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The Prince of Frogtown (Unabridged) | 
 enlarge | Manufacturer: audible.com
Category: Audible
List Price: $34.95
Buy New: $18.35
You Save: $16.60 (47%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  32 reviews
Media: Audio Download
ASIN: B001FVJIGA
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Product Description
In this final volume of the beloved American saga that began with All Over but the Shoutin’ and continued with Ava’s Man, Rick Bragg closes his circle of family stories with an unforgettable tale about fathers and sons inspired by his own relationship with his ten-year-old stepson.
He learns, right from the start, that a man who chases a woman with a child is like a dog who chases a car and wins. He discovers that he is unsuited to fatherhood, unsuited to fathering this boy in particular, a boy who does not know how to throw a punch and doesn’t need to; a boy accustomed to love and affection rather than violence and neglect; in short, a boy wholly unlike the child Rick once was, and who longs for a relationship with Rick that Rick hasn’t the first inkling of how to embark on. With the weight of this new boy tugging at his clothes, Rick sets out to understand his father, his son, and himself.
The Prince of Frogtown documents a mesmerizing journey back in time to the lush Alabama landscape of Rick’s youth, to Jacksonville’s one-hundred-year-old mill, the town’s blight and salvation; and to a troubled, charismatic hustler coming of age in its shadow, Rick’s father, a man bound to bring harm even to those he truly loves. And the book documents the unexpected corollary to it, the marvelous journey of Rick’s later life: a journey into fatherhood, and toward a child for whom he comes to feel a devotion that staggers him. With candor, insight, tremendous humor, and the remarkable gift for descriptive storytelling on which he made his name, Rick Bragg delivers a brilliant and moving rumination on the lives of boys and men, a poignant reflection on what it means to be a father and a son.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 27 more reviews...
 Disappointing December 25, 2008
I have read All Over but the Shoutin' and Ava's Man and thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Bragg's talent, congratulations to him for becoming a professor (as we discover from the narrative).
Most disappointing was that I found the publisher's intro misleading, because it led me to believe that we would have greater insight on how a survivor of physical violence and alcohol abuse, becomes the adult and as he navigates fatherhood, he overcomes his past. While there is insight, it is revealed in quick snatches. I felt if more time had been devoted to the format, it would have been much more effective. However, I felt the book was not well written as its use of flashbacks was often confusing and as a result the book lacks cohesion. I wondered how he would grade this if it were turned in as an assignment?
While as an adult, Mr. Bragg has grown to appreciate the difficulties his father faced growing up in tremendous poverty; his use of parallel to demonstrate that his adopted son (is he married? he never refers to the child by name or even calls him stepson, nor the mother of this child, in not described as his wife so I am inferring such); had everything a child could want except unconditional love from Bragg, and so the dysfunction circle continues. I kept waiting for an epiphany of deep insight, and I waited some more, then I gave up. I will confess, I read a little over half the book and decided that I had more interesting books to pursue on my shelf.
 He knows from whence he writes November 5, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I knew Rick a long time ago (26 years to be exact), when he was beginning his odyssey as a writer and clearly had greater ambitions than the small newspaper where we both worked. He was very good to me, took me into his home and fed me some of his tasty Southern cooking, and he treated me with class, respect and good humor. He also knew how to turn a phrase and could make a meaningless high school football game drip with flavor and portent. I admire his strong loyalty to his roots and sense of place -- he is someone who truly has created a lasting body of work from this identification, and created redemption from sometimes very brutal and unforgiving circumstances. Here's to him.
Prince of Frogtown October 6, 2008
This is another fantastic book! I love Bragg's work. It makes you cry, smile and laugh. The audio version, read by the author, adds to the value of his story. Beautifully written, beautifully read. Fine work!
Blue collar broken dreams September 4, 2008
If you have any "blue collar blood" in you, Rick Bragg's writing should appeal to you. In The Prince of Frogtown, he peers into the past of blue collar Americans, specifically mill workers and mountain people of the Appalachians. These are his relatives. Fighting, drinking and cussing are a way of life for them.
This is a story of Rick's father, Charles, and the search for the reasons behind his father's alcoholism. It is a sad story of broken dreams. The author tries to find out what happened to the man his mother once loved.
Charles Bragg was a man, who "it took patience to like even in the best of times." Typically irresponsible, Charles made a new start in Dallas, moving his reluctant family there. He was sober and employed for two months, keeping his promise that he would change. It was, however, the uncertainty of a future with Charles and the certainty of a $54 welfare check Rick's mother could receive if she returned to Alabama, that caused her to leave Charles and take her sons back to Alabama.
Afterwards, Charles' life spiraled to nothing. Before he died, he said he was sorry for what he had done, and that he loved his family. But I don't think they ever felt it. Parts of the book will bring a tear to your eye.
In between chapters, Bragg tells the story about "the boy," the son of a woman he's dating. Typically, techniques like this don't work, but it does in this case. Bragg sees much of himself in "the boy" and it's a touching sidebar.
Rick Bragg Has Another Hit August 31, 2008
Rick Bragg knows the South and writes with his heart. Excellent book, especially for those of us who remember what it was like to be a child in the old South -- before air conditioning.
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