I recently found myself in the mood for an audiobook and, as it turns out, I could not have chosen a more perfect one to fit my mood than Rick Bragg's 2020 collection Where I Come From. And just to top it all off, Bragg himself is the perfect reader/narrator for this collection of columns originally published in the likes of Southern Living and Garden & Gun magazines. The book, in fact, turns out to be one of the best memoirs I've read this year.
Rick Bragg grew up in rural Alabama, and he only has to open his mouth for people to figure that out. The man's heart took its first beats in Alabama, and it still beats strongest when he is somewhere in the Deep South. (A word of advice: Listeners to Bragg's narration should not expect him to get the job done quickly. Southerners don't work that way. So, please, for your own sake, resist the temptation to kick up the man's verbal pace to 125% - or more - on your listening device. You'll soon learn to appreciate the author's pace and how much it adds to his substantial storytelling charm.)
The collected columns are all very personal ones addressing everything from what Harper Lee and her book mean to Southerners and the world, to his deep love for Tupperware, to the most satisfying way to kill fire ants (especially the ones that have already claimed their pound of flesh from your legs), to sharing a series of fictional letters he has written to Santa over the years in an attempt to stay on the fat man's "good list." And those are all great.
But I got some of my best laughs at the author's thoughts on his experiences of being solidly locked inside Atlanta's terrible traffic jams, his wonderfully comic takes on his mother's behavior and opinions, his sincere love of mongrel dogs, and his banteringly competitive relationship with his brothers. Bragg shares a talent usually only found in the best of comedians; he can make you laugh out loud because of his willingness to expose the silliness and absurd behavior of himself and those closest to him - all the while making you laugh with those people, not at them.
Where I Come From is a reminder that we are pretty much all alike, and how important it is these days to be able to laugh a little bit at ourselves. Don't read this one...let Rick Bragg read it to you.
I don't usually listen to audiobooks...I get too impatient with them because I read so much faster than they narrate...but I can see where listening to this one would be the better option. Rick Bragg sounds like he's a true storyteller. :D
ReplyDeleteHe really is a great storyteller, but his serious looks into his family tree have produced some really good nonfiction books, too. In those he's not going for humor, and he "calls 'em as he sees 'em." He apparently wrote a really good bio of the old rock and roll singer Jerry Lee Lewis, too, that I haven't been aware of before now. He tells a couple of really interesting stories about the relationship he and the singer developed while he was working on that book that really makes me want to read it. I put it on hold a couple of days ago, in fact.
DeleteI so love him. I don't know this book, but will find it. I've read quite a few. Some posts about him on my blog if you are just dying to read about him.haha.
ReplyDeleteHe is truly wonderful to read or listen to, Nan. I hadn't realized you were a fan...on my way to do a search on your blog. Thanks.
DeleteWow, Nan. That all came together to be a really beautiful to Rick Bragg, both as an excellent writer and as being the kind of man he is. I've read one or two of those myself and I was enthralled all the way through them. Bragg is way underrated, and it's a real shame more people don't know his books as well as they know his columns.
DeleteI am so impressed you came to the blog! I found the new book and will buy it soon. 2021! I haven't watched it yet, but there is an interview.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mePcQrep3vw&ab_channel=AlabamaBooksmith
DeleteI got a real kick out of your enthusiasm about Bragg's books, Nan...made me smile. I've seen a couple of interviews in the last few days on YouTube; I'll see if this is one of them. Thanks.
DeleteHi Sam, many years ago I read part of Rick Bragg's memoir "All Over But The Shoutin". I remember enjoying the book although I am not sure if I finished it but that title continues to crack me up.😃
ReplyDeleteKathy, if you enjoy audiobooks at all, you should give one of Bragg's a listen...one of the ones he narrates himself. His personality is hard not to like, and that really enhances the audiobook experience.
DeleteI read something by Bragg years ago and intended to pick up another of his books, but you know how that goes. This sounds wonderful - definitely one for my audio list!
ReplyDeleteIf you give it a shot, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I know how it is to have authors slip off your radar as quietly as some of them appear there. That's happened to me too many times to count.
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