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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One of my favorite reads of all time! What a story teller!
I truly enjoyed this book, getting to know him and his life. It reaslly was interesting and inspirational.
One of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors. You can’t go wrong with Rick Bragg.
READ IT TWICE. GREAT CHARACTERS.
The prequel to Ava’s man. Execellent!
This is absolutely one of the most beautiful memoirs of southern life as told by a disenfranchised white man. I’m not being snarky. Southern life and literature has a tradition of cherishing and coddling warmly lyrical prose and this book excels in that regard.
The South of the 50s/60s which Bragg writes about is a place “where playing the …
Great memoir!
Bragg is such an amazing writer! He writes gritty subject matter with a great sense of humor.
This is a total eye opener. It is hard to believe that this is America today. Bragg is my hero and such an inspiration. He made it out of the environment in which he was reared, and not only got out, but made something of himself through hard work, determination, and grit. He’s got my vote for Emperor!
Rick Bragg is always great.
I am in love with Rick Bragg, or at least with his writing. After I read this book I went on to “Ava’s Man”, which may be my favorite book of all time! So funny and so sad! Then I read “The Prince of Frog Town”. They’re all excellent, and I’m truly sad there is only one more to read – “The Best Cook in the Whole World”. If you enjoy brilliant …
Loved this book.
Love everything he writes. You feel like part of the family when he’s finished his story.
A WELL TOLD LOOK AT REAL LIFE GROWING UP, MATURING, AND BEING A LESS THAN AFFLUENT AMERICAN. If you liked Hillybilly Elegy this a signficaint followup.
Heartwarming in every way.
A realistic biographical description of growing up in the South. He has a great sense of humor which is displayed artfully.
Enjoyed.
Witty, funny, interesting memoir about the author’s southern upbringing, his family members and career.
Speaking as someone born in the South, where my family’s living was made by “sharecropping”, I found this story to be realistic, right down to the familiar expressions and words that only someone raised in the South would be familiar with.
A book that makes you grateful for all the blessings you have in your own life. Rick Bragg has such a delightful way with weaving words.