Mark Childress is the author of the New York Times best-seller Crazy in Alabama. Here he again turns his keen literary eye to smalltown Southern living. Yankee transplant Daniel Musgrove can't seem to fit in at his Mississippi high school. When he meets fellow outsider Tim Cousins, things look up. Then the two boys' battles with a local bully escalate into a violent act that rocks the town. "Childress eloquently addresses racism, tentative adolescent love, family dysfunction ... with plenty of wit and insight ..."-Booklist
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"Okay, maybe 4.5 stars, but I really enjoyed this audiobook. I think it is meant to be a Young Adult book, but it certainly kept my interest and dealt with some big life issues. The audiobook was especially nice - the narrator sang the songs, did the accents, and brought everything to life. Loved it."
— Nan (4 out of 5 stars)
" This was a really good book. Everything was done well "
— Kristie, 1/26/2018" I absolutely hated this book. "
— Samantha, 2/16/2014" Easy read, enjoyed it. But the ending is definitely a shocker. "
— Rachel, 2/12/2014" Amazing book! Could not put it down, did not want it to end! "
— Deanna, 2/9/2014" High school tale of woe based on the experience of a 17 year old "Yankee" who moves to Mississippi in the '70's. The ending seemed inevitable from Tim's first expression of disaffection toward "society." Lots of stress in the family and in the school. Some funny parts, but lots of darkness. "
— Jenne, 1/20/2014" I was not a fan of Crazy in Alabama (also by this author), but I read it because my daughter praised. Extremely well written with a surprising twist, this book will definitely keep the reader's interest. "
— Sue, 1/12/2014" What a good book. I love the way Mark Childress writes... I was really surprised by the ending. "
— Dawn, 1/12/2014" Another crazy southern book. Warning this does involve school violence. "
— Diane, 1/11/2014" Dark humor and so good. My dad read it too so it's for guys and girls! "
— Carolyn, 1/2/2014" Thanks, Kathy! "
— Kari, 1/2/2014" One of my favorite books. Southern through and through. Funny. Surprises at the end. "
— Richard, 12/24/2013" No one describes the South like Childress; I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Thought it was going to be about civil rights but then there is a curve ball (I saw it coming, but I'm not sure I was supposed to be able to...). "
— Debdanz, 12/8/2013" Really enjoyed this read! The coming of age with in the racist south, with such a strange and random family is so funny. Despite the underlying darkness, i laughed out loud in parts. I will be looking for more to read by Mark Childress. "
— Lisam, 11/23/2013" Very good, Easy read. Funny, sad, serious and frightening at times "
— Carolyn, 11/22/2013" Tim and Daniel are always getting into trouble during high school. Several twists I didn't see coming. "
— Mrs., 11/15/2013" This is a really well written book, and easy to read....however, there is a lot of swearing and some crude parts in it that kind of ruined it for me....so read at your own risk. "
— Lori, 11/12/2013" Three stars only because I really did think the part about the Christian rock musical ("Christ!")was pretty funny. "
— Barbara, 10/26/2013" Fun and quirky!! "
— Tom, 8/26/2013" Great coming of age in the 60's book Totally enjoyed reading this funny and sad novel. "
— Elizabeth, 7/17/2013" This was a very good book. Daniel is a high school boy who has had to move around with his dad's job. They end up in Mississippi, when schools are first integrating, an accident changes his junior year of high school, along with racial problems. The ending took me by surprise. "
— Mary, 6/24/2013" One huge Southern adventure set in the early 70's told through the eyes of a teenage boy. Friendship, love and dysfunctional family leads to a climatic and unexpected ending. "
— K.T., 6/18/2013" A coming of age book set in the '70s in MS. Race is involved, Cher is involved, arson is involved, all the makings for a good plot, right?! It was ok. "
— Sara, 4/29/2013" Excellent book. The characters were really likable and easy to connect to. "
— Olivia, 4/28/2013" Mark Childress instantly became one of my favorites with this laugh-out-loud gem. His pitch-perfect depiction of life in Mississippi in the 1970s is hilarious, poignant and, ultimately, moving. If you're from the Deep South, you'll want to read it. If you're not, you need to read it. "
— Phillip, 3/7/2013" Oddly good. Has such so many plot twists at times that it seems to stretch plausability, but found myself incredibly curious as to how things were going to turn out. The great narrator helps that. "
— Sara, 3/3/2013" I picked this book up randomly, but I was mostly disappointed. It was fine, competent, but nothing more. The beginning bored me, and once I finished the book, I realized that Childress wasn't quite sure what story he was trying to tell. Of course, the cheesy ending didn't help. "
— Laura, 6/10/2012" Quick read...good story. Childress writes in a way that keeps you engaged and makes you want to keep reading. Nice coming of age story with some moments that actually made me laugh outloud and other dark moments mixed in. "
— Jessica, 4/7/2012" Oddly funny...but very unexpected in the end.. "
— Matthew, 7/4/2011" An odd book. The writing is engaging and the characters well-crafted, but the plot meandered a lot and the ending seemed haphazard. But Arnita and Dan were wonderful characters that I liked spending time with. "
— Marshaferz, 6/27/2011" This book started strong, but the ending flagged a bit. i liked it though. it was amusing. "
— Annie, 5/2/2011" Excellent novel; a must-share. I passed it on to a friend over a year ago, and it hasn't come back yet. "
— June, 4/20/2011" I thought this book was supposed to be funny, but didnt figure out until the end that it was actually very serious...It had a very dramatic ending and it was a GREAT book! "
— Julianne, 4/3/2011" I loved this book. Never read Mark Childress before but I have to <br/>read more of his books now. "
— Susan, 3/21/2011" A great coming-of-age story that takes place in the early 1970s. I enjoyed the book and could relate to a lot of the time period references. "
— Suellen, 3/19/2011" Wonderful book, wonderful characters. I haven't laughed so much in a long time. Two friends growing up in Mississipi class of 1974. Two misfits trying to fit in. There is a tragic twist at the end, which sobers the read and teaches a great lesson in tolerance. "
— Marla, 3/15/2011" One huge Southern adventure set in the early 70's told through the eyes of a teenage boy. Friendship, love and dysfunctional family leads to a climatic and unexpected ending. "
— K.T., 3/12/2011" Great book - funny, sad, moving "
— Erika, 2/22/2011" This book was odd, funny, sad, insulting, and train-wreck engaging all at once. The pacing of the story was a little slow at times, but overall I really enjoyed it. On the downside, it kind of took the shine off my idealistic view of the 70's. "
— Jenn, 2/9/2011" loved it... love his books... this one lived up to it! "
— Mich, 1/6/2011" Awesome, amazing book for anyone and everyone. "
— Erin, 1/3/2011Jeff Woodman is an actor and narrator. He is a winner of the prestigious Audie Award and a six-time finalist. He has received twenty Earphones Awards and was named the 2008 Best Voice in Fiction & Classics, as well as one of the Fifty Greatest Voices of the Century by AudioFile magazine. As an actor, he originated the title role in Tennessee Williams’ The Notebook of Trigorin and won the S. F. Critics’ Circle Award for his performance in An Ideal Husband. In addition to numerous theater credits on and off Broadway, his television work includes Sex and the City, Law & Order, and Cosby.