Townie. By Andre Dubus III

This is a memoir of the hardscrabble youth of writer Andre Dubus III, growing up dirt poor and tough.  I should point out it is not a book from a publisher that Manda represents so this is unadulterated and unbiased praise for this amazingly written and brutally honest memoir.  It was recommended to me by Sebastian Hanna from Indigo, who always recommends amazing books to me. It is a story that is gripping and brutally honest in his ultimate compulsion for violence for the sake of violence and for the sake of vengeful justice.  It is a justice that he acknowledges which will never truly bring justice, only more violence.

The writing was remarkable in its ability to draw me in to both Andre and the people who played large roles in his youth.   The story is remarkable for a great many reasons, but it is ultimately the love and forgiveness which he extends to his father which moved me most.  His strength to pull himself up and to fight on physical and emotional levels is remarkable, and his fight for what is right is admirable.  But his willingness to acknowledge where his anger and violence come from and its ultimate senselessness is what makes his admissions and his story so compellling.  Even more so perhaps was the strength of his mother who managed to keep the family together despite such difficult odds.

This is a beautifully written memoir of a remarkable life led growing up poor and tough and coming through the other side.