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Chinaberry Sidewalks Audiobook
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(3.11) - 314 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
From the acclaimed musician comes a tender, surprising, and often uproarious memoir about his dirt-poor southeast Texas boyhood. The only child of a hard-drinking father and a Holy Roller mother, Rodney Crowell was no stranger to bombast from an early age, whether knock-down-drag-outs at a local dive bar or fire-and-brimstone sermons at Pentecostal tent revivals. He was an expert at reading his father’s mercurial moods and gauging exactly when his mother was likely to erupt, and even before he learned to ride a bike, he was often forced to take matters into his own hands. He broke up his parents’ raucous New Year’s Eve party with gunfire and ended their slugfest at the local drive-in (actual restaurants weren’t on the Crowells’ menu) by smashing a glass pop bottle over his own head. Despite the violent undercurrents always threatening to burst to the surface, he fiercely loved his epilepsy-racked mother, who scorned boring preachers and improvised wildly when the bills went unpaid. And he idolized his blustering father, a honky-tonk man who took his boy to see Hank Williams, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash perform live, and bought him a drum set so he could join his band at age eleven. Shot through with raggedy friends and their neighborhood capers, hilariously awkward adolescent angst, and an indelible depiction of the bloodlines Crowell came from, Chinaberry Sidewalks also vividly re-creates Houston in the fifties: a rough frontier town where icehouses sold beer by the gallon on paydays; teeming with musical venues from standard roadhouses to the Magnolia Gardens, where name-brand stars brought glamour to a place starved for it; filling up with cheap subdivisions where blue-collar day laborers could finally afford a house of their own; a place where apocalyptic hurricanes and pest infestations were nearly routine. But at its heart this is Crowell’s tribute to his parents and an exploration of their troubled yet ultimately redeeming romance. Wry, clear-eyed, and generous, it is, like the very best memoirs, firmly rooted in time and place and station, never dismissive, and truly fulfilling.
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"I really enjoyed this book and felt that I had a kinship with his growing up which was much more intense than I would have expected. I am not a "memoir" fan, but I have always had a country music genre that was entirely made up by me which includes the likes of Steve Goodman, John Prine, John Hiatt, Doc Watson and, of course, Sir Rodney, etc. So off I went to find out about Rodney Crowell. Rodney surprised me, however, and spent most of his time talking about his father, his mother and his upbringings in eastern Kentucky and Texas. He also surprised me with his few remarks about his marriage to Johnny Cash's daughter, Roseanne. There are many great lessons in this book. First, the family motto: "If you don't know what to do with it, fry it." Secondly, when asked about his favorite class in high school, he answered, "Sinus". {Science} I have never read a memoir that defined that one of the major family competitions that everyone endured was "passing gas". And lastly, although Rodney was never a boy scout, he had defined his own definitions of acceptable guidelines to obtain merit badges, which you will have to read the book to identify. This book is a very pleasant memory of a mischievous youth and of a boy growing up "Country"."
— Chuck (4 out of 5 stars)
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“It’s not music that’s at the heart of this book, however, but his loving and turbulent relationships with his parents and their often strained but deep love for one another.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“This touching, sometimes rough, and vivid chronicle of mid-twentieth-century Southern life is highly recommended.”
— Library Journal
Chinaberry Sidewalks Listener Reviews
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" I loved this book. It was actually pretty funny in parts soooo much better than his ex's book Roseanne Cash. "
— Chamie, 2/9/2014 -
" Expectations aside, this probably deserves a little higher rating. Crowell's tales of growing up with quirky parents, friends and neighbors are not unlike those many of us could tell, but his writing is a cut above average. Music fans will be disappointed, this book is about growing up in Texas in the 1950s and 60s, as well as his relationship with his parents. The switch late in the book to saying goodbye as his parents are dying is a bit abrupt, but again he writes with passion about finding peace with them. "
— Dale, 2/4/2014 -
" Crowell is a pretty good writer, and the accounts of his childhood are alternately sobering and hilarious. "
— Marsha, 2/4/2014 -
" Not entirely what I expected but it was an in-depth look at a young Rodney Crowell growing up. Let;s you understand where some of his songs stem from. "
— Ginger, 2/4/2014 -
" ok read- thought it would be more like GLASS CASTLE- "
— Kimberly, 2/1/2014 -
" i liked the name of book and felt sorry for his childhood. Chinaberry branches to slap the shit out of him, a tree found in the southern states kind of invasive, hardwood, all that craziness must have been a klot to handle, even though he loved his parents. Not much about Roseanne Cash, at least he loves his girls! "
— Robyn, 1/25/2014 -
" I love Rodney Crowell so this was an interesting read for me, but I was disappointed in it. I really felt this book was written as therapy for himself concerning the way his childhood was and especially the relationship between his parents, and his relationship with them. No doubt he came up rough and has done well for himself. I would have enjoyed information in the book concerning his rising to fame, and his adult life, but obviously that wasn't why this book was written. Still all in all I'm not sorry I took the time to read it. "
— Mary, 1/21/2014 -
" Enjoyed the stories of his childhood although not familiar with Rodney Crowell as an artist. Thought it was very well-written and a great example of how and why we love our family. "
— Jennifer, 1/17/2014 -
" The Houston Kid brings The Houston Kid to life through beautifully revealing, heartwarming and heart-rending stories of his tumultuous life under his parents' leaky roof and, in the end, their love for one another. "
— Craig, 12/2/2013 -
" Enjoyed it, but kind of slow at times "
— Deadbeatgrandpajoe, 11/20/2013 -
" Dynamite! This songwriter is also a wonderful memoirist! Don't miss this one. "
— Amy, 11/17/2013 -
" But I think I am not going to finish it...it seems like a bunch of disjointed short stories about dysfunctional people...some of it is charming, or sad...but it is to much the same.... "
— Natalie, 10/24/2013 -
" This is one of my most favorite books of all time! I even downloaded some of his music. Wonderful literature. Rich with southern phrases I have never heard before. "
— Elizabeth, 10/23/2013 -
" An excellent account of wrong-side-of-the-tracks Houston in the 50's and 60's and and extraordinarily wild and woolly childhood. Mr. Crowell is poetic and confessional here, like so many of his great songs. The best descriptions of Houston's gritty underbelly this side of Sig Byrd. "
— Dave, 10/7/2013 -
" I had never heard of Rodney Crowell before I picked up his book. I still don't know what his music sounds like, but he tells an incredible story!! "
— Cynthia, 10/7/2013 -
" Lovely tribute to imperfect parents. "
— Robin, 4/25/2013 -
" Certainly one of the most interesting, amusing, enriching books ever written by a great singer/songwriter since Bound for Glory by Woody Guthrie or Chronicles Part I by Bob Dylan. "
— Terry, 4/7/2013 -
" The writing is not great, but the stories told are interesting. If you're familiar with Rodney Crowell it reads like an explanation of a few of his albums. "
— Colleen, 12/2/2012 -
" How is it that some people can grow up poor, in a dysfunctional family, surrounded by the poorest of role models and still manage to make a life for themselves? Crowell doesn't answer the question, but describes his circumstances with clarity, wit and charity. "
— Harry, 12/2/2012 -
" truthful and full of smiles and light (even though his early life was often not)...very much enjoyed this as a compnion to Roseanne Cash's recent memoir and as a stand lone journey. Here's hoping there might be a sequel (or two) down the road... "
— Larry, 7/22/2012 -
" Forced, too dark for it's own sake, too much salt and pepper for the amount of actual food on the table. "
— Rick, 6/24/2012 -
" His paragraphs are like little poems. Proof that a horrific childhood doesn't have to ruin your life and that forgiveness is possible. "
— Martha, 3/2/2012 -
" Wonderful writing - tells a crazy story with humor and teaches a wonderful lesson in forgiveness. I found myself laughing out loud constantly and found myself telling everyone about it when I was done. "
— Jenna, 1/2/2012 -
" Read by the author. I did not realize he was previously married to Roseann Cash, who also wrote (and read) a wonderful memoir. Definitely one of my favorite audio books. "
— Irene, 9/30/2011 -
" 4.5 stars. This was a great memoir, along the lines of Rick Bragg's work--no prior knowledge of Rodney Crowell required. Sometimes the writing got a little too florid, but the dialogue was perfectly rendered and the book just had a lot of heart. "
— Beth, 6/18/2011 -
" His paragraphs are like little poems. Proof that a horrific childhood doesn't have to ruin your life and that forgiveness is possible. "
— Martha, 5/11/2011 -
" How is it that some people can grow up poor, in a dysfunctional family, surrounded by the poorest of role models and still manage to make a life for themselves? Crowell doesn't answer the question, but describes his circumstances with clarity, wit and charity. "
— Harry, 5/10/2011 -
" Hilarious, trenchant and compassionate stories about growing up in a violent household in Houston in the 50s and 60s. Great vivid prose. "
— Patrick, 4/27/2011 -
" But I think I am not going to finish it...it seems like a bunch of disjointed short stories about dysfunctional people...some of it is charming, or sad...but it is to much the same.... "
— Natalie, 4/3/2011 -
" Loved this book. Harsh, elegiaic and true "
— Diana, 3/21/2011 -
" I had never heard of Rodney Crowell before I picked up his book. I still don't know what his music sounds like, but he tells an incredible story!! "
— Cynthia, 3/6/2011 -
" A beautifully written memoir. I hope he writes another and details his life as a musician and a father. "
— Mary, 3/3/2011 -
" Dynamite! This songwriter is also a wonderful memoirist! Don't miss this one. "
— Amy, 2/26/2011 -
" The Houston Kid brings The Houston Kid to life through beautifully revealing, heartwarming and heart-rending stories of his tumultuous life under his parents' leaky roof and, in the end, their love for one another. <br/> <br/> "
— Craig, 1/18/2011 -
" The writing and the storytelling in this book are first rate! Rodney Crowell grew up in Houston, Tx in the 1950s. His life was difficult - mostly because of his parents. Despite all of his hardships, this ends up a love story - written to his parents. Hopeful and uplifting. Great read! "
— Kim, 11/9/2010 -
" 4.5 stars. This was a great memoir, along the lines of Rick Bragg's work--no prior knowledge of Rodney Crowell required. Sometimes the writing got a little too florid, but the dialogue was perfectly rendered and the book just had a lot of heart. "
— Beth, 10/27/2010
About Rodney Crowell
Rodney Crowell has released nearly twenty albums in four decades, with five consecutive #1 hits and has also worked widely as a songwriter and a producer. His honors include a Grammy, an ASCAP lifetime achievement award, and membership in the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He lives in Nashville.