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baker16's review against another edition
4.0
This collection of mediocre stories are told in such a compelling manner that it is surprisingly both entertaining and inspiring.
kathythelibraryteacher's review against another edition
5.0
I read this book years ago when it first came out. Last year, a friend suggested we go and hear Rick speak at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville. Rick was suffering with kidney stones but indulged us with several stories and updates. I decided then to reread this book. I’m so glad I did! As a poor Southern girl who grew up hard with a momma who loves sacrificially and only knows hard work, I went to college on her shoulders. This book resonates. Knowing where you came from is a push and a pull. Thanks, Rick, for giving voice to those of us who came from “there.”
cathyatratedreads's review against another edition
3.0
Read this for book club a few years back. Lived in Anniston at the time and almost perhaps felt a bit too close to it, since Bragg was the "local boy" and had started at the newspaper where I was working. There's no doubt that Bragg is a fine writer and captures place and time very effectively. For those who have never been to the area, his writing brings alive the place. Just always fear a little bit about the Southern writing, poor background, had-a-daddy-who-was-a-drunk memoir -- how many books does it take on this topic? But it's well done.
wdudley89's review against another edition
3.0
Recommended for anyone feeling like a lousy father, because you can't possibly be as bad as the man who brought Rick Bragg into the world. Bragg is an effortless storyteller and his own miraculous story, in which he transcends his family situation, poverty, and a lack of education to win a Pulitzer Prize for the New York Times, is well worth reading. In some stretches the book felt like a collection of loosely knitted anecdotes and episodes, rather than a smoothly developing narrative, or I would have granted a fourth star.
quiltmom14's review against another edition
5.0
Extraordinary writing and a beautiful homage to his mother. A must read if you love gorgeous writing. Can't wait to read another book by Bragg.
afarre01's review against another edition
3.0
This was a moving biography. I enjoyed reading it and hearing about Rick's life and the struggles he and his family overcame.
arthur_pendrgn's review against another edition
4.0
This is the first piece I have read by Rick Bragg. If I read an article of his, I don´t remember. I enjoyed his style, although at times his language seemed a tad overblown. The punctuation was sometimes obstructive, but maybe that was just the edition I read.
This is more a love-letter to his mother--what she sacrificed for him and how his very career was a way to honor that sacrifice. The memoir covers quite a bit of time; there must be some intriguing stories and events that he left out.
I enjoyed this well enough to seek out his other works.
This is more a love-letter to his mother--what she sacrificed for him and how his very career was a way to honor that sacrifice. The memoir covers quite a bit of time; there must be some intriguing stories and events that he left out.
I enjoyed this well enough to seek out his other works.
jlosaw's review against another edition
3.0
I found myself a lot more interested in his life as a reporter than I was about his mother.