In this final volume of the beloved American saga that began with All Over but the Shoutin’ and continued with Ava’s Man, Rick Bragg closes his circle of family stories with an unforgettable tale about fathers and sons inspired by his own relationship with his ten-year-old stepson. He learns, right from the start, that a man who chases a woman with a child is like a dog who chases a car and wins. He discovers that he is unsuited to fatherhood, unsuited to fathering this boy in particular, a boy who does not know how to throw a punch and doesn’t need to; a boy accustomed to love and affection rather than violence and neglect; in short, a boy wholly unlike the child Rick once was, and who longs for a relationship with Rick that Rick hasn’t the first inkling of how to embark on. With the weight of this new boy tugging at his clothes, Rick sets out to understand his father, his son, and himself. The Prince of Frogtown documents a mesmerizing journey back in time to the lush Alabama landscape of Rick’s youth, to Jacksonville’s one-hundred-year-old mill, the town’s blight and salvation; and to a troubled, charismatic hustler coming of age in its shadow, Rick’s father, a man bound to bring harm even to those he truly loves. And the book documents the unexpected corollary to it, the marvelous journey of Rick’s later life: a journey into fatherhood, and toward a child for whom he comes to feel a devotion that staggers him. With candor, insight, tremendous humor, and the remarkable gift for descriptive storytelling on which he made his name, Rick Bragg delivers a brilliant and moving rumination on the lives of boys and men, a poignant reflection on what it means to be a father and a son.
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"I wish I were a better writer because then I would be able to do this book justice. It's a story I'm sure many people in that era could have written about their lives but Rick Bragg does an amazing job. It's awesome that such a talent could come from the life he had. I'm sure he would give credit to his Mother and his Grandmothers. This story is about them but more about his relationship with his Father and with his Stepson set in the Appalachian Mountains and the South before, during and after World War II. It's well worth your time to read it." — Carla (5 out of 5 stars)
"I wish I were a better writer because then I would be able to do this book justice. It's a story I'm sure many people in that era could have written about their lives but Rick Bragg does an amazing job. It's awesome that such a talent could come from the life he had. I'm sure he would give credit to his Mother and his Grandmothers. This story is about them but more about his relationship with his Father and with his Stepson set in the Appalachian Mountains and the South before, during and after World War II. It's well worth your time to read it."
" This is Rick Bragg's third memoir about his family. In this one he has married and become a stepfather to a nine year old boy. His new parenthood prods him to look back at his father's life that he reviled in his first memoir, All Over But the Shoutin'. Here he revisits his father's damaged life and in alternating chapters writes about his experience as the father to his son. A powerful, funny, poignant read. Listened to on CD as read by the author with his wonderful Southern voice. "
" I liked the parallels Rick Bragg makes between becoming a father to his wife's son and the short relationship he had with his own father who died at an age earlier than he was at the time of writing the book. His backtracking research to discover who the man was unlocks some mysteries about what is going on before his eyes with "the boy." "
" I love how this memoir shifted from past to present. Bragg's thoughts about becoming a father, rather late in life, tug at the heartstrings. "
" Couldn't put it down. Bragg lost his journalistic credibility, but I've enjoyed reading about his family. "
" I listened to it and loved, loved Rick Bragg's voice. I loved hearing the stories from his childhood and his relationship with his stepson "
" Great book. Great stories, and sheds some interesting light on Bragg's dad and on his own father-stepson relationship. Typically great storytelling and humor. "
" A very specific vignette of Americana. I loved it. "
" All heart and courage here. Bragg's ability not just to look, but to see, to perceive, to discern with such wit and grace and honesty is completely supported by his gifted writing, his ability to share the vision. What a delight. "
" Rick Bragg's writing makes me feel like I understand the poor South, even though I've never lived even as south as New Jersey. "
" Reminds me of a lot of people I knew in southwest Michigan. "
" First of his I've read. The author reads the audio version. "
" I absolutely love Bragg's writing. Interspersing the historical stories with his modern journey of becoming a stepfather really illuminated the bubble in which we raise our own sons today. "
" I like Rick Bragg's story telling. Although not quite as good as the first two books in this trilogy--'All Over But the Shoutin'' and 'Ava's Man'--'The Prince of Frogtown' is still a very good, and a quick, read. "
" I loved this series of memoirs from Rick Bragg. The story is set in the area where my father was born and raised, and I still have people there. Bragg's descriptions of the people, the places, the attitudes, all brought back wonderful and terrible memories. Thank God for strong women. "
" OK, Bragg is a rockin' writer, but I skipped nearly an entire chapter. That never bodes well. The point of the book was to delve into his father's history, and there was a little too much "history" here for my taste. I don't deny it was well done. Just not my cup of tea. "
" I read the other two books, All over but the shoutin' and Ava's man so I needed to read this one as well.This one brings me hope for Rick. I would recommend. "
" This book is heartbreaking. It shows how poverty and lack of opportunity can exact a heavy psychological toll on people, as it did to Rick Bragg's father. If you liked All Over But the Shoutin' you'll like this one, as well. "
" Listening to this on my commute to work, just started it today. Nov. 1I found this tale to be riveting. I honor Rick's telling of his life story, without covering up anything. Brutal honesty, told with humor, pain, love, heart. "
" I am so glad someone is chronicling life for the poor folks who don't leave much in the way of records! "
" I can't think of a better writer. Wouldn't it be nice if Bragg was as prolific as Connelly or Grisham? "
" I laughed, got angry, felt pity and hope. I saw so much of my kin in this book and understand the honor in an honest day's work. Can't wait to read the other two. Rick Bragg used his southern roots to tell a bittersweet story. "
" Loved listening to this book read by the author. "
" "It was the year I realized the TV preachers' rants on hell were all wrong, that the devil lives in Alabama, and swims in a Mason jar." "
Rick Bragg is the author of ten books, including New York Times bestsellers. He is also a regular contributor to Southern Living and Garden & Gun. As a feature writer for the New York Times, he won a Pulitzer Prize in 1996 for his “elegantly written stories about contemporary America.”
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