Bragg's trip down memory lane is comprised of chapters previously published as magazine articles, many in Southern Living.  In them he celebrates his fondest impressions of the best of the South, especially its culinary delights, humor, and sense of community.  The chapters can seem loosely written and repetitive at times, and taken as one dose they come across as overly romanticizing the way things were.  Still, at times the writing is masterful, such as the description of Florida as "a dangling participle of a state."  During these divisive times of red and blue, masks or not, it is refreshing to read such an upbeat description of Southern culture.

I love everything that Rick Bragg writes, and he continues to amuse me.  As a born and bred "Yankee" who has lived most of her adult life in the  south---Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, North Carolina  and Arkansas---I can relate to the people and places. His writings are humorous but also poignant and loving. Thank you for a wonderful nostalgic afternoon.

Where I Come From: Stories of the Deep South by Rick Bragg is a collection of 80 plus short stories, many of which have been published as columns in Southern Living and Garden and Gun magazines. Bragg says he will continue to write in Southern Living about Momma, mudholes, tides, and Tupperware until the magazine raises it standards.

The stories in this collection are of the South’s gentler, easier nature. It is a litany of great talkers, blue-green waters, deep casseroles, kitchen-sink permanents, lying fishermen, haunted mansions, and dogs that never die, things that make this place more than a dotted line on a map or a long-ago failed rebellion, even if only in some cold-weather dream.


Each story is an endearing gem that will bring a smile to your face, tug at your heartstrings or make you laugh out loud. His descriptions are spot on. For example, pickup trucks are referred to as “The Chariots of My People” and Tupperware is called “The Wedgwood [crystal] of The South”. I had tears running down my face as I read about his pain after eating Nashville Hot Chicken that he was certain had been doused in ghost pepper and kerosene. He believes young people think George Strait is a land bridge between Russia and Alaska. At one point he describes his hair as “straight as a Lutheran with the consistency of a spiderweb.”

These tales remind us of all the great storytellers we know and make us believe that if it’s not the truth, it oughta be.

Rick Bragg says he “will write and write as long as somebody, anybody, wants me to, till we remind one more heartbroken ol’ boy of his grandfather, or educate one more pampered Yankee on the people of the pines.” Thank you, Rick, I long to hear more. For as you so aptly state “nostalgia is our sanctuary in sorry times.”

5-Stars. This book will make an excellent gift. It is truly a keeper.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for my Advanced Reader Copy. The expected publication date is October 27, 2020. Be sure to put it on your To Be Read List.

I love Rick Bragg and read everything he writes; I take Southern Living mostly for his essays on the last page.  So, I might be biased.
This collection is beautiful and is Bragg at his finest. His storytelling is pitch perfect and his descriptions are evocative and take you right into what it really means to be Southern. 
As an educator, I often share Bragg's work with my writing students. I've used "Somebody Told Me" in my creative writing class for years and now this will be a perfect companion for that. 
Rick Bragg is one of our Southern treasures!

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday for the ARC!

I think I enjoy Bragg's longer works more than the short essays that comprise this book, but that's just nitpicking. I would listen to Bragg read just about anything - And I have listened to his audiobooks often enough that I "heard" his voice in my head as I read these essays. These were pieces about being Southern, loving the South, and being poor. Nostalgic and lovely.

Date reviewed: July 30

When life for the entire universe and planet turns on its end and like everyone else you "have nothing to do" while your place of work is closed and you are continuing to be in #COVID19 #socialisolation,  superspeed readers like me can read 250+ pages/hour, so yes, I have read the book … and many more today. And it is way too hot to go outside, so why not sit in from of the blasting a/c and read and review books??  BTW - stay home and save lives!!!!!!!! No tan is worth dying for.

I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley, the publisher and the author in exchange for an honest review.  

From the publisher, as I do not repeat the contents or story of books in reviews, I let them do it as they do it better than I do 😸.

From the best-selling, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of All Over but the Shoutin' and The Best Cook in the World, a collection of his irresistible columns from Southern Living and Garden & Gun

A collection of wide-ranging and endearingly personal columns by the celebrated author, newspaper columnist, and Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Bragg, culled from his best-loved pieces in Southern Living and Garden & Gun.

From his love of Tupperware ("My Affair with Tupperware") to the decline of country music, from the legacy of Harper Lee to the metamorphosis of the pickup truck, the best way to kill fire ants, the unbridled excess of Fat Tuesday, and why any self-respecting southern man worth his salt should carry a good knife, Where I Come From is an ode to the stories and the history of the Deep South, written with tenderness, wit, and deep affection--a book that will be treasured by fans old and new.

I loved this book - I had read a lot of these columns before as I tend to look for an inhale his work.  Anyone who is new to his work will love it, in my opinion, as he is one of the best food writers on the planet. The writings are relatable and expertly crafted - the Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras) may be one of the best "columns" I have ever read.  If you love food, you will love this book so eat ... Ummm .. read it!


As always, I try to find a reason to not rate with stars as I love emojis (outside of their incessant use by "🙏-ed Social Influencer Millennials/#BachelorNation survivors/Tik-Tok and YouTube  Millionaires/etc. " on Instagram and Twitter... Get a real job, people!) so let's give it some sweet Georgia 🍑🍑🍑🍑🍑

Rick Bragg is an eloquent voice of time and place. Here, Bragg offers more meditations in which readers can see themselves and glimpse the lives of others. 

As always, Bragg is poetic and offers work worthy of attention. A most enjoyable collection of ideas and memories.

Many thanks to the publisher for an advance review copy, from which I offer this unbiased review.

I truly loved these Southern stories. Rick Bragg writes from the heart, with just the right mix of humor and truth. There is sometimes sad,but that is the South. enjoyed his piece on Conroy.

Rick Bragg's blend of humor and humility in this collection of previously published essays makes for a flavorful sampling of the food and people of his American South. His conversational writing style is an open invitation to sit and visit a spell while he shares stories near and dear to him. Once again, Bragg has established himself as a terrific storyteller. Highly recommend.

I drop everything when I see something written by Rick Bragg, a man who uses words like Beethoven used musical notes. His unique humor and love of all things southern and his family are always a ray of light, especially in these dark times. Rick Bragg, have you considered running for president? You've got my vote!

Rick Bragg, I know where you come from; not the exact spot, but certainly the times and situations. We never owned the land we worked, nor did we own the houses we lived in. There is no home place to gather for the holidays over the years when you rent by the month., but I have precious memories of a time and people who are no longer with us. Bragg reminds me of the South of my youth; the people, the work, the talt tales, most of them true, and why food is so central to every gathering. Poor folks gave such as they had, and they had what their gardens gave them by the sweat of their brow and row after sun-blasted row. A meal was a ceremony always observed respectfully, surrounded by family that you would fight for whether you liked them or not. Where I Come From transports you for a few heartbreaking moments to a place known only to you long ago. It explains a lot. Each chapter is a vignette of hard times dealt with by good people, good food, and a dogged determination to never give in. The book will make you laugh out loud in places, and break your heart in others. It is a tribute to the old South that has gone by the wayside and a yearning for simpler days. If you need to take a ride down south, this book will take you to some of the best eateries on the planet, by way of alligator hunting, and the baying of ancient hunting dogs. Enjoy!