The Prince of Frogtown

The Prince of Frogtown is the third memoir that Rick Bragg has written about his family.  This one focuses on his father.  Charles Bragg was abusive to his wife, was an alcoholic, and would not support the family.  For a long time Rick did not want to know about his father.  He thought he knew all he needed to know about him.  When he fell in love with a woman who had three sons, he thought he should learn about his father and his family.  As he says in the book, the boy thought he (the author) “hung the moon.”   With the prospect of being a father to this ten year-old boy, he decides to find out more about his father, or to quote Rick Bragg, “With the weight of that new boy tugging at my clothes, I went to find him.”  I highly recommend this book.  Rick Bragg is a talented writer who tells a story and makes you feel like you’re there.