All Over but the Shoutin' by Rick BraggAll Over but the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg is an autobiography that begins from Mr. Bragg's poor childhood in a family that included an abusive, alcoholic father, an incredibly powerful mother, and an angel with his two brothers, and follows him through his Pulitzer Prize-winning journalism career at the New York Times. The author states at the beginning of the book that readers will laugh and cry reading it. He was right on both of these points. The Bragg family grew up with virtually nothing. The father left the family several times, offering no financial help and stealing everything he could before leaving. When he was there, he was usually drunk and physically violent towards his mother. He rarely chased the children, but when he did, the mother was always there to offer him protection. Mr. Bragg's mother's life consisted of working to exhaustion and using all the money she had on the children. The second half of the book follows the development of Mr. Bragg's career and family. Mr. Bragg has covered various events such as the Miami riots, Haitian atrocities, and the Susan Smith case, among others, for his work. I've only read four books in my entire life for school, but this is one of the best I've ever read. There were numerous things I learned from the book. What struck me the most was that it's hard to see people living in shame because they manage to hide it so well, almost as if it doesn't bother them at all. I grew up in a middle class family and simply didn't understand what it meant to be so broke that I was ashamed to be around people who have money. The thought never crossed my mind, ever. I bet it wouldn't take me much effort to identify a time in my life when I was cruel to poor people; judging them critically. Especially without knowing what their situation was. They may have had family or financial problems, perhaps their house simply burned down. It may have been a few things, but whichever way you look at it, it was wrong. There were many parts of the book that captivated me; I couldn't stop reading, no matter what was happening.