I stopped by a thrift store last winter and happened to arrive during their big book clearance event. They marked down all their books to only a few cents each and I ended up bringing home around 20 books! I was looking for older books or biographies and when I stumbled upon this insightful memoir centered around the South, I just had to buy it.
All Over but the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg is a southern tale about the author's life and how his upbringing helped him become a successful writer. Bragg starts with his parents and his childhood, with a special focus on his mother. Willingly sacrificing anything and everything for her children, she was the woman who taught Bragg the importance of family and sticking up for one another. Bragg grew up in rural Alabama in the poorest of families and writes that many considered them "trash." His father, an alcoholic, came and went, never staying long enough to help his wife and children get out of the poverty he left them in. Bragg describes his childhood as something that had many bad times but his mother's love helped overshadow all the negative. He implies that he saw his childhood as an important and positive part of his life. Even though the author eventually grows up and leaves the South, he still constantly looks to his home and upbringing as his guiding light as a reporter and writer. Family, love, devotion and loyalty are central themes in this book, all of which Bragg learned from his mother.
This book is a fantastic read for anyone looking for a story that makes you feel at home. Even though there are sad and rather dark events in this book, the positive elements are so well written that I found myself feeling hopeful and encouraged when I finished the book. Because this book has some darker events described in intense detail, I would recommend this book for young adults and older.
~Abigail C.
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