Ava's Man

Summary

Pulitzer prize-winner author of All Over but the Shoutin', Rick Bragg builds a monument to his grandfather Charlie Bundrum. Known for being a passionate family man with a special talent for living and surviving, Bundrum was a master roofer, carpenter, whiskey-maker, fisherman, banjo player, and buck dancer. Unable to read, he asked his wife Ava to read him the newspaper every night so he would not be ignorant. Set in the Great Depression, Bundrum's tale is one of remarkable ingenuity in the face of suffering. Moving his family 21 times, he followed the work, keeping his seven children one step ahead of poverty and starvation. Revered by his children, Bundrum became a local legend. At his funeral, cars lined up for more than a mile. A powerfully intimate piece of American history, as it was experienced by the people of the Deep South, Bragg has written a glorious record of a life of character, tenacity and indomitable joy.