There's a gospel song entitled, "Will the Circle Be Unbroken," and Rick Bragg tries to answer that question in the last book in his family history, The Prince of Frogtown. He received a great deal of acclaim with the first two books in his family trilogy, All Over But the Shoutin', and Ava's Man. Now, he finishes the family circle with this story of his father, and his own relationship with his stepson.
Bragg's father, Charlie Bragg, received short shrift in his previous books. Bragg's memories of his father are of a man who drank and fought, deserted the family, until finally, Bragg's mother Margaret took the family and left. Bragg's later memories are of a dying man with TB, who continued to drink. Those memories aren't the only story. It took Bragg's marriage late in life to a woman with a son to lead him back to his own father's life.
The Prince of Frogtown actually has three storylines. One is the story of Jacksonville, Alabama, a mill town where the workers worked hard, drank hard, and died hard. One story is about Charles Bragg, Rick's father, and his family. For years, Charles tried to escape his hard-drinking family's life, but his experiences in Korea started a long downward slide. And the third story is Rick's own story of learning to love a boy who was not the tough hard-fighting boy that Rick knew from his own boyhood. The three stories intertwine in another heartbreaking tale, one that Bragg, the storyteller, is so good at relating.
Rick Bragg discovered a father he never knew, from the tales of his father's cousin, and some of the men who were loyal to the memory of Charles Bragg, a friend from childhood. The Prince of Frogtown might reveal even more about Rick Bragg than the previous books do, from the way he tells the stories of his father, and his new son. Bragg's book shows a man yearning for a connection to childhood and innocence, but aware of the cruelty of a world that changes that innocence. His comment about his father, "Did anyone ever do a better job than they did, of squeezing the last little bit out of being a boy?" shows that love of boyhood. And the most enjoyable part of the book is Bragg's attempt to relate to his son.
Article comments
1 - vlccpr
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!!!
2 - Steven Mercer
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.
3 - Linda Cates
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!
4 - Megan Shilo
Rick Bragg is amazing as a writer and story teller. As a reader of southern tales, I only found this guy a few months ago. It's funny, I'm not a southerner by roots, and only lived in Kentucky through my high school years, but that was enough to give me an appreciation for the people, the culture, and the stories. I've liveed in CA most of my life, but I still have a yearning in my heart for the south. I've sort of always felt like an outsider, so I thank Rick Bragg for allowing me into his life. Please give us more!