June 25, 2007
More than anything else, Blount provides an insightful and distinctive critique of Southern cultural disposition. He addresses the elitism of overall American (and in particular, Northern) culture to dispossess the South of legitimate and unstigmatized cultural existence. While recognizing the contradictions and misunderstandings about the South, Blount encourages listeners to be critical of all aspects of American culture, not just Southern culture. While a tenuous thread connects his essays, this rambunctious rambling ranges from outsider folk art and songs about food to sports. With a gruff voice and hints of a Southern accent, Blount offers an impressive performance. While reading lists on audio can often bore listeners, Blount uses emphasis and a quickened cadence to successfully compensate for his sometimes extensive lists. His harmonic voice proves especially enjoyable during his discussions of limericks and music. One puzzling aspect of this audiobook is occasional random voices injecting quotes. These quotes read by others are superfluous or hint at production problems since Blount reads most other quotes. Simultaneous release with the Knopf hardcover.
Starred review from May 1, 2007
A prolific author (e.g., "Feet on the Street: Rambles Around New Orleans"), NPR panelist ("Wait Wait] Don't Tell Me"), and "Atlantic Monthly" contributing editor, Blount has pulled together his first collection of essays in over a decade. Some of the essays have been previously published, but about a dozen are new. Blount is a self-proclaimed Southern liberal who now lives in western Massachusetts, and he sees this book as addressing neither the North nor the South but both regions together. His wry sense of humor makes for prose that's bracing and distinct, and his views are as fresh as his writing. For instance, in "Can't I Be the Most Sophisticated Something Else?" Blount describes serving on a panel where he was introduced as the "world's most sophisticated redneck" and then explores that derogatory term, which he argues is carelessly thrown around in both regions. Other essays range from music, politics, and how to cook chicken to childrearing and the English language itself. This delightful collection is not only fun and funny but insightful as well. Highly recommended for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 1/07.]Lisa A. Ennis, Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham Lib., Lister Hill
Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
April 1, 2007
Its gotta be tough to be Roy Blount Jr., a displaced southern liberal living in the Northeast. To hear him tell it, just about everyone he ever meets invariably blurts out something along the lines of You know, the thing about the South is that its just so insert deprecatory simplification here. Fortunately, Blount bristles at each and every one of them in the 70 or so pieces in this collection, culled mainly from articles and columns written for various publications. Although admittedly they begin to take on the quality of a broken record when lumped together, at least the needle is stuck on a pretty heady groove. With humor so dry you might miss it, Blounts flexible musings on all manner of subjectshistory, politics, limericks, songs, food, songs about foodare uniformly sharp, even if he sometimes falls into making the same sort of sweeping generalizations that work him into such a lather to begin with. Droll but not necessarily folksy, and often rankled but never cantankerous, Blount is a quintessential opinionist when he writes, I just wish the South would let me decide what it should change and what it shouldnt. Now watch him shake his fist and give em all what-for.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)
Starred review from December 31, 2007
Ever since beloved Southern writer Blount moved to Massachusetts, he's been trying to use his “regional ambivalence... to get Aunt Dixie and Uncle Sam on speaking terms.†In this diverse collection of humorous essays and occasional verse, Blount tackles a number of topics, including Immanuel Kant, the mind-boggling “Bushy Juggernaut†and the correct grammatical usage of y'all
(always plural). Concerned largely with his own pleasures and peccadilloes, Blount sings the praises of New Orleans's jazzy Boswell sisters, staying up late and the company of Jack Russell terriers (“like living with a movie star who seems to be able to handle quite a lot of cocaineâ€). On the other hand, Tom DeLay of Texas gets called “the thinking person's Satan,†Garth Brooks and Forrest Gump
both receive snubs, and caring about college sports in the Northeast draws comparison to “caring about French food in South Carolina.†Adorned with poetical lists and quirky details, Blount's work is unflaggingly passionate and provocative over a range of subjects, including food, politics and all things Southern, and he's as likely to quote the Women's Times
as Shakespeare or Zora Neale Hurston. A lively curmudgeon who's talked to just about everyone on just about everything (especially grits), Blount's energetic, unpredictable essays are surefire fan pleasers and fine discoveries for newcomers.