![]() BlogAll Over but the Shoutin’Posted March 18th, 2011 by Thomas Norman DeWolfIn Martin Scorsese’s film Gangs of New York, Boss Tweed is quoted saying, “You never enjoyed the enlightenment of poverty, did you, Governor? If you had, you’d know you can always hire half the poor people to kill the other half.” Though I have no idea if this is an actual quote from the real William M. Tweed who ran Tammany Hall and the political machine that was so powerful in 19th century New York politics, the sentiment was true then and it is true today. Rich, powerful people have successfully sowed seeds of distrust among groups of disaffected, downtrodden, and destitute people for centuries. Keeping disenfranchised people fighting among themselves over religious, political, racial, or other differences has effectively kept them from realizing all they have in common and who their common oppressor is.
It is with this in mind that I highly recommend Rick Bragg’s powerful and haunting memoir, All Over but the Shoutin’ (Random House, 1999). I borrowed this wonderful book from my writing partner Sharon Morgan when we were in Tobago in January after she finished it. We both found it engaging and inspiring for our own writing. From the prologue:
Bragg grew up exceedingly poor and subjected to abuse and neglect (as were his brothers and mother) by his alcoholic, violent-tempered father. His loving, long-suffering mother’s commitment to her sons in the face of the obstacles she faced is incredible. Bragg could easily have ended up just as he began: poor, unknown and following in his father’s footsteps. Instead he became a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer for the New York Times. It’s a story filled with sadness, poverty, race, oppression, love, and hope. It’s a story of the South. It’s a story of people. And Bragg’s wonderful writing helps readers understand all these factors a little better.
I disagree with Bragg on his first point. This is an important book. And getting at a few little truths is the first step toward understanding the great ones. One response to “All Over but the Shoutin’”Leave a Reply |
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I too loved this book. Great writing. Vivid characters. A window into a world many never see.