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| The Prince of Frogtown | 
 enlarge | Creator: Rick Bragg
Publisher: Random House Audio
Category: Book
List Price: $34.95
Buy New: $19.85
You Save: $15.10 (43%)
New (24) Used (9) from $17.49
Avg. Customer Rating:  30 reviews
Sales Rank: 626860
Format: Audiobook, Unabridged
Media: Audio CD
Edition: Unbridged
Number Of Items: 7
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 5.8 x 5.1 x 1.1
ISBN: 0739368397
Dewey Decimal Number: 976.1063092
EAN: 9780739368398
ASIN: 0739368397
Publication Date: May 6, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new and factory shrinkwrapped. Official unabridged 7-CD set, exactly as pictured and described. Not a remainder or cheap import. In stock. Buy from a trusted seller. Check our rating.
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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 25 more reviews...
 4 1/2 Stars...Magic, In Flashes May 19, 2008
19 out of 19 found this review helpful
I first fell in love with Rick Bragg's writing, and his various family members, while reading "All Over But the Shoutin'"--one of my favorite all-time non-fiction books. That love affair continued, though with not quite the same intensity, during the reading of "Ava's Man." Bragg has proven himself to be a writer of Southern wit and pathos, not to mention a splendid chronicler of the human condition.
"The Prince of Frogtown" is Bragg's third foray into family history and Alabama roots, giving great peeks into mill town life and the currents of whiskey and class-distinction that played out in his past. In "Shoutin'" we got to meet his mother, in particular. "Ava's Man" represented his grandfather. Here, "The Prince" is Bragg's father, an off-and-on figure on the stage of Bragg's childhood. We also see how that limited parental role affects Bragg's own more recent and unlikely role as stepfather.
The book's poignancy finds its greatest power in this contrast between fatherly figures. At times, the historical aspects drag a bit, but they find their strength again when revealed through the more recent experiences of Bragg and "the boy," as he refers to the son of his wife.
It's a formula that works, and by any other standard would be topnotch. By Bragg's standards, however, it didn't tug as many laughs and tears from me as his previous books. The magic is still here, in flashes. He can spend two pages describing a fallen angel with perfect teeth, then, in one understated sentence, cause my heart to soften. "The Prince of Frogtown" is an ode to a bygone era, and an attempt to stay relevant in a changing America.
 Laugh one moment...cry the next... May 9, 2008
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
I have long been a serious fan of Rick Bragg. I happened upon him during a reading at a local bookstore 9 years ago and have been hooked since. I never pass up an opportunity to hear him speak and have been anticipating the release of this book for over a year.
His new book does not disappoint. One moment I was laughing out loud and making my husband listen to me read passages from the book...the next I was all but sobbing. Bragg tells the tragic story of his fathers life and contrasts this with tales of being a new stepfather. It makes for an incredibly moving read. He is able to use the English language and southern dialogue like few people can.
Bragg's two previous family related books were easier reads, but the stories included in this book are wonderful and well worth the read.
Best Yet!!! May 9, 2008
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
This is the best book Bragg has written. I live in Jacksonville and can remember some of the people he writes about. I finished the book in 2 sessions. It was a easy read about a mill village town. Living in the "country" I could relate to the "village kids". Keep up the good work Rick.
Excellent Account of Hard Knocks and Change May 18, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I completed The Prince of Frogtown in three sittings, as I did with Ava's Man and All Over But the Shoutin'. I also had the pleasure of knowing "The Woman" when we were grad students and adjunct instructors in Memphis, and I can tell you without any reservation that Bragg is not kidding when he defines The Woman as a strong woman and a loving mom who isn't inclined to tolerate a lot of bullhooey. The best side of this new tome is Bragg's ability - as always - to bring absolute color to his father's life and deeds (mostly misdeeds - to say the least) in a way that only a Southerner could have experienced it.
The contrast between the father's stories are neatly intertwined with brief chapters on The Boy (The Woman's son by a previous marriage - now Bragg's stepson). It is "The Boy" chapters that bring heart to the book. You see how two completely opposite world's smack Bragg wholehearted upon becoming a step-parent to a child who hasn't the slightest comprehension or experience in and around Bragg's world and youth. In the beginning, Bragg is baffled that The Boy doesn't know how to fight, sheds tears on occasion, and owns a wealth of electronic gadgets. Essesntially, a child who is a million miles from Bragg's youth.
The book is an incredible study of contrasts, colorfully told with a mixture of sorrow, hilarity and personal growth by both Bragg and The Boy. Though The Woman does not really play much in the book, her loving, reproachful and stable persona shine throughout without Bragg's invasion of her world.
I highly recommend this book for those who are fans of Bragg's, Conroy's, Styron's or other writers who tell of lives that were very hard, but manage to see the light through others and ultimately within themselves.
Right-Wing Industry at Its Best June 2, 2008
3 out of 7 found this review helpful
Similar to John Sayles' great film, MATEWAN, Rick Bragg's THE PRINCE OF FROGTOWN focuses on industry in the early 1900s. Without effective labor unions, blue-collar workers faced degradation, low wages, poor housing and dependency on the 'company store' for its meals.
In MATEWAN, the workers fought hard for their union, and, after many years and deaths, defeated the right-wing owners of the coal mines. Such victory was not seen in Bragg's view of Jacksonville, Alabama's 100-year-old mill. No, here the union was demoralized, the workers turned to drink, and families broke up so that the 'boss' could reap vast amounts of money.
Rick Bragg writes of these events with compassion and anger, coming to terms eventually with his own dad's anger and neglect. Many tried to leave the mill; few succeeded. Most simply succumbed to 'white lightning'.
Bragg's memoir sheds light on this very dark trauma. But the mills, chicken factories and coal mines of the south still remain stark, scary places, mostly because the south has strong anti-union laws. We can blame the rich, right-wing aristocratic owners for these inhumane laws.
Who said slavery was defeated in the south?
by Larry Rochelle, author of BURNT COFFEE and TEN MILE CREEK
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