• About Granny D
• Speeches
• The Book

"Granny D: You're Never Too Old to Raise a Little Hell"

The trade paperback edition is available from Random House, via your favorite neighborhood or online bookstore. If you don't have a favorite store, order it from Doris's favorite store in town.

Click to read a few pages from the book.

The extraordinary book has been required reading for incoming freshmen at a number of colleges and universities. Here's what people say about Doris and her book:

“Doris Haddock is a true patriot, and our nation has been blessed by her remarkable life. Her story will entertain, inform, and inspire people of all ages for generations to come.” – Jimmy Carter

“Doris, your book is one of a half dozen –including Silent Spring and Walden– which have turned my life around.” – Pete Seeger

“The soul of a citizen shines through these pages.” – Bill Moyers

“A stunning portrait of the American soul.” – Library Journal

“Huck is present in this book, as are Thoreau and Whitman, and Jack Kerouac, too.” – Keene Sentinel

Library Journal:

"Granny D" Haddock is a national treasure whose l4-month odyssey walking from Los Angeles to Washington, DC, galvanized the hope of many increasingly dispirited Americans for campaign finance reform. Granny D undertook this journey despite arthritis and emphysema, celebrating her 90th birthday along the way. Following her daily regimen of ten miles, Haddock wrote nightly for two hours. The resulting journal, written with Burke, who accompanied her on the trek, is a multilayered memoir, populist reform treatise, roadside nature field book, Whitmanesque treatment of America, and philosophical summation of a life well spent. It is chock–full of portraits of the countless citizens who welcomed, joined, cared for, and walked with Haddock. Her graceful descriptions of the manifold kindness routinely shown her are collectively a stunning portrait of the American soul. Fortunately, numerous speeches she gave along the way are included as an appendix. Like the rest of the book, they are imbued with the beautifully passionate intelligence and caring spirit of this remarkable individual. To her wonderfully long life as a New Hampshire wife, mother, grandmother, great–grandmother, and social activist, Haddock should now also be able to add "best-selling author." Shame on any library that does not order this book. [Preview in Prepub Alert, LJ 12.00.]
– Barry X. Miller, Austin P.L., TX

Publishers Weekly:

On January 1, 1999, Haddock began walking from Pasadena, Calif., to Washington, D.C. Outraged by the power big–money interests exert in Washington, she carefully planned to cross the country on foot to rally support for national campaign–finance reform. Accompanied by an ever-changing entourage of relatives, friends, strangers, politicians and journalists, Granny D (her "walking name") traveled 10 miles a day, camping out at night or sleeping in private homes. Ignoring her bad back, arthritis and emphysema, she completed the 3,200–mile trip in 14 months, shortly after her 90th birthday, arriving in Washington on February 29, 2000, to the tune of 2,200 supporters chanting, "Go, Granny, go." Haddock's inspiring message is perfect fodder for family and schoolroom discussions about politics: With the book's low price, retailers should anticipate strong sales.

Kirkus Reviews:

Haddock is a tough old Yankee who seems to have stepped straight out of a Reader's Digest "Most Unforgettable Character" article… Except for 100 miles along the C&O Canal towpath (which she covered on cross-country skis), Haddock walked the entire way…The self–portrait that emerges makes clear that the author's late–in–life public venture was not some sudden whim but an act grounded in a lifetime of intelligent concern, forthrightness, and involvement. A moving reminder of the power of the human will.

Booklist:

Haddock had lived a wonderful 89 years, with a long and loving marriage, wonderful friends, and a large family. Despite suffering from painful arthritis and emphysema, she began to walk across the country to lobby for campaign finance reform. From the Pacific Ocean to Washington, D.C., she shuffled along for 10 miles a day. From John McCain to Al Gore, people stood up and took notice of Granny D, whose passionate political beliefs and ironclad will kept her going through bad weather and pain. This book could easily have been a political tract, but, instead, it is a moving story of Granny D's remarkable life and her unbelievable walk. She doesn't want to bother us too much about campaign finance reform, she says, and in making this story about her rather than her political aims, we meet one woman who managed to have her voice heard above the clamor of money and power in Washington. Granny D's hilarious stories and surprisingly beautiful writing will win fans of all ages and political backgrounds.
– John Green Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved.
Booklist, the magazine the New York Times calls "an acquisitions bible for public and school librarians nationwide," is the review journal of the American Library Association. It recommends works of fiction, nonfiction, children's books, reference books, and media to its 30,000 institutional and personal subscribers.