"Rose From The Asphalt is a truly American story—brutal and hard, but also full of that pick-yourself up, brush-yourself-off spirit. You can feel the author's energy flooding through."
Bill McKibben, best selling author of The End Of Nature
ADVANCE PRAISE
Rose From The Asphalt, A Memoir of Survival to Purpose, will be published by Köehler Books on March 16th 2027. In advance of publication, a small group of early readers, authors, advocates, and community leaders have been invited to read the unpublished manuscript to share their impressions.
"What makes this memoir especially powerful is its willingness to confront trauma without allowing the trauma to become the entirety of the story. The pain is real, and the author does not soften or disguise it, but neither does the narrative remain confined by it. At its heart, this is a story about resilience—not the polished, uncomplicated version of resilience we sometimes encounter, but the quieter and more human kind: surviving, struggling, remembering, rebuilding and continuing."
Director of the Manitou Institute & Conservancy
Suzanne Foote
Suzanne Foote
"As Ernest Hemingway wrote, "The world breaks everyone, and afterwards some are strong in broken places." Tamara Roske's poignant and inspiring story is a living testament for not only how to get strong in the broken places, but how pain can be transformed into power to benefit the common good and lift countless others along the way. Thank you for writing this beautiful book Tamara."
Kenny Ausubel
Founder and Chief Executive Office of Bioneers
Kenny Ausubel
"As an educator specializing in Social-Emotional Learning, Trauma-Informed Care, Nonviolent Communication, and Restorative Justice, I found Rose From the Asphalt deeply moving and important. Tamara’s story is a powerful reminder that there is always a story behind behavior, and that we may never fully know what a young person is carrying. Her journey from profound adversity to healing, purpose, and a life dedicated to empowering young people is an extraordinary example of resilience. This book reminds us why seeing the person before the behavior—and offering connection, compassion, and hope—can make such a difference in a young person’s life."
Director of NVC next gen.
Teran James Young Foundation
Ania Wallace
Ania Wallace
"Tamara Rose is an amazing Human being which shows up over and over throughout her memoir. She is extremely resilient especially in how she handled so many tough challenges, while still maintaining her loving, open heart. Her memoir is a page turner and kept me up many late nights wanting to know what happened next in her difficult but adventurous, and creative life."
Author of 7 Keys to Connection & Express YourseLf
Dr Joy Freeman
Dr Joy Freeman
"Rose From the Asphalt is courageous, captivating and necessary. The ripples of her journey now told will undoubtedly affirm and uplift many as we all navigate through the obstacles of this complicated and messy world, in search of their light."
Author of Imaginary Borders and We Rise
Xiuhtezcatl Martinez
"Rose From the Asphalt shows us that even in the darkest times, hope and compassion can still reach us. The author shares her journey through abuse and abandonment with honesty and courage. This inspiring memoir encourages others to keep going, reminding them that their past doesn't have to define their future."
Social Worker
Lynn Huey
Lynn Huey
"Rose From the Asphalt is a testament to what the human spirit can survive and still choose to become. I've known Tamara for decades, but reading her story in full detail was it's own kind of reckoning—the neglect, the abuse, the years of surviving on the streets from age thirteen...I found myself holding my breath more than once. What moved me most was her resilience, and how the book's final pages aren't really an ending at all —they're the beginning of the woman she chose to become. This is a memoir about reclaiming life."
Founder of Radiant Health Yoga & Wellness Studio
Rajni Lerman
Rajni Lerman
Many autobiographies invite readers into difficult lives, drawing us in through pain, chaos, and survival. What makes Rose from the Asphalt different is what Tamara Rose does with her story. Her experiences are not presented merely as tragedies to witness; they reveal a foundation of a remarkable woman whose strength, vision, and determination ultimately created opportunities for young people around the world. When Tamara's life story is made into a television series—as I believe it inevitabley will—Rose from the Asphalt will be it's unforgettable first season,
LongView Entertainment
Bonnie Milner
"Rose From The Asphalt, is a truly American story—brutal and hard, but also full of that pick-yourself-up, brush-yourself-off spirit. You can feel the author's energy flooding through.”
Best selling author of The End of Nature
Bill McKibben
"When I started reading Tamara Rose's memoir, I found myself holding my breath. Here story is captivating, and she tells it in a way that pulls you in — vivid and visceral, almost like watching a film unfold. It's hard to imagin how a person survives when life is a constant state of fight or flight — vanishing mom, unsafe homes, separation from her siblings, a father who's finding his own way. Yet Tamara did more than survive. What I admire most is how she kept her essence intact. Despite the chaos around her, she found a way to separate her identity and her path from from her circumstances.That takes extraordinary strength. Reading Rose From the Asphalt was inspiring — it was healing. It spoke directly to my inner child and reminded me that no matter how intense the storm, present or past, you can overcome it."
SINGER-SONGWRITER
Maria Noelia Fernandez
Maria Noelia Fernandez
"Rose From the Asphalt is the riveting story of how a woman lived through and ultimately overcame the trauma of a childhood defined by abuse and abandonment. The profoundly painful experiences of betrayal from those who should have been her protectors and nurturers, placed her in danger and forced her, at an early age, out on the streets to do whatever she had to do to survive. A lived experience that would have condemned most to a lifetime of misery and dysfunction, but instead, Tamara boldly transformed her emotional wounds into a source of strength and courage breaking the chains of generational trauma to become a nurturing, empowering mother and a national environmental leader."
BIONEERS PHOTOGRAPHER & ENTREPRENEUR
Jan Mangan
Jan Mangan
"Rose from the Asphalt is a brave memoir that traces a path from chaos and survival to hard won clarity. With unflinching honesty, Tamara Rose Roske shows how choosing her child, her body and her voice can light the way forward and inspire others that they too can overcome adversity and achieve greatness."
Author of Natural Remedies for Mental and EMotional Health and Natural First
Brigitte Mars
Brigitte Mars
Carla Precht
"Rose From the Asphalt, is a gripping memoir that every parent, grandparent, caregiver, educator, child advocate, and sibling should read. Told through the eyes of a trusting young girl forced to raise herself amid abuse, neglect, and instability. Tamara Roske's story is both heartbreaking and deeply inspiring. With unwavering love for her siblings and an enduring belief that life could be more than her circumstances, she transforms unimaginable hardship into a journey of healing, purpose, and hope."
Founding Excutive Director of the bronx childrens museum
Founding Executive Director of the Broncs Children's Museum
Carla Precht
"What’s remarkable about Tamara’s story is how she rose from her difficult beginning and, after the sweat lodge moment, took action to help children protect the environment. She founded Earth Guardians, now an international environmental nonprofit that equips youth with the resources and training needed to combat climate change. What’s even more remarkable is the person Tamara is today. I feel fortunate to have met her and experienced her positivity, kindness, compassion, creativity, and drive to improve the world. Her story is a must-read for anyone
looking for inspiration."
Co-Author AT BashandLucybooks.com
Lisa Cohn
Lisa Cohn
“Tamara is a beautiful writer who tells her compelling story of courage, faith, purpose and overcoming tragedies. She is an incredible source of light who has brought music, truth and joy to many through her life work and motherhood journeys. Such an inspiration to all and I highly recommend reading her memoir that I feel many will relate to. Rose From the Asphalt encourages us all reach deeply within in order to pursue our purposes and dreams during chaotic & scary times we face, as well as to find a meaningful way to create connection to each other.”
film maker and writer
Ali Waters
Ali Waters
Brave and Evocative "This is a beautifully written journey of transformation. In A Rose from the Asphalt, Tamara Rose Roske offers a luminous look at the strength required to overcome life’s hardest seasons. Her unique coming of age story is a poignant reminder that our past doesn’t define our future, but provides the soil in which we grow. A moving, essential read for anyone
navigating their own path."
“food & travel writer and lifestyle influencer”
Ksenia Skvortsova
Ksenia Skvortsova
"A heart-wrenching tale of tenderness and resilience in the face of trauma. Tamara writes with a simple, disarming honesty that brings the reader straight to the heart of what matters: how we choose to face and navigate our suffering is what shapes our character."
Entrepreneur & Photographer
Pippa Sorely
Pippa Sorley
I first met Tamara in the mid-1990s, already holding a deep respect for her phenomenal commitment to her children and Mother Earth. She was a living legend in earth stewardship, and I felt so honored to meet her. What I didn't know then was the extraordinary path she had walked to become the Earth Guardian she is today.
In her book, “Rose from the Asphalt”, Tamara shares her traumatic childhood story with painful honesty. Her story made me want to reach back in time to comfort her—to tell her that none of it was her fault, and that she was destined to help heal the wounds of the world.
While life's suffering leaves many adults as the "walking wounded," unable to break the cycle of trauma, Tamara is no ordinary person. Remarkably, she transformed her painful past into wisdom, boundless compassion, and love in action.
Knowing her childhood history only deepens my admiration and love for her. Thank you for sharing your story, Tamara.
Founder of Casa Taos Retreat and Training Center
Daniel Escalante
Daniel Escalante
I first met Tamara at a peace and social justice event at Boulder Mennonite Church around the turn of the century. She introduced me to members of her family and said, "There are a lot of us; we are a tribe." That was the first time I truly understood the deep and sacred significance of that term. From that moment on, I have held immense love and respect for Tamara.
Over the years, we worked together on many environmental, social justice, and peace initiatives, spending endless hours discussing strategies to protect the Earth. Our focus was always on taking action, addressing the growing climate crisis, and engaging youth to help heal the planet. Her organization Earth Guardians flourished into an international force for change—driven by young people, with Tamara guiding wisely in the background. The accomplishments of those early years continue to serve as the foundation for many important protective measures today.
Only recently, through reading her book, have I begun to learn more about her earlier years and personal story. I knew from the start that she was unique, brilliant, creative, and deeply dedicated to protecting the Earth and all beings, but I never could have guessed the full extent of the struggles she faced. Through it all, she continues to emerge and bloom.
Executive Director of the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center
Betty Ball
Betty Ball
I have known this woman as an incredible person, but reading the story of her life from age two through nineteen gave me a whole new understanding of just how extraordinary she really is. The things she went through as a child are heartbreaking and honestly almost impossible to comprehend. She was abused, abandoned, left to fend for herself, ran away from home at thirteen, lived on the streets and in other people’s homes, and found herself in situations no child should ever have to experience.
And somehow, she kept going.
One of the things that really stayed with me was the bond she had with her brother and sister. Even though she was just a child herself, she was always looking out for them and trying to protect them. In the middle of so much chaos in her own life, she never stopped caring about them. That says so much about the kind of person she was even then.
What struck me most was her strength and her ability to survive. She figured things out, trusted herself, and kept moving forward even when she had every reason not to. She took all of these incredibly difficult experiences and somehow turned them into the strength to build an amazing life.
She went on to create Earth Guardians, dedicate her life to the environment and children’s rights, and become a mother of six.
I was heartbroken, shocked, and completely in awe of her while reading this book. It made me realize how little we really know about what someone has been through before they come into our lives.
I feel incredibly lucky to call her my friend. Her story is truly unbelievable.
Business owner
Emily Luebcke
Never underestimate a teenager. This is a tale of wildness and redemption that will stay with you long after you finish, and leave you asking, “What next?”
With the wisdom of years gone by, Tamara Roske delicately tells her story through hair-raising, sometimes violent flashbacks, tender sibling moments and memories, and just plain-fact honesty. Throughout it all, or because of it, “Rose from Asphalt ” embraces questions of survival that become a roadmap for self-determination and purpose.
Given the nature of much of the subject matter, I expected this to be a very adult story. Not so. From absent parents and sexual abuse to bare bones hippie communes on the West Coast and gutted downtown Denver gambling houses this author, the founder of Earth Guardians, an International Youth organization, offers a voice that honors the wound within while describing the events of her birth through the prospect of giving birth, in a way that every Youth today not only can relate to, but should read thoroughly. I highly recommend “Rose from Asphalt”.
Healing Touch Practitioner, Threshold Ceremonialist
Deborah O'sheerin
A Beautiful Story of Grace Personified!
"Rose From the Asphalt" is a breathtakingly raw and deeply moving testament to the resilience of the human spirit. From the preface, Tamar grips you with a story that is less about the darkness of her past and entirely about her courageous journey toward healing, survival, and purpose.
I first met Tamara through her work with the Earth Guardians, and I was immediately in complete awe of her. As a teacher, I deeply admire how she and her children have completely devoted themselves to protecting the Earth. Knowing the immense trauma, abandonment, and homelessness she survived on the streets of Denver makes who she is today even more miraculous. Tamar completely radiates positivity, love, and light. She is so incredibly upbeat that you cannot help but feel uplifted and inspired just by being in her presence.
Her memoir doesn't offer neat, easy answers or cliché platitudes. Instead, it serves as a real, visceral example of navigating the aftermath of a broken family to making a meaningful difference in the world and in people's lives. Tamar is a true inspiration, and I cannot wait for people to read her book when it releases on March 16, 2027, so they can be just as inspired by her legacy as I am. I am already looking forward to the movie adaptation!
Educator
Veronica Pepe