All Over But the Shoutin'

I read All Over But the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg for my book club with friends. The book description says, "This 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 also the story 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."

I loved this book! I alternated between audiobook and just reading, depending on what I had time for at a given moment, and I loved it both ways. The narrator of the audiobook had a southern drawl that just really captured the story. I loved hearing Rick's story of where he started and his path to becoming a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. I loved getting to know some of the amazing members of his family (his mom and his brother Sam). Rick just has a way with writing and describing things that just made everything so vivid. I found myself often wanting to look up people he described or articles he wrote because I was just so interested in seeing/reading more. One of my favorite chapters was chapter 39, "1.3 Acres." And also the part where his mom went with him to receive his Pulitzer Prize. I really enjoy memoirs of people with interesting lives, so this was a great read, and I liked that it gave me a glimpse into the lives of those who live in poverty.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)