Rick Bragg

Some of our best storytellers served childhood apprenticeships sitting at the feet of master raconteurs. Rick Bragg’s familial memoirs—1997’s All Over but the Shoutin’ and 2001’s Ava’s Man—are nothing if not evidence of one such early initiation to the oral tradition. Awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1996 for his “elegantly written” New York Times features, Bragg’s résumé is impressive, though not without scandal: In 2003 he resigned from the Times after controversy arose concerning his use of unacknowledged stringers. Regarding his ability to spin a yarn, however, there is no question regarding his sources. Raised in the foothills of the Appalachians, Bragg says of his family, “They taught me, on a thousand front porch nights, as a million jugs passed from hand to hand, how to tell a story.” A million jugs? Apparently one thing Bragg learned from his forebears was the value of hyperbole. 1111 Mainstreet, Hopkins; 651-209-6799; www.hclib.com www.hclib.com