A New York Times Notable Book of the YearThis haunting, harrowing, gloriously moving recollection of a life on the American margin is the story of Rick Bragg, who grew up dirt-poor in northeastern Alabama, seemingly destined for either the cotton mills or the penitentiary, and instead became a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for The New York Times. It is the story of Bragg’s father, a … of Bragg’s father, a hard-drinking man with a murderous temper and the habit of running out on the people who needed him most.
But at the center of this soaring memoir is Bragg’s mother, who went eighteen years without a new dress so that her sons could have school clothes and picked other people’s cotton so that her children wouldn’t have to live on welfare alone. Evoking these lives–and the country that shaped and nourished them–with artistry, honesty, and compassion, Rick Bragg brings home the love and suffering that lie at the heart of every family. The result is unforgettable.
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This was a good book to read. The only thing I didn’t care for was the issues the author has with “Yankees”. I hope he knows we are not all like he thinks. I thought his mother was a wonderful woman and got a smile every time he talked of her doing something for the first time. Such a strong woman she is. Someone I would have liked to have met. …
Language is marvelous, a wonderful writer.
Honest portrayal of Southern poverty
Gave a good perception of life that I was not aware of!
Rick Bragg’s writing is just pure joy . It is like a soft blanket that makes you feel warm and loved. I am listening to him read his book My Southern Journey.If you Want a special treat you must read and or listen to anything he writes.
So well written- I love this book!
Loved it!! I love all of Rick Bragg’s writings.
HIS USUAL FINE GIFT WITH WORDS, BUT, EVEN CONSIDERING HIS UPBRINGING, I FOUND IT A LITTLE OVER-BEARING ON HIS SOCIAL JUSTICE PERSPECTIVE.
This book was written for those of us who descended not from royalty or wealth but from hardworking men and women who lived hard
loved hard and died without much recognition.
This was a true story told from the heart. Like sitting down with an old friend and taking it all in.
Enjoyed reading this memoir. Wonderful description of lives of poor families struggling just to survive.
Story stayed with me.
The author is talented, with a breadth of writing experience, from small-town weeklies to NYC dailies. Yet he is quite humble and humorous. A gentlemanly southern writer, giving his mother the credit for his success. I enjoyed it very much.
It’s been many years now since I read this book and really only remember that I loved it . . . so much that I got it for my son and he loved it, too. Though I no longer remember details, I recommend it without hesitation.