Book Club read, was nervous going in sounded like another depressing read.
This is a memoir about growing up poor and undaunted in the South. Barbara Robinette Moss chronicles her family's chaotic, impoverished survival in the red-clay hills of Alabama. A wild-eyed, alcoholic father and a humble, heroic mother along with a shanty full of rambunctious brothers and sisters fill her life to the brim with stories that are gripping, tender, and funny.
Moss's early fascination with art coincides with her desire to transform her "twisted mummy face," which grew askew due to malnutrition and lack of medical care. Gazing at the stars on a clear Alabama night, she wishes to be the "goddess of beauty, much-loved daughter of Zeus."
I had a hard time with this time flow in this book, it seemed really slow at first, then we suddenly had skipped high school and she was a single mom. WTF? Then the fixing of her face was in the epilogue, not in the story itself? It happened during the fast forward part, it was confusing. I'm not sure what the point was, I mean there was no conclusion, she just stopped writing. I had a ton of unanswered questions when I was done reading. Did she confront her Mom about why did she stay with her Dad? Did she ever find or confront her parents about Mary Louise? Why was Janet so sheltered?
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This is a fascinating memoir about growing up poor in the south with an alcoholic and abusive father. The family is held together by Moss’ mother, Dorris, who is obsessively devoted to her husband. Suffering from malnutrition, Moss face is disfigured, which is a constant source of worry and embarrassment. Through determination and strength of character Moss escapes her family situation and overcomes her challenges.

This is a very compelling story. It is well written and engaging. My heart broke for Moss and her siblings, as she related story after story of her childhood. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in memoirs or coming-of-age stories. Overall, I rate this book 5 out of 5. ( )

I absolutely love this title and couldn't wait to crack open this book. However, I ultimately was left disappointed. Yes, it deals with a poor upbringing in Alabama, abuse, addiction, alcoholism, all of the necessary components to a memoir (it seems). However, Moss doesn't seem to mix together the components into a cohesive whole, and I was left with a rather distinct impression of nothing. I remember very little about this book. ( )