Give to Your Kids
- By: Bryan Loritts
- Narrated by: Wolf Williams
- Length: 3 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What does it take to be a great dad? The world is full of examples of men who weren’t there for their kids. But there are good and even great dads out there, who inspire their children and the men around them to reach for more. How do you become a dad like that - even if your own dad wasn’t such a good example? In The Dad Difference, Bryan Loritts explores the four gifts every kid needs from their dad: Relationship, integrity, teaching, and experiences. He walks you through what each of these mean and how to put them into practice.
-
-
Timely and Relevant
- By Dr. Jones on 01-11-25
By: Bryan Loritts
-
One Man's Meat
- By: E. B. White
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 11 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Too personal for an almanac, too sophisticated for a domestic history, and too funny and self-doubting for a literary journal, One Man's Meat can best be described as a primer of a countryman's lessons and a timeless recounting of experience that will never go out of style.
-
-
A must ...
- By JLI on 12-14-20
By: E. B. White