“Every life deserves a certain amount of dignity, no matter how poor or damaged the shell that carries it.”
― Rick Bragg, All Over But the Shoutin'
Rick Bragg understands the pain, poverty, and problems associated with poor, white, and rural Americans, specifically those in the southern foothills of Appalachia. He understands because he had a front-row seat. As the son of an alcoholic father who returned home just long enough to get his mom pregnant again and put the household in turmoil, Rick Bragg understands the complexities of growing up in a sometimes abusive and always impoverished atmosphere. Where his father lacked, his mother showed strength. She took on whatever work she could find, which included picking cotton and doing laundry for wealthy families, to provide for her boys. She also clothed and fed them before she took care of her own needs. The author speaks highly of his mother and the first half of the book is a testament to his mother's love and care.
One particular story that stood out to me was when a struggling African American family saw the need of Bragg's family and shared their meager rations. The author speaks quite frequently in the book on the race issues of the time and the politics of the day in the rural south.
The second half of the book chronicles Bragg's journey as a writer. Although he only completed six months of college, he went on to earn a place in the Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University, and he won a Pulitzer Prize for his work on the Oklahoma City Bombing incident.
I did not enjoy this book quite as much as his book THE MOST THEY EVER HAD but I still gave it a four-star rating on Goodreads and enjoyed it very much. I listened to the audiobook version which I borrowed through Libby. The book was read by the author who reads slowly and with a slight regional accent.