Award-winning author Mark Richard delivers a fascinating and unique memoir. Born in the South with deformed hips, Richard was tagged a "special" child. Nothing was expected of him. But as a young man, he decided to strike out and experience as much of our strange world as he possibly could. "No one writes like him. His prose style is both hammerblow and shrapnel. He has written the book of his life."-Pat Conroy
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"I loved this book. the writing "felt" more like poetry than prose. I was really drawn into the story because of the second person perspective. Details both beautiful and horrifying were told in a very matter of fact way. I was able to see the shape of the the man, the writer emerge from the story of his beginning." — Diane (5 out of 5 stars)
"I loved this book. the writing "felt" more like poetry than prose. I was really drawn into the story because of the second person perspective. Details both beautiful and horrifying were told in a very matter of fact way. I was able to see the shape of the the man, the writer emerge from the story of his beginning."
“A lyrical distillation of observations from Richard’s boyhood in and out of southern charity hospitals to his becoming a writer and father in search of faith.”
“An absorbing account of growing up in the 1960s South, living with a disability, becoming a writer and finding faith. Richard’s book attests to the power of words (and the Word) in shaping a life…[His] special childhood results in considerable powers of observation, empathy, and imagination.”
“A surprising page turner…Richard’s prose is gorgeous—and hits with a force that sometimes stuns…Where other memoirists—evangelical and/or literary—just bluff and brag, he makes art.”
“Richard captures what is often misunderstood about the Southerner’s intimate parlay with God. Appearances to the contrary, it is not about certainty…A fascinating journey.”
“Supremely animated…[Richard’s] spiritual journey, conducted in fits and starts and finally claimed in gorgeous hosannas of prose, forms the book’s narrative DNA.”
“No one writes like him. His prose style is both hammer blow and shrapnel. He has written the book of his life.”
" Loved it. I knew the author as a child. Very interesting memoir. "
" This is an amazing story with an unusual writing style. Dark Southern. Reminds me of his favorite authors, Flannery O'Connor and William Faulkner. But I liked it more and more, and by the end, I loved it. "
" I doubted one could sustain a second person narrative for this long and be successful. I was wrong! "
" A memoir...was ok.. "
" I just had such a hard time getting into this book. The second-person perspective, to me, was really annoying and off-putting. "
" I love the author's voice. I loved the writing. I loved the memoir. "
" Wonderfully written. Poetic at times. Finished it in a weekend. "
" The man simply doesn't write enough, or at least publish enough. To write in the 2nd Person and to do it well takes real ability, but to take your own story and make it as just heartbreaking and warm and everything else as any told in the First is a mark of true skill. "
" An intriguing journey of a Southern boy. The first two-thirds of the book are flawless. I was a little disappointed with the last third. Once he met his wife and got married, the story seemed rush and less personal. Still, well worth reading. "
" This was a completely unique book and I'm glad to have read it. "
" I read this because it's a memoir partially set in my hometown. I really liked it, but I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it as much if I were not fascinated by trying to figure out where the places are he was mentioning, and who the people are. "
" Such a quality book, written superbly in the 2nd person, yet an autobiography. The ending is bliss...I just think this is a special book written by a very talented man! "
" One of the best memoirs I've every read. Poetic. Heart-breaking. Beautiful. Also, funny and sweet. "
" Loved this book and the tone used to make his point "
" An incredible book on every level from the sentence to the grand narrative Richard finds himself in. "
" Strangley enoug, I really enjoyed this book. I found it very hard to put down "
" Wonderful book - so enjoyed it - very rewarding. I loved his Southern way of writing. "
" It was a real slog to finish this book. There was just enough to keep going. Kind of. "
" A wild romp of a life told through the wisened and intimate perspective of a writer who you imagine is sitting on his porch right now with a beer in one hand and the Psalms in the other. "
" Moving, heartbreaking, funny story of redemption. What an incredible story! "
" I greatly enjoyed this memoir in the second person that takes the reader into Richard's writing and faith journey. "
" Unusual writing style - lots of memory stirring going on here. "
" This is an interesting memoir, written in 2nd person, about the growth of an author living with disabilities and his search for spirituality. "
" First 3/4 some of the most enjoyable nonfiction I've ever read. Last 1/4 is not my style, but still a great book. "
" I felt like there was something that I was missing in this wistful memoir but it was okay. I'd heard the author interviewed on NPR's Diane Rehm Show which is what made me aware of the book. I liked the author's southern accent (literally, in the interview)! "
Mark Richard was born in Manhattan and grew up surrounded by potato fields, clams, and bluefish on eastern Long Island. After a year at the University of Freiburg in Germany with brief sojourns in Rome, Paris, and Lille, he returned to the United States and became a substitute teacher in the Boston Public School system. Shortly thereafter, while at UMass-Amherst, meaning to study political philosophy, he was seduced by the philosophy of language and linguistics. He was a professor in the philosophy department at Harvard before attaining his current position as professor and chair of philosophy at Tufts University.
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