http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Wed, 11 Jun 2008 19:09:16 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/04/28/175751.php#comment-725809 When an author brings tears to your eyes and an ache in your chest, just by reading his books, he is a treasure to behold. Having read and cherished Rick Bragg's first two books, All Over But the Shoutin' and Ava's Man, I couldn't read his newest, The Prince of Frogtown, fast enough. It was like visiting people that are buried in your brain. My husband's people are from northern Alabama, in the Huntsville area, and they, like Bragg's family, ground out a living in the mill and lived in one of those square-box houses in the village. They had 11 children and could barely feed and clothe them, but was glad for the mill to put a roof over their heads. My mother-in-law told me many stories of being a young and starving mother, wearing her husband's old shoes to the mill and standing for hours as a "batt'rey hand", and most times only having a cold biscuit for her lunch. Her husband would work in the "folding rooms", the air would be thick with lint and dust, which contributed to his eventual ill health and asthma. Rick Bragg's crystal descriptions of these people's lives, pushed images in my head that lit up like a flame. He is a master when it comes to using the perfect description, with words that almost shock the eye. His mother could very well have been my husband's mother. She lived on dirt floors until she was 16 years old and they carried water to the house, and washed their clothes in huge metal tubs until the early 1960s. Her story needs to be told,too. Most times she didn't eat, so the kids could have something. Her husband worked at what he could find, mostly ill and dreaming of singing for the Grand Ole' Opry. Thank you, Rick Bragg, for telling the "Poor but Proud" side of these peoples lives. Your story broke my heart, but not before it did yours. Thank you! 725809@blogcritics.org Wed, 11 Jun 2008 19:09:16 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/04/28/175751.php#comment-719333 Rick Bragg's wordsmithing is so eloquent as he describes human events that do not need to be forgotten or unappreciated. My grandfather was born at 76C Street and raised by a mother who was forsaken by her prince in Frogtown. Long shifts at the mill and extra work cleaning the homes of others made her old before her time. Grandpa Phillips took my grandfather to church in the village to find an island of emotional release. Rick understands what life was like in "Frogtown" and gets the description just right. The parallel stories Mr. Bragg reveals draw the reader into a new appreciation of flawed persons and generations that are different from our own. Members of my extended family are reading the book for insight into our heritage. Our experience with THE PRINCE OF FROGTOWN has been a collective sense of gratitude for the generation that survived a difficult time in history. Rick Bragg paints with words and aptly describes life in the mill village. With this insight the reader can relate to Mr. Bragg's understanding of our place in helping those who come after us. We can embrace the past with an optimistic view of assisting our "noble" sons. You will be glad you took the time to read this book. 719333@blogcritics.org Mon, 19 May 2008 11:43:53 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/04/28/175751.php#comment-718637 My Grandparents, Mamma Lively and Papa Lively lived in "the Village" on 68C Street and when, by accident I picked up THE PRINCE OF FROGTOWN at the bookstore, my heart immediately began to beat faster. Just seeing the word "FROGTOWN" jolted me into buying it. As I began to lose myself in the pages of the book, my past caught up with me and took me back to my childhood and memories that had not come to my mind for years. I am so grateful to the author for taking me back to a time that was very precious to me and my family. I am re-reading it for the third time in two days, have phoned everyone in our family who has dispursed thoughout the South over the last few decades and encouraged them to read it. It is my new Bible! I told my 27 year old son if he wanted to know the history of his mother, he can just read this marvelous tale and he will learn more about his roots. I am in LOVE with this writer!!! 718637@blogcritics.org Fri, 16 May 2008 19:08:16 EDT