The author is self-described as "liberal-minded." He does not speak often of conservatives and/or Republicans, and when he does, it is usually with disdain. He is originally from Alabama, a state I was a resident of for four years while in college. 
 Rick Bragg grew up with a single mom - his alcoholic father abandoned the family when he was little. His earliest memory is sitting on a sack, being pulled along rows of cotton, as his mother picked, and filled the sack to provide for her kids. This book is his autobiography. 
 Growing up on welfare lunches is not the foundation one expects for a Pulitzer Prize winning author and journalist, but this is Bragg's story. He spends a great deal of the book telling stories of his family; and the traditions of a humble people of the American South. It made me laugh out loud on multiple occasions, and also melancholy for its dreariness. 
 Through a combination of skill, luck, and timing, Bragg made his career without the benefit of a formal college education. Despite his lack of pedigree (or more likely because of it), he worked to be good in his chosen profession. After starting off in a small town Alabama newspaper, he ended up following an unlikely road to being a reporter for The New York Times. 
 While at The Grey Lady, he won the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. While he discusses the prize near the end of the book, it is merely a plot device for him to tell stories of his family. 
 The book is recommended for its storytelling, unique descriptive tones, and country flair rendered by Bragg. I rate it 3 stars out of 5.