Brief Remarks on Ava's Man by Rick Bragg

Ava's Man by Rick Bragg

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Wow.

Ava's Man is as beautiful and as well-written as All Over But the Shoutin'. Bragg's biography of his grandfather, his mother's father, is powerful and moving in so many ways. I was struck and impressed that the material for this biography was gathered by countless interviews with relatives and friends--indeed the book can be said be a memoir as it is an account, or rather a weaving together of many memories into a rich and wonderful tapestry of a life that should be remembered. It is also a history of a time and a people.

To quote the book jacket, this is a "A powerfully intimate piece of American history as it was experienced by the working people of the Deep South, a glorious record of a life of character, tenacity and indomitable joy and an unforgettable tribute to a vanishing culture. Ava's man is Bragg at his stunning best."

I know these people. I am related to people like them. Thank you, Rick Bragg, for honoring them.



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