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Summary: Southern Lit at MTSU review
Review: All Over But the Shoutin' is the memoir of Rick Bragg. It tells the story of his family, his life growing up in the south, and the struggles of growing up poor in Alabama. Rick wrote this book for his mother, who made sacrifices throughout her life for her family. This book would appeal to those who enjoy southern literature and those who enjoy reminiscing about the "good ole days".
Braggs writing style sets him apart. His descriptive phrases and vivid imagery make you feel that you are actually there with him in Alabama. In the first paragraph he describes his home as "a place where gray mists hid the tops of low, deep-green mountains..." This is only a taste of what your eyes will feast on while reading the eloquent words of Rick Bragg.
The only problem I found with this book is that it did not flow through sequential time lines, which made it a bit hard to follow at times. Rick's last name is also very appropriate for him. He speaks very highly of himself, which is fine but it gets a little old.
One a scale of 1 to 10 I give Rick Bragg's All Over But the Shoutin' an 8. It was well written and tells a great story!
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Summary: All Over but the Shoutin'
Review: All over but the Shoutin' is a collection of memories of Rick Bragg's life. The pages were written to honor his mother and to tell the stories of his family. All over but the Shoutin' is a book for persons who enjoy reading stories about memories and family history.
His honesty and straight forward writing shows his skills to connect to his readers. His language he uses is very desciptive and informing and you can visualize pictures in your head.
Some people my consider Braggs tendencey to go back and forth between memories a weakness. This weakness may lead readers not to be able to keep track of the order of events that occur.
I would recommend All over but the Shoutin' to persons who enjoy a true life story of a man who had a loving mother and a trouble father and many memories to tell.
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Summary: Review of Rick Bragg's All Over but the Shoutin'
Review: Rick Bragg's All Over But the Shoutin' is a memoir of the author's life. He reveals his life and struggles of his mother as he grows up poor in Alabama. The memoir appears to be therapy for the writer allowing his thoughts and feelings pour over the pages. This work would be enjoyable for most and especially those with a similar background.
The greatest stregth of the memoir is his writing style. He uses the repetion of words to make the pages come alive. The reader feels as if he were standing in Rick Bragg's shoes. He paints clear pictures for the reader to imagine.
The author's lack of transitions from chapter to chapter are a weakness. He jumps from one subject to the next with no warning or event leading to the change.
Overall this is a great book. It is extremely well written. It takes the reader into the life of Rick Bragg. I would reccomend this book to all readers of any background.
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Summary: Bragg expands horizons
Review: Rick Bragg's All Over but the Shoutin' is a memoir honoring his mother's life while validating his own existence. Reader's who enjoy a well-told story, enjoy laughing and crying, or just wanting to escape the humdrum of his own life will thoroughly enjoy this book.
Bragg captures the language and life-style of the rural South in all it's glory. He avoids the romance and enigma surrounding fictional accounts of the "Old South" and unleashes the bitter truth of growing up poor in rural Alabama. The memories are vividly descriptive and the beautifully poetic manner in which Bragg recounts these memories transports the reader to another time and place. Bragg also lends a photo album aura to the book by arranging individual memories so that each turn of the page provides the reader with a new snapshot of his past.
Weaknesses are limited in this book, but if you are looking for a linear story, this book is not for you. Also, for anyone not familiar with life in the South, direct connections to this story may be few. These readers will have to take Bragg at his word in his descriptions of life within the economic and social constructs defined by his memoirs.
I highly recommend this book to anyone wishing to expand his horizons. Bragg brings the past to life and captures the soul. I would challenge anyone to read Bragg's account and try not to examine his own life. I would venture that it cannot be done. Not only does Bragg validate his own existence, but he validates human life as well.
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Summary: You need the Southern drawl...
Review: Since I "heard" this book instead of "read" it, I think I'm a little biased. Author Rick Bragg narrates the audio book himself & his Southern drawl makes the work lyrical & poetic. Because of this personalization, he creates a real world for the listener. The emotions are palpable.His mother is a model parent although I did wonder how she selected Bragg's father because he turned out to be such a poor choice. The story is a lively but gritty tribute to his mother. It is obvious that his love for her is strong. In telling her story, he also tells his own story between the lines. I enjoyed this audio book so much that I listened to it over two weeks, trying to drag out the story as long as possible. I got used to hearing Bragg's voice on my commute home & I found his accent comfortable & endearing. You don't want to miss this one! (the audio book is also at the library)
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Summary: All Over but the Shoutin Review
Review: This book is a memoir of Rick Bragg. Bragg re-tells his life story of growing up poor in the south, and eventually becoming a successful reporter for the "New York Times". He was raised by a mother who always did without so her children did not have to. Bragg also tells about his alcoholic and abusive father, who was hardly ever around. This book ia about the hardships that his mother and brothers had to endure. Bragg writes this novel for his mother and his brothers. He uses descriptive passages and phrases. He also uses vivid imagery that makes the reader feel as if they are there with him. However, his novel is a little difficult to read because the experiences he writes about are not in chronological order.This novel would have just as much impact if he would have written the events in the order of which they really happened. I would recommend this book to people who like southern literature. Also, if they might have experienced similar experiences. This was a good novel, but it is not for everyone.
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Summary: A Masterpiece
Review: In Rick Bragg's memoir "All Over But the Shoutin," Bragg shares his stories of living poor in the rural South, dependending on his strong-will mother to raise him and his two brothers. Bragg releases his haunted memories of his alcoholic father & the struggle his mother went through to raise her children alone. Bragg writes this incredible, personal story, not to shame himself and his family, but to honor his devoted and loving mother. Although any intellectual person would enjoy this book, Bragg's stories strongly appeal to an audience that has experienced shame or living a life of poverty and broken promises. Most impressive in Bragg's stories is the use of language, as well as his descriptions of childhood memories. I found myself laughing and crying at this masterpiece, not because of the stories, but because of the way he told the stories, like the reader was right there, like you could close your eyes and be wherever Bragg was describing in the book. I would strongly recommend this book to any individual who has ever had to eat government cheese, been on food stamps, had to wear hand-me-down clothes, has had a mother be the mother and father of the household, or would just like to get a glimpse of living life as a poor child in the rural south.
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Summary: Touching, emotional story
Review: Rick Bragg's All Over but the Shoutin' is a memoir of his life in the South. He writes to recall the struggles of his family while growing up, especially that of his mother. He wrote for himself, to finally approach many of the unanswered questions that plagued him. He also wrote for a larger audience, one that has suffered similar trials to his, to let them know that they are not alone.
Bragg's use of imagery in this book is amazing. He paints a vivid picture of the low class South through the use of colorful and very descriptive language. From the very beginning, he gives the reader a personal view into his life as he was growing up. In describing his mother's birthplace, he says it is "a place where gray mists hid the tops of low, deep green mountains..." (3), and before the reader appears majestic landforms full of nature's beauty. Also, as he is speaking of the poor white culture at that time, he describes how people sought relief from their hard times. He writes, "Yet the grimness of it faded for a while, at dinner on the ground at the Protestant churches, where people sat on the springtime grass and ate potato salad and sipped sweet tea from an aluminum tub with a huge block of ice floating in it" (5). Through these words, Bragg draws the reader deeper into the story, until they can almost taste that potato salad and sweet tea.
The weakness in Bragg's story falls in the first few chapters. While he is busy painting beautiful landscapes with his words, the reader is left wondering exactly when the actual story is going to begin. This problem mainly occurs early on in the book. The language he uses is so fluffy that it is almost hard to follow.
This book is a strongly recommended read, especially to those who are familiar with that raw, Southern culture. It is an incredibly touching story of a young boy's life growing up in the poor South.
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Summary: Touching story with beautiful style
Review: Rick Bragg's All Over But the Shoutin' is a memoir of his life growing up poor in the South and the sacrifices his mother made for him that made him the man he is today. He wrote this to tell the story of his mother and more so as a tribute to her. This is a book that can be enjoyed by everyone who has made sacrifices and had problems they have attempted to fix.
The book's strength comes from its style. Bragg's journalistic background allows him to tell stories in a way that we are transported back in time with him. An example of such is found at the beginning of the book when he tells us about his father abandoning his family, explaining in detail the color of the house and what his mother was doing. We are in the red house with him, watching his mother step away from the stove to answer the phone and we watch her as she listens quietly and twists the phone cord.
Although it is beautifully written, it is flawed in the matter that Rick Bragg seems to mention one too many times his Pulitzer Prize to the point that you want to scream out for him to stop. He mentions his success quite a few times making it appear as if he is a little ashamed of some of the stories he has told of the past and wants us to remember how great he is.
It is a very enjoyable book, even with his arrogance laced in it. I definitely recommend reading this book. It is a truly touching tale of the South and of his mother and by the end you are sure to love his mother just as much as he does.
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Summary: Scion of the "ungentle poor"
Review: Rick Bragg has written intelligently, lovingly, compassionately and with absolute integrity about the people, his people, from whom Erskine Caldwell drew his inspiration for Tobacco Road and God's Little Acre. I grew up among the gentle poor of the rural south. My family were teachers, preachers and small farmers, but I worked in the fields along side scores of folk, any of whom could have been interchangable with the Braggs. The author's father came back from Korea a mean and irresponsible drunk. Many of the south's sons sent to war return this way. But some become mean and cruel preachers, an even more dangerous breed because they can poison the lives of not just one family, but whole communities. Bragg tells his story in the unique voice of the hardscrabble rural south, a voice that those of us among the gentle poor lose as soon as we can because, usually as young folk, we are ashamed of our origins. Rick Bragg was/is smart enough to wear his voice as a badge of honor. Bragg writes of his kin and few friends, his mentors and the subjects of his wonderful human interest stories with an unusual sensitivity born of the hurt feelings unexpressed or even acknowledged, the horrors and injustices of his time and place. He was a Neiman Fellow at Harvard, an accomplishment of which he is justifiably proud, but obviously suprised to find himself in the hallowed halls, feeling something like a Possum Trot pig in a tutu. It is a wonderful book about a sensitive and bright young boy overcoming with the help of those he loved and who loved him, the terrible deficiencies of his environment and place. He has not forgotten his roots and he shames we fortunate few who sometimes do. And to the reviewer who felt Rick's momma should have eschewed welfare and gotten a job, you are obviously a modern day Republican, with a heart as hard and lifeless as that of a corporate lawyer. I hope that someday you are sentenced to a place where you have to chop cotton for the rest of your life with a short hoe and to pick it interminally with cold and bleeding hands. That is one of my ideas of hell. wfh
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