I heard about this book from a podcast I listened to recently, entitled 'Tornado Talk'. I thought it sounded interesting and decided to give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised by one of the best books I've ever had the privilege of reading.Slowly laying out a story that the author claimed "needed ...
I remember watching a tornado form on April 3rd or 4th, 1974 as a teenager. It was a scary sight. Soon after that, we drove through the other side of town to check out the damages done by all the tornadoes that day. It was horrendous. Then I heard about the destruction in Xenia, Ohio and Brandenburg...
Last month’s book club pick was American-born authors. We’ve spent a couple of months reading different books on a similar topic. The Alabama Booksmith has a good list of Alabama authors. Some of them weren’t born in Alabama, but it’s easy to tell who was by reading the bios. I didn’t make it that f...
Rick Bragg’s affection for his family and his pride in them shows in this book, and the stories are amusing, if you can get past the violence in the fights. The best part of this book, in my opinion, is the taste of the past that comes through.
NO SPOILERS!!!On completion: I am sad to leave this book. It was a delight to read. I fell in love with Charlie, Ava's Man. the author's grandfather. Rick Bragg talked with all his relatives to find out about his grandfather. He was in fact born after his death. It wasn't easy finding out about Char...
When I was twelve I spent a month in Texas, in the country, in my grandparents’ small house. I have relatives in Florida, and I’ve spent a weekend there every so often. This is the closest I’ve gotten to the South, but Rick Bragg’s book made me feel as though I was really there. Bragg’s skillful sto...
Is it just me or do Southern writers have some special poetry of language that the rest of us lack. William Faulkner, James Dickey, Pat Conroy, Harper Lee and Rick Bragg each in their own way write in a manner that places you firmly within the story. When I read books by these authors, I feel like...
Log in with Facebook 
