Ever since I was a little girl, I get into bed an hour early and read. By about 8:30 these last few weeks, I’m about ready to head back to the woods and stills and times of the 1920’s-40’s in an Alabama that may have mostly disappeared by now. I am lost in the words and characters of Rick Bragg’s books. 

Rick Bragg is an Alabama native and a prolific, successful author. He has written the last page article in Southern Magazine in a humorist style for as long as I have been subscribing. He is hilarious, but insightful, and a master story teller. 

Whenever I am doing something new, I devour every book I can find on the subject. Right now, my subject is the South. I am ashamed of the jokes and myths and ignorance of most of the country when it comes to understanding the South and its people. Most folks didn’t have slaves. Most folks are well educated and interesting people. Most folks down here are the most polite, mindful, and community minded people I have ever met. Rick Bragg’s books capture the heart of these people through the decades of the last century. Some of his books are memoirs, and some tell of his family with the crisp color and descriptive text that takes you right there in the moment, seeing everything real clear. He has entered the list of my favorite authors. 

Where I Come From and My Southern Journey are two I have already read and loved so much that I wanted to be a part of the roots of this place I now call home. 

I am half way through the book and just left the Great Depression and all its intensity in Ava’s Man. In the end this is a success story, though I am dreading the page where he dies. I am in love with this book and the family it tells about, and every night from my own bed, I just sit at their kitchen table and listen. All Over but the Shoutin’ is on my coffee table ready to be picked up next. 

If you want to read something new, I highly recommend any of Rick Bragg’s books. They are easy to read, filled with joy and hope and history and laughter. There’s nothing quite like a great book.