Observing something is different than experiencing it. When we observe something it is filtered through our experience. It is our experience that shapes our thoughts and makes us who we are. In some cases those experiences can be unduly hard, but the end result can be astounding.

Rick  Bragg, a New York Times reporter, worked his way up from abject poverty to become a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist. In his memoir, “All Over but the Shoutin,” Bragg brings us into his world and lets us share his experiences. “I used to stand amazed and watch the redbirds fight. They would flash and flutter like scrapes of burning rags through a sky unbelievably blue, swirling, soaring, plummeting.” These are the first two sentences of Bragg’s prologue and you immediately understand why Bragg is a prize-winning journalist, even if you have never read his work before. He is an expert storyteller.

Bragg had a difficult childhood. His father was an abusive drunk who deserted his battered and penniless family. Poverty was a chronic condition for them. His mother took various labor-intensive jobs to supplement the money they got from welfare. He is intensely grateful to his mother for all her sacrifices and this is where the heart and soul of the book lies.

There is an uncontaminated love that shines through every page of this book. Nothing that Bragg went through in his life could alter the love and respect he has for his mother. She is a very strong and humble woman who showed her sons courage, gentleness and patience, even in the worst of circumstances. There are numerous acts of self-sacrifice done by Bragg’s mother in the book and they are heartbreaking to read.

Bragg credits the gentleness and sensitivity in this work to his mother. She also taught him that “every life deserves a certain amount of dignity, no matter how poor or damaged the shell that carries it.”  He has learned well from his mother.

Bragg has moments of hilarity and divine intervention in the book. His experiences in life, whether dramatic or benign, would shape the man and ultimately the writer, and the poignant stories he covers only add to his vast resources.

He always wondered why people would thank him after an interview, especially when a love one died. Bragg finally asked a mother why she was thanking him. The mother’s little boy was killed by a stray bullet while holding his Dr. Seuss book and his Winnie the Pooh. The mother said, “People remembers it…people forgets if it ain’t wrote down.”

The book is vivid and absorbing and well worth the read.

Rating 7.5 – good read, good discussion for book clubs about overcoming circumstances.