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."

The third in Rick’s family stories, this one continues the saga of growing up in a Southern family with an alcoholic absent father. Rick has a beautiful way of projecting you into the South and describing his family. The characters are rich and colourful with lots of laughs and pathos.

An extremely talented writer, Rick Bragg's books are always a very good read. He has a way of describing places and people with such skill it makes you want to re-read portions in order to appreciate his writing style as much as possible. All his biographies are excellent and this one is no exception.