Product Description

With his bestselling All Over but the Shoutin', Rick Bragg gave us memorable stories of his own childhood. In Somebody Told Me, he offers the best of his work as a Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist writing the remarkable stories of others.

For twenty years, Bragg has focused his efforts on the common man. So while some of these stories are about people whose names we know-such as Susan Smith, the South Carolina mother who drowned her two sons-most are people whose names we've never heard, people who have survived tornadoes and swamps, racism and bombs. In incisive, unadorned prose that is nonetheless strikingly beautiful, these pieces rise above journalism to become literature and show the triumph of the human spirit.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #901008 in Books
• Published on: 2001-08-28
• Released on: 2001-08-28
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 8.00" h x .62" w x 5.13" l, .44 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

From Library Journal
This collection displays Bragg's ability to capture time and place in a vivid prose that is consistently eloquent, sincere, and sympathetic. In his introduction, Bragg (All Over but the Shoutin') credits his storytelling family with teaching him how to listen and relate a tale. He acknowledges that "the best stories in the newspaper are those of people in trouble, and those are the ones I care about writing." This anthology of over 60 articles includes Bragg's work with the Birmingham News, the St. Petersburg Times, and the New York Times, where he is currently the Miami bureau chief. The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist's works on the Oklahoma City bombings, the Susan Smith case, and schoolyard killers, among others, are collected here. Bragg's respect for ordinary people allows him to shape his stories with clarity and compassion. His book reminds the reader that lives go on and stories need to be written down so they won't be forgotten after the headlines fade. Recommended for all public and academic libraries.
-Pam Kingsbury, Florence, AL
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"The stories in Somebody Told Me are so unbelievably good, they will burn a hole in your bookshelf."
--St. Petersburg Times

"[E]loquent... memorable... [E]ngages us as readers and poignantly conveys the impact of small and large events on everyday life."
--The New York Times Book Review

"He's one of the vital voices in contemporary American writing."
--Willie Morris

From the Back Cover
"The stories in Somebody Told Me are so unbelievably good, they will burn a hole in your bookshelf."
--St. Petersburg Times

"[E]loquent... memorable... [E]ngages us as readers and poignantly conveys the impact of small and large events on everyday life."
--The New York Times Book Review

"He's one of the vital voices in contemporary American writing."
--Willie Morris