A Childhood: The Biography of a Place
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- Create Date：2022-03-31 17:21:36
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Harry Crews
- ISBN：B0991V9SVS
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Toby Muse
，
I wanted to like it more。 It’s an old man’s reliving of his childhood in the south。 The cast isn’t as memorable as I hoped， nor the setting of rural Georgia as evocative。
Jacob
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As grimy and violent as Crews' fiction， but made more accessible by a real sense of humanity and pathos that he doesn't normally like to include in his novels。 People actually love and care for each other and for the land around them。 Crews sometimes feels like he's describing the origins of his fictive obsessions—race， religious iconography， animal cruelty—but from a more humane， less cruel perspective than that of most of his characters。 When he describes weeping hysterically upon seeing a lip As grimy and violent as Crews' fiction， but made more accessible by a real sense of humanity and pathos that he doesn't normally like to include in his novels。 People actually love and care for each other and for the land around them。 Crews sometimes feels like he's describing the origins of his fictive obsessions—race， religious iconography， animal cruelty—but from a more humane， less cruel perspective than that of most of his characters。 When he describes weeping hysterically upon seeing a lip twist used on a donkey， it becomes clear that the repeated instances of animal mistreatment in his fiction are there because the subject rattles him so deeply。 The book sometimes reads as a chronologically-arranged series of anecdotes， with no clear overlying arc， which can be unsatisfying。 It ends with a powerful image of his estrangement from his origins， but we don't see that estrangement growing throughout the narrative—we're with him for 140 pages， seeing how he's inextricable from the place he's from， and then told， suddenly， that sometime later he has become separated from it。 It probably could have been twice as long， but。 the short length gives it a sense of urgency， of bloodletting。 Before he died， Crews was working on more memoirs， and I can't help but think that A Childhood was meant to be just a small part of a much larger whole。 Regardless， it's a deeply pleasurable read， the work of a storyteller gifted not only in the ways of a novelist but of an older relative， someone who's spent so long thinking about their own history that it exists not as a continuum but as a series of beginnings， middles， and ends。 。。。more
Dan
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My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Penguin Group- Penguin Books for a copy of this classic memoir of life in the South。Harry Crews has a one of a kind voice， a mix of dirt， venom， fear， failure， a tad of charm， and a lot of home。 Characters looked to save or be saved， even when doing the worst things people could do to each other。 And no one fought harder， faced more demons then did Harry Crews as he shows in his biography A Childhood: The Biography of a Place， a biography that is equal pa My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Penguin Group- Penguin Books for a copy of this classic memoir of life in the South。Harry Crews has a one of a kind voice， a mix of dirt， venom， fear， failure， a tad of charm， and a lot of home。 Characters looked to save or be saved， even when doing the worst things people could do to each other。 And no one fought harder， faced more demons then did Harry Crews as he shows in his biography A Childhood: The Biography of a Place， a biography that is equal parts gospel and heretical， sometimes in the same sentence。 Mr。 Crews describes his first six years of life on a rural farm， during the Depression， but it could have been a century or two earlier。 His father passed away young， worked to death in trying to make a living， on Earth that fought the farmers for everything they could reap。 Tales of his father fill the narrative， and the lose that the boy suffered is a pain that never went away， no matter the successes， or his escaping the world that killed his father。 The world they inhabit is mean， with no reason for why things happen， they just do。 Say the wrong thing， off comes your hand， though the chopper soon has to watch out for retribution。 Fights were a calendar to the people， events remembered in oh a few weeks after that fight， or a day or two before this fight。 This was a part of Georgia that might have existed in a dystopian science fiction novel。 Not a book for the faint of heart， as it is a rough read， not your typical ghostwritten entertainment memoir。 However as with all of the works that Mr。 Crews has written there is a spark that is impossible to imitate， a memoir that makes you feel bad as you read for these people， as you laugh at what happens。 Mr。 Crews might not writer of these people， and himself， in a good light， but he loves them， for all their meanness and problems， and that shines through in his writing。 For fans of the less genteel Southern writers。 。。。more
Jennifer
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Such a beautiful story。 If you love memoirs， then you should read this。
Ol
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 My first memory is of a time ten years before I was born， and the memory takes place where I have never been and involves my daddy whom i never knew。It also says a great deal about the people and the place I come from。 Nothing is allowed to die in a society of storytelling people。 It is all—the good and the bad—carted up and brought from one generatiom to the next。 And everything that is brought along is colored and shaped by those who bring it。If that is so， is what they bring with them true？ I My first memory is of a time ten years before I was born， and the memory takes place where I have never been and involves my daddy whom i never knew。It also says a great deal about the people and the place I come from。 Nothing is allowed to die in a society of storytelling people。 It is all—the good and the bad—carted up and brought from one generatiom to the next。 And everything that is brought along is colored and shaped by those who bring it。If that is so， is what they bring with them true？ I’m convinced that it is。 Whatever violencr may be done to the letter of their collective experience， the spirit of that experience remains intact and true。 It is their notion of themselves， their understanding of who they are。 And it was just for this reason that I started this book， because I have never been certain of who I am。If it aint the worst thing itll do until the worst thing comes alongA man mean as a bee stung dogUp in Jeff Davis County， just about where I was born and raised， a woman’s husband was killed and she—seven months pregnant—was the only witness to the killing。 When the sherif tried to get her to name the man who’d done it， she only pointed to her swelling stomach and said: “He knows who did it， and when the time comes， he will settle it。” And that was all she ever said。His eyes were solid and cloud-coloured， and his skin so wrinkled and folded it looked like it might have been made for a man twice his size。I knew that they were staring with unseemly intensity at my legs， that they wanted most of all to touch them and I hated it and dreaded it and was humiliated by it。 I felt how lonely and savage it was to be a freak。 He had one of those good country voices: part drunk， part hound dog， part angel。 。。。more
Blake Wilbanks
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I wanted to like this book。 Maybe it was unclear expectations， but I kept finding myself ready to pickup another book。
Henry Green
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Great book。 Not quite as good as “Speak， Memory” （which is the gold standard for memoirs）， but in league fo’ sho’。 Lovely to read a voice so at ease with itself。 Crews is right up there with Flannery O’Conner and Cormac McCarthy for rendering Southern diction。 He’s simply a really amazing， savage， humble writer。 It’s lovely。 Harry Crews is so pleased to be combing through his youth， brutal and beautiful， troubled and seriously fun。 He’s surprisingly gentle and full of compassion for both himself Great book。 Not quite as good as “Speak， Memory” （which is the gold standard for memoirs）， but in league fo’ sho’。 Lovely to read a voice so at ease with itself。 Crews is right up there with Flannery O’Conner and Cormac McCarthy for rendering Southern diction。 He’s simply a really amazing， savage， humble writer。 It’s lovely。 Harry Crews is so pleased to be combing through his youth， brutal and beautiful， troubled and seriously fun。 He’s surprisingly gentle and full of compassion for both himself and his connections。 He doesn’t bask and revel in the grit like he does in his novels。 It's more matter-of-fact， less pornographic。 I love all the moments when he describes himself tearing up。 Harry Crews the Literary Badass， a sweet little boy！ So many accounts of different Southern animal-killing methodologies， but each one is sort of wistful and content， like reflecting on sweet old pets and idyllic fireside moments。 Feels like Crews is looking back on a life well-lived， pleasantly and subtly stunned with where he’s ended up。。。 although it all makes sense。 The travails of an impoverished and violent Southern upbringing gave him everything he needed to be what he wanted—“The Writer。” There’s an unspoken inevitability and self-evidence as to the life that emerged out of this childhood。 No detail of Crews’ life beyond the age of 20 is divulged， but you feel he was reveling in it。 The only trace of Crews the man… is the voice on the page， and it’s a pretty great one。 Lived-in！ 。。。more
Robin Walker
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Mary Karr said read it so I did and I’m damn glad I did。
Elizabeth Higginbotham
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A Childhood: The Biography of a Place by Harry Crews provides insights in growing up in rural Georgia during the Depression and also just the regular pace of poverty for tenant farmers and those who are on the margins in the 1940s and 1950s。 Bacon County was home to the family and in fact when people went to Jacksonville， FL they were in the same neighborhood。 You can really see the way that people shared the little that they had。 Crews’ father died when he was young。 His mother married his uncl A Childhood: The Biography of a Place by Harry Crews provides insights in growing up in rural Georgia during the Depression and also just the regular pace of poverty for tenant farmers and those who are on the margins in the 1940s and 1950s。 Bacon County was home to the family and in fact when people went to Jacksonville， FL they were in the same neighborhood。 You can really see the way that people shared the little that they had。 Crews’ father died when he was young。 His mother married his uncle， who he thought was his father。 So， Crews wanted to learn about the father he did not know， when he got out of the Marines。 His Uncle Alton facilitates in his own way。 In the book， Crews provided rich details on his own growing up， how people worked on the farm and the lives of people he knew。 He and his friend made up stories by looking at the pictures in the Sears， Roebuck catalog。 He listens to the stories around him， particularly when his own mobility is limited by some illness that cripple his legs and then being burned。 Women told stories as they were quilting。 You can see the rich storytelling tradition before radio。 Crews is great at differentiating between the stories that men and women told。 Much of the action takes place on farms and the limited time his mother moved them to Jacksonville， FL after a brutal fight with the father who raised him。 The writing is rich and very descriptive and I can see how he has written many novels。 This memoir is an important contribution in sharing how rural poverty and tenant farming shaped the lives of many family。 。。。more
Jo Ann
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Good read especially if you had family that grew up hard in a farming community with complicated dynamics。
Istanbulgibbs
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As a man with Crews background -- my father's family were sharecroppers in South Georgia and later moved to Florida -- this book resonated with me。 His description of rural life in South Georgia reminds me of the photographs of Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans come to life。 As a man with Crews background -- my father's family were sharecroppers in South Georgia and later moved to Florida -- this book resonated with me。 His description of rural life in South Georgia reminds me of the photographs of Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans come to life。 。。。more
Chris Bassett MD
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Stories from Crews’ early childhood in the hot， humid， hungry South。 Every chapter ends with some new horror - disease， death， accidents and gore - and with a profound insight into what these struggles meant for the young Crews and his people。 Real life Southern gothic。 Absolutely terrific。
Carrie
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Obviously this is one of the best memoirs ever written。 Every sentence was a revelation。 Every description was flashback to the 1940s Georgia。 “It has always seemed to me that I was not so much born into this life as I was awakened to it。” Wow。 That’s an amazing sentence。 He wrote one of the best descriptions of hog butchering （I have read a lot of the） I have every read。 You could almost smell it。 These descriptions were interspersed with incredibly thoughtful and tender moments。 The local dial Obviously this is one of the best memoirs ever written。 Every sentence was a revelation。 Every description was flashback to the 1940s Georgia。 “It has always seemed to me that I was not so much born into this life as I was awakened to it。” Wow。 That’s an amazing sentence。 He wrote one of the best descriptions of hog butchering （I have read a lot of the） I have every read。 You could almost smell it。 These descriptions were interspersed with incredibly thoughtful and tender moments。 The local dialect in the dialog was superb。 I’ll reread this。 Although not the large print version I accidentally borrowed from the library。 。。。more
Gary Sites
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Harry Crews always does a number on me， and especially so with this autobiographical account of his childhood。 I grew up in the South when it still resembled the South of Crews' time。 The folks and places he describes with his unique， vivid style are my people and my home。 Somehow Southerners seem to love harder and deeper， and Crews captures this so well in this book， it often made me read sections over again， moving me to tears， sometimes from happiness， sometimes from pain。 This is a magnific Harry Crews always does a number on me， and especially so with this autobiographical account of his childhood。 I grew up in the South when it still resembled the South of Crews' time。 The folks and places he describes with his unique， vivid style are my people and my home。 Somehow Southerners seem to love harder and deeper， and Crews captures this so well in this book， it often made me read sections over again， moving me to tears， sometimes from happiness， sometimes from pain。 This is a magnificent piece of art。 。。。more
Rem Ryals
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I've been curious about this book， known as one of the godparents of the modern memoir movement， for a long time。 It did not disappoint。 Anchored in vivid details of life in rural Georgia in the 30s， it transitions into the fantastical world of childhood， filled with violence， mystery， and those one or two magical adults who pull us through。 I've been curious about this book， known as one of the godparents of the modern memoir movement， for a long time。 It did not disappoint。 Anchored in vivid details of life in rural Georgia in the 30s， it transitions into the fantastical world of childhood， filled with violence， mystery， and those one or two magical adults who pull us through。 。。。more
Jennifer
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A great example of early memoir， as well as good writing of dialogue and dialect。 It is a well written peak into mid-20th century poverty in Georgia。
Lisa
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One of my top 5 favorite books
Ricardo M N
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Interesante libro para comprender un poco mejor la personalidad del autor sureño Harry Crews。
Sarah
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I had never heard of Harry Crews until a co-worker mentioned him to me recently。 It's a shame that it seems like he has fallen out of popularity because his memoir is amazing。 I had never heard of Harry Crews until a co-worker mentioned him to me recently。 It's a shame that it seems like he has fallen out of popularity because his memoir is amazing。 。。。more
Cherianne
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3。5。 Not a book that appealed to me， not familiar with the author。 However， I love memoirs and saw it somewhere described as one of the best all-time memoirs。 Decided to try it and liked it better than I expected。 It gives a pretty good look into what it was like living in the south， in grinding poverty during the depression。 Not exactly sure if I’d recommend it to others。 It has gruesome stories of violence and animal abuse。 I’m a bit mystified as to how this gets so many 5-star ratings。 It’s a 3。5。 Not a book that appealed to me， not familiar with the author。 However， I love memoirs and saw it somewhere described as one of the best all-time memoirs。 Decided to try it and liked it better than I expected。 It gives a pretty good look into what it was like living in the south， in grinding poverty during the depression。 Not exactly sure if I’d recommend it to others。 It has gruesome stories of violence and animal abuse。 I’m a bit mystified as to how this gets so many 5-star ratings。 It’s a bit like reading a horror story except it’s true。 。。。more
Kate
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This is the first paper/hardcopy book that gripped me since the pandemic started。 The stories， the writing， the images。 Absolutely incredible
Strawberry Trellis
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Honestly don’t start here w reading harry Crews bc you’ll ruin the magic！！read some of his brutal novels and then crack this open and find a softness for him
Zach Werbalowsky
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Fantastic， one of the best autobiographies I have ever read。 more like a 4。5
James Emery
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I finally got a copy and glad I did。 I've read several Harry Crews novels previously， the standout being A Feast of Snakes， but had heard so much about this memoir that I felt pulled to read， even though autobiographical works don't usually interest me。The four stars， though， is more from me wanting more。 The title is very accurate--this is a biography of a place。 Bacon County， GA and the people of the depression era and the painful and difficult day to day life。 The part that I'm more intereste I finally got a copy and glad I did。 I've read several Harry Crews novels previously， the standout being A Feast of Snakes， but had heard so much about this memoir that I felt pulled to read， even though autobiographical works don't usually interest me。The four stars， though， is more from me wanting more。 The title is very accurate--this is a biography of a place。 Bacon County， GA and the people of the depression era and the painful and difficult day to day life。 The part that I'm more interested in is the effects this had on Crews， which he alludes to， but also ends too soon for me to complete the bridge from childhood to author。 It ends sometime in late childhood， but missing what I would consider the more formative years of life during teenage。All in all， I'm glad I read it， but am looking forward to the next work of fiction， too。 。。。more
Jay Jones
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A powerful book that I related to quite a bit。 I didn't grow up in a farm， but my parents did and I could see many scenes in this book in stories I heard from mom， dad， aunts and uncles。 A worthy read for a glimpse at life barely making it on the farm in South Georgia。 A powerful book that I related to quite a bit。 I didn't grow up in a farm， but my parents did and I could see many scenes in this book in stories I heard from mom， dad， aunts and uncles。 A worthy read for a glimpse at life barely making it on the farm in South Georgia。 。。。more
Robin
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A richly written memoir。 Funny。 Sad。 Just。。。real。 The illustrations are stunning。 Just look at the freakin' cover！ A richly written memoir。 Funny。 Sad。 Just。。。real。 The illustrations are stunning。 Just look at the freakin' cover！ 。。。more
Izzy
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Yeah。。。that was the worst thing I've read in。。。a while。。。thank god that's over！ Yeah。。。that was the worst thing I've read in。。。a while。。。thank god that's over！ 。。。more
Guille
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Harry Crews representa aquí los papelEs de Twain y Huckleberry Finn al tiempo， de una forma más cruda， sí， pero con el mismo amor por personajes casi siempre olvidados y que raramente son llevados al territorio de la novela。 “El mundo en que se movía la gente de la que procedo tenía tan poco margen de error， tan poco margen para la mala suerte， que cuando algo iba mal casi siempre acababa ocurriendo algo que lo empeoraba aún más。 Se trataba de un mundo en el que la supervivencia dependía del Harry Crews representa aquí los papelEs de Twain y Huckleberry Finn al tiempo， de una forma más cruda， sí， pero con el mismo amor por personajes casi siempre olvidados y que raramente son llevados al territorio de la novela。 “El mundo en que se movía la gente de la que procedo tenía tan poco margen de error， tan poco margen para la mala suerte， que cuando algo iba mal casi siempre acababa ocurriendo algo que lo empeoraba aún más。 Se trataba de un mundo en el que la supervivencia dependía del valor， de un coraje crudo nacido de la desesperación y mantenido por la ausencia de alternativas”。 Es un un mundo germen de mil historias contadas en corrillos de hombres o mujeres al caer la tarde; donde una mujer embarazada a la que le acaban de matar al marido se niega a delatar al culpable porque sabe que “cuando llegue el momento arreglará las cosas”。 Un mundo donde la familia es el centro de la existencia y en esa familia entran mulas， cabras， perros， animales que ni por lo más remoto entrarán en casa pero que， al igual que a la mujer o a los hijos， si se les pega será por amor y no solo por necesidad。 Un mundo mojado en whisky y en sudor， tan desesperado en ocasiones que solo permanece la esperanza de la brujería， las supersticiones y el fanatismo religioso; un mundo donde nunca se habla del señor Jones， sino del negro Jones; el mundo de la gran depresión en el que tu mejor amigo puede robarte la poca carne que te queda para pasar el invierno porque no puede soportar ver llorar de hambre a sus propios hijos; un mundo no exento de humor， a pesar de todo。 Crews nos teje aquí una mezcla， nunca del todo fiable， de historias que le relataron， de leyendas que oyó， de recuerdos que guarda de aquel niño de entre cinco y seis años que fue， para relatarnos un trocito de su vida en el que sufrió una atrofia muscular， soportó terribles quemaduras al caer en un barreño de agua hirviendo， conoció el sexo， fue ladrón y busca vidas， creó cientos de historias sobre los modelos retratados en un catálogo Sears， mantuvo largas conversaciones con su inseparable perro， encontró a su padre muerto en la cama y， a pesar de todo， no perdió en ningún momento la inocencia de un niño de esa edad， que quizás no es la misma en todas las partes del mundo ni en todas las situaciones。 Este es el tercer libro que leo del autor， y los personajes e historias que encontré en los anteriores tienen sus raíces aquí， en esa infancia de la que Rilke afirmó que es nuestra verdadera patria。 。。。more
Bob
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Harry Crews was highly perceptive from a young age。 He grew up in the area around Macon， GA， and from early on， he seemed to have an intense interest in the world around him。 Pg 44: "The world that circumscribed the people I come from had so little margin for error， for bad luck， that when something went wrong; it almost always brought something else down with it。 It was a world in which survival depended on raw courage， a courage born out of desperation and sustained by a lack of alternatives。" Harry Crews was highly perceptive from a young age。 He grew up in the area around Macon， GA， and from early on， he seemed to have an intense interest in the world around him。 Pg 44: "The world that circumscribed the people I come from had so little margin for error， for bad luck， that when something went wrong; it almost always brought something else down with it。 It was a world in which survival depended on raw courage， a courage born out of desperation and sustained by a lack of alternatives。" 。。。more
Alex Lee
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