Raised on Rooftops
Cari Smith
I didn’t set out to write a book.
I set out to remember.
In the summer of 2010, I was sitting in a writing workshop at Michigan State, scribbling down stories about my dad—the kind of stories that live in a family but rarely get written down. He was a roofer, quiet but quotable, the kind of man who didn’t just build barns but built character in his kids without ever calling it that.
At first, I wrote to laugh. To process. To make sense of things.
But the more I wrote, the more I realized I wasn’t just remembering him—I was remembering me. Who I had been as a daughter. Who I was becoming as a wife, a mother. How the lessons from a rooftop were slowly becoming the lessons I now tried to live out on ground level, in laundry rooms and late-night parenting moments.
I began collecting these stories like nails in a pouch—some heavy, some bent, some sharp, all essential. And along the way, something happened: I realized that these everyday moments were the legacy.
It wasn’t about writing the most polished story or having a perfect childhood to draw from. It was about preserving what mattered before it slipped away. It was about giving shape to the memories that built me and offering them to others—maybe to help them remember their own.
So I kept writing. In between diaper changes and dinner duty, sporting events and school projects. I wrote when it was inconvenient, when it hurt, when it made me laugh out loud.
And one day, after years of life and loss and living in between chapters, I looked down and realized: I didn’t just have stories—I had a book.
Raised on Rooftops isn’t just my story. It’s for every storyteller who wants to hold onto something real. For every mom or daughter or teacher who feels the pull to write things down before they disappear. For anyone who wants to leave behind more than photos—a legacy of laughter, strength, and love built into everyday life.
Because someday, someone will be grateful you took the time to tell your story.
Raised on Rooftops is a heartfelt, humorous memoir about growing up as the daughter of a small-town roofer who taught more than just construction—he modeled character, grit, and grace. Through vivid, relatable stories from rooftops and family rooms alike, Cari Smith explores the messy beauty of life as a daughter, wife, and mother. With warmth and wit, she shows how the lessons we learn in ordinary moments can shape us for a lifetime.
About Cari:
Cari Smith is a lifelong storyteller, teacher, wife, and mom of three boys who believes the most meaningful lessons come from ordinary moments—shared meals, hard work, family squabbles, and Sunday Mass. Raised on Rooftops: Life Lessons from a Roofer’s Daughter is a heartwarming memoir about growing up in a faith-filled, hard-working family where the rooftop was both literal and metaphorical ground for life lessons.
Her stories—drawn from life as a daughter, wife, and mother of three boys—remind readers that legacy isn’t built in the spotlight, but in the everyday moments we often overlook. Cari writes with humor, humility, and a deep love for preserving the wisdom of family life.
She lives in Michigan with her husband and sons, where she balances school schedules, sporting events, storytelling, and laundry.
Connect:
Website: carismithauthor.com
Email: cari.smith.author@gmail.com
Facebook: Cari Smith, Author
Instagram: cari.smith.author
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