Book Reviews of All Over But the Shoutin'

A deeply personal story about a boy cleaving from his salt-of-the-earth mother. Bragg, an award-winning writer, shows us extraordinary worlds in the deep south, the caribbean and within his own heart.

This was good, but I was a little disappointed. I think a friend of mine (Joanne) hit the nail on the head -- I expected less of the good old boy writing/speech. I just expected more from a Pulitzer Prize winner. I thought the story was good, but it dragged in places and there were several places that I just didn't care, some of it, I felt was very self-serving and overly indulgent. Worth a read, but if I do read the next one from this writer, it will be a while. I couldn't handle them back-to-back I think :)

I thought this was an excellent southern memoir. I have Ava's Man, which I believe involves the same people, but I have yet to read it. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes autobios/memoirs or the southern genre.

I really enjoyed this book. I guess if you would like to feel from the poor south this would be a good read. It is also encouragging that it's important to fight for and stick too something you really want. Sometimes our heart leads our heads and families do have a way of holding on to us. You will feel good when you finish the story.

great reading.............loved it

Great book. Well written. Painfully honest.

Great memoir written by a talented journalist who shares his heart and experiences growing up in the South.

A very good story about how with termination and courage one can rise above the conditions one is born into.

I hate to say this, but I found the author to be a little too impressed with himself to make me enjoy this memoir, well-written though it is.

Poignant, painful, stirring memoir of a man and the love for his mother.

Such a beautifully written book. For any fans of biographies and memoirs this is a must read! No slow moments...I was captivated and held throughout the entire book.

Rick Bragg has a way with words and is a great story teller.

Excellent memoir.

One of the most beautifully and honestly written stories ever. The best book I've read in a long time. Rick Bragg began his life as the poorest of the poor in Alabama. A drunken father, and a mother and grandma who were always there to support and direct him.... and his own determination and luck.... were that background which he never forgot. Without a college education, but because he had a natural talent for writing, and because he could relate to the people of his storiew and told their stories with honesty and respect...... Rick Bragg ended up working for the New York Times and was a Pulitzer Prize winner. But he remained that same Rick, all through his life, who never saw himself better than anyone else. My words are trivial in trying to describe a book of such unforgetable emotion. You will never forget this book.....

Ive read this book several times and I still love it.I grew up in the south and while I was living in Belgium for a couple of years I'd read this when I was homesick.It is my all time favorite!

How does someone born to overwhelming poverty and sacrifice become a success? This story of survival and sacrifice tells just that. Well written and hauntingly unforgetable. A great read!!

This was a very powerful book. It makes me want to read everything this man has written. Need I say more?

I really enjoyed this book, much more than his second one. He put all of his best stuff here. Another memoir from a man who loves his mama, and the writing flows beautifully. Laugh-out-loud in places.

An easy read and a heartfelt story about growing up poor in the South. As a fellow Southerner, I especially enjoyed the inclusion of Appalachian grammar with sprinkling of reckons, plumbs, etc. throughout the story.

A well written memoir.

this is a ver good memoir

Excellent book about a Southern man and his travels and his family.

This is an outstanding book about a boy growing up in Alabama. Very vivid descriptions of his childhood and family. He eventually became a writer in New York and this describes his journey there. Highly recommended.

A New York Times Notable Book of the Year.

I really enjoyed this memoir of the author's memories of the South and how it was to grow up poor. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves the South!

Got better and better as it went; did not want to put it down. I am a southerner, so related.

Excellent story of a man's rise from "poor white trash" and his experiences along the way. I like the way he is able to view his life - the terrible and the good - and make his choices. He doesn't abandon his past, but learns to accept it as part of who he is. He discovers that even his difficult childhood is worlds better than some he sees in his life as a reporter. I've recommended this book to many friends and family.

book contents have been covered in many other peoples life stories. Nothing different about this one. Stories all to familiar sadly, in this time of peoples lives. Author had ability to put together a well written story that was enjoyable.

shirley

This book draws you into a time where men beat their wives, kids ran around barefoot, and "poor" was the norm. Excellent.

Great book. I especially loved the first half- his growing up years. He has such a way with words. Loved It!

Funniest book I have read in a long, long time.

Good book. I enjoyed seeing where he came from and where he ended up in life.

awesome book....

YA?On Palm Sunday, 1994, a tornado ripped through a church in Piedmont, AL, killing 20 people. This is Bragg's hometown, and he began his story on the tragedy for the New York Times as follows: "This is a place where grandmothers hold babies on their laps under the stars and whisper in their ears that the lights in the sky are holes in the floor of heaven. This is a place where the song 'Jesus Loves Me' has rocked generations to sleep, and heaven is not a concept, but a destination." It is writing of this quality that won the author his job as a national correspondent and the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. He grew up in poverty, the second of three sons of an alcoholic, abusive father and a loving mother. The early chapters give a beautiful description of warm and happy moments he enjoyed with her and his family even as she struggled to provide for them after they'd been abandoned. Teens will enjoy reading about the resourceful, talented, and lucky young man's career as he moved from local reporter to working for regional and national papers. A book for students with an interest in writing, journalism, or the South and of use for autobiography assignments.?Patricia Noonan, Prince William Public Library, VA

Incredible book about difficult circumstancest! Wonderful read!

"A record of a life that been harrowing,cruel and yet triumphant,written so beautifully he makes the book a marvel."

A great memoir of Bragg's childhood and growing up days. It's good to see where he has come from and what he has accomplished.

A portrait of life in Northern Alabama that will stay with you for a long time.

A New York Times Notable Book of the Year. "Part memoir, part confession, this book has everything to do with the South and nothing at all. . . . Like all good writing, it transcends the particulars of time and place." --Raleigh News & Observer

EXCELLENT.

Breaks your heart but what a great book!

A must-read. Left me wanting more!

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