The widow's mite. A man who buys books because they're pretty ; A killing, and a man who tried to walk on water ; Fake gold, other people's houses, and the finest man I never knew ; Dreaming that a crooked man will straighten up and fly right ; When God blinks ; The free show ; No papers on him ; In the mouth of the machine ; On the wings of a great speckled bird ; If you got to kill somebody, better it ain't family ; Under a hateful sky ; Getting above your raising ; Fine qualities ; 100 miles per hour, upside down and sideways ; The usual suspects -- Lies to my mother. In the temple ; Saturdays in October ; White tuxedoes ; The price tag on heaven ; Under Vulcan's hammer ; Running hot ; What if ; Paradise ; Miami, in madness ; Eating life ; Tap-tap ; Snow in a can ; The interview for the Ivy league ; Perfume on a hog ; New York ; Coming home ; Dining out with no money, and living with no life ; Buying bodies, eating lobster -- Getting even with life. Gone south ; Abigail ; Mrs. Smith, and family ; Monsters ; Validation ; 1.3 acres ; The same ; Who we are ; Safe in the dark.

A haunting memoir about growing up dirt-poor in the Alabama hills--and about moving on but never really being able to leave. The extraordinary gifts for evocation and insight and the stunning talent for story- telling that earned Rick Bragg a Pulitzer Prize for feature writing in 1996 are here brought to bear on the wrenching story of his own family's life. It is the story of a war-haunted, hard-drinking father and a strong-willed, loving mother who struggled to protect her sons from the effects of poverty and ignorance that had constricted her own life. It is the story of the life Bragg was able to carve out for himself on the strength of his mother's encouragement and belief. And it is the story of his attempts to both atone for and avenge the mistakes and cruelties of his past. All Over but the Shoutin' is a gripping account of people struggling to make sense and solidity of life's capricious promises. A classic piece of Americana, it is made vividly, movingly particular by Rick Bragg's searching vision, generous humor, and richly nuanced voice.