All Over But the Shoutin'

Rating:
Summary: From One Southerner to Another
Review: I am enrolled in a Southern Literature class at my University. I have been required to read a lot of books in my college career, but, "All Over but the Shoutin'" is one that enriched my life with a new respect for the south. His humor and sarcasm had me laughing, and his success made me motivated. The prologue alone made me want to conquer the world. His style of writing is captivating,insightful, and defines creativity. At times you can actually sence his guilt toward his family. His writing evokes pure emotion from the reader, making them stem into their own life and memories no matter what the pain or situation. The content of book was driven from so many aspects; his animosity toward his father, his stuggle as a journalist, his lack to commit to love, and most of all the tribute to his mother and brothers. It doesn't get much better than Rick Bragg.

Rating:
Summary: Dr. Dubek's Class
Review: A teacher, a giver, a Christian, a lover, a forgiver, a sister, a referee, a supporter, a chef, a maid, a "doctor-mom", a wife, a listener, a counselor, a sounding board, a survivor, a leader, a shoulder to cry on, a follower, a cheerleader, and most importantly a friend. My mom is all of these things and more. I will probably never know all the things my mom has sacrificed for me and my brother and sister. And yet she would still give her life for any one of us. My mom has gone through a lot of suffering to keep my family together and continues to make sacrifices for us.

My sounding board. As I like to call it. In that many times, she listens to me talk about my problem or the situation I am dealing with and helps me make the right decision by pointing out all of the different avenues that are available. She always comforts me by making me feel like she understands what I am going through whether she really does or not. For instance, I recently broke up with my boyfriend of almost 3 years. The 'breaking up process' lasted most of the summer. I can't count the number of times I called my mom crying and so upset that I didn't know what to do, but once I talked to my mom, I felt much better because she not only listened to me, but helped me put things in perspective.

My biggest supporter. When I made my decision of choosing a college 3 hours away from my hometown (something my older brother and sister had never done) my mom did not particularly like the fact that I was going to be so far from home, but she supported me indisputably. She has and always will support me in everything I do and I know this because she has proven it to me time and time again. Another example would be last year's football season (not that my mom is the biggest MTSU football fan) but she did not miss a game last year. She made the trip, 3 hours here, 3 hours home, for every MTSU home game last year just to see me on the sidelines performing the same dances and the same cheers every game. My mom is absolutely the biggest confidence booster I have ever seen in my life. She could make a guy who just lost his job, found his wife cheating on him, and just broke his leg feel good about himself, the things going on in his life and she would help him see the bright side of things.

There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes of a pageant and Miss Tennessee is no different. I was fortunate enough to be a contestant in Miss Tennessee 2001 and let me tell you, my mom totally supported me every step of the way. She is probably still in debt from all of the money she spent on dresses, tickets, hotel rooms, food, etc. for the week of the pageant. The only reason I mention this is because there are not a whole lot of mothers that would make these kinds of sacrifices.

I think now that I am out in the 'real world' I am finally grasping an understanding of what my mom has done for my family and me and I think she is one incredible woman. If I could just be 1/2 the mother she is, I will be one absolute fantastic mom.

Rating:
Summary: All Over But The Shoutin'
Review: "All Over But The Shoutin'" is a memoir by Rick Bragg, a southern writer. Bragg is writing the book "for his mother" about growing up in a small southern town. He relates his stories of his growing up with his adulthood. Bragg confesses his poverty sticken childhood in a respective, carismatic way while including some humor and resolutions to his childhood now as an adult.

The memoir contains many styles and techniques. Rick Bragg uses these techniques to keep the readers interest, entertained, and reading it smoothly. The most important style he uses is appealing to all 5 senses. He describes objects, places, and people as if the reader was there. For instance, in this passage, Bragg subtlely appeals to every sense. "I already know a good bit about my history, stories that are seldom written down, only passed from one to another of us over cones of strawberrt ice cream in the gravel paking lot of the tiny store owned by a one-legged man named Tillison. I heard them over the ring of guitar strings on the front porch over the endless, beautiful, hateful rows of cotton that I still dream about even today, even though the fields lie in trash and weeds (Prologue xvi,xvii). Even in the prologue, Bragg illustrates the scene so vividly that the reader can taste and smell the strawberry ice cream, feel the gravel and cotton, see the one-legged man and the trash and weed covered fields.

Another technique he uses is alliteration. All through his memoir he repeats consanant sounds that keep the readers' attention. For instance on page 271 he repeats the "p" sound. "My neighborhood is a potluck supper of a place: white, black, straight, gay, rich, poor, peaceful, violent, nuts, punks, homeless, and some just a paycheck or two away from it.

Over all, "All Over But The Shoutin'" is an excellent protrayel of poverty stricken southern life in this time period. However, it seemed like the focus of the book was his growing up, but not much emphasis was placed on his childhood. Though, I enjoyed reading his book and could relate many of his obstacles to my own life. I would recommend this book to anyone living in or is from the South and/or is persuing a career in the art of writing.

Rating:
Summary: All Over but the Shoutin'
Review: All Over but the Shoutin' is an autobiography by Rick Bragg. The novel goes into great detail concerning his growing up in small-town, Alabama and the progression of his journalism career. Rick Bragg grew up in poverty, without a father. He still managed to make his way in the world, contributing his success to luck and his mother. He published his story to honor his mother and to force himself to deal with some skeletons in his closet.
Rick Bragg writes with a natural style that is humorous and engrossing. After each chapter, the next one calls the reader to continue. He writes simply, using the accent of a native Southerner.
Although there are few parts in this novel that I didn't like, one of them was where he was ashamed because his ritzy girlfriend said they wouldn't work out. He knew he had nothing to be ashamed of; his momma had done the best she could. I also feel like he is lying to himself in some parts, trying to convince himself of something, like when he said his daddy's death didn't change anything.
I loved this novel and would recommend it to anybody. Some people that I think would really enjoy it are Southerners, high school and college students, and people who are making more of themselves than their peers and authorities thought they could.

Rating:
Summary: I didn't want it to end!
Review: Rick Bragg has shared with us, a rip-roaring adventure through his life. This autobiography serves as a memorial to his beloved mother, brother, and his gift for words. All Over but the Shoutin is a testimony to good humor and good writing. His poignant and humorous story telling ability is especially clear when he relates his Halloween experience: "At Halloween we never had a costume, but our cousins would paint a black eye or some freckles on us with Maybelline and let us go with them, anyway. 'What do we tell people when they ask what we are,' we asked her. She said: 'Tell 'em you're hongry.'" The second half of the book is at times more serious, more graphic than the first half, but by the end Bragg leaves you wanting for more. I recommend this novel to anyone, male or female, young or old. The range of topics that are covered is such that anyone would enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: More that just a funny story
Review: This is a funny, yet sometimes sad, recollection of Rick's life just as he saw it. He shyly confesses truths of his life in the subtle lines of the novel. He boldy tells hilarious stories of what it was likfe for him to be from the South and poor. He tells a story honoring his mother, not letting that story be forgotten. He tells a story reminding himself that he is not like his father.

This novel reads like you are sitting on someone's front porch listening to their life story. Sometimes you laugh out loud and sometimes your heart aches for Rick and his family. Reading about Rick and his brothers having to share a leisure suit owned by a cousin for weddings, proms, and other special occasions gives a true and accurate description of what rural, poor life is like.

This novel is simple treasure in the colorful stories and humor of Rick Bragg. However, the sarcasm and underlying truths reveal a story within a story. The stories would stand on their own, just for their hilarity. But, the stories also have meaning which makes them beautiful. Rick Bragg's talent in telling these stories adds to the enjoyment of it all.

Anyone with a sense of humor would enjoy this book. He is dark and light funny at the same time. Rick Bragg did not win a Pulitzer for nothing!

Rating:
Summary: One man's tribute to his mother - no, make that momma
Review: I've never knowingly read any of the stories that Rick Bragg has written for the New York Times or any other paper. But having read this excellent story of his life (somehow, the term autobiography doesn't apply), I will definitely go to the Times' website and search for his stories in the archives.

Bragg speaks very lovingly, but not overly cloyingly, of the region in Alabama where he grew up. He tells us about his mother - sorry, make that momma - and how she raised him and his two brothers. He relates the good and the bad, both about his family and friends, and some of the assignments he covered during his career as a reporter - most notably Haiti after Aristede's exile and before his return, and the riots in Miami.

But in the end, as I hopefully implied in the title of my review, this is really the story of how Bragg's upbringing molded him into the person he is today. I don't know if she is still around, but if she is and Rick Bragg reads this, I'd just like him to pass this along to her:

Mrs. Bragg, you raised one hell of a man.

Rating:
Summary: southern gothic
Review: Rick Bragg's "All Over But the Shoutin'" describes his American journey upward, out of poverty and despair, through a combination of luck, drive, and talent. This falls into the "Only in America" category. There are inevitable detours along the way as he grows up amidst a family whose members are frequently at cross-purposes with each other. His book has been described by an Entertainment Weekly reviewer as "a son's gift to his mother", who is presented as near-saintly. (One does have the passing thought that a daughter might have written a memoir with different insights and a different tone.)

Bragg has become articulate in the great tradition of southern writers; his book is worth a reader's time.

Rating:
Summary: What happened to MOM?
Review: I really did enjoy reading this book.The stories are good. I thought that there was going to be much more about his mother and growing up. He skipped through alot of that.He pulls it off by the title of a section of the book, "lies to my mother" and then spends most of the book patting himself on the back with his career and winning the pulitzer. I bought his other book, Ava's Man. I hope its better.

Rating:
Summary: Wow, wonderful and touching story of southern living
Review: In this memoir, Rick Bragg opens wonderfully. "This is not an important book. It is only the story of a strong woman, a tortured man and three sons who lived hemmed in by thin cotton and ragged history in northeast Alabama, a time when blacks and whites found reason to hate each other and a whole lot of people could not stand themselves."

This is a touching and amazing story. It's a story of sacrifice, hard work, loyalty, heartache, and poverty. It's a story of Nascar, black-eyed peas, sweet tea, religion, and football. It's the story of any person - rich or poor - that was raised in the south and all will relate.

Bragg, who was raised in utter poverty and described himself as white trash, grew up always afraid that the good things in his life were temporary, that someone could take them away, because as a poor man he had no power beyond his own strength to stop them. But through a little hard work and a lot of luck, Bragg is able to validate his years of poverty and his mom's life of sacrifice. A Harvard Nieman fellow, Bragg uses his Pulitzer Prize as validation of his mother's hard work. The story of his taking mother to New York City to accept the prize is unbelievable, as the reader has formed an allegiance with the family and understands her wonder at elevators, escalators, and revolving doors.

The story of his mother's sacrifice is great, as she waited to eat until all three of her boys were done. When Ricky left for Tampa, already an accomplished journalist, his mom slips him ten bucks even though he was supporting her financially. Working countless jobs and suffering from an abusive husband that left her time and time again, the woman is a symbol of what a mother should be.

Being from the south, I especially enjoyed the accounts of the area, which often took me to the beautiful rolling hills of northeast Alabama and reminded me of scenes from the popular film "O Brother Where Art Thou?" In writing about great southern football legends like Shug Jordan, Bo Jackson, and Bear Bryant, Bragg says, "Football is cliché down here. I do not believe that sport is the very essence of Southern life - I know God and work and family precede football, except perhaps on Alabama-Auburn game day - but what it is is the greatest escapes of that life." How true those words are.

I highly recommend this to all and especially to those from the south.