Term Paper on "Rick Bragg's Somebody Told Me"

Term Paper 3 pages (1101 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

non-fiction work is simply a compilation of news stories originally written by the author for the New York Times and other newspapers. The main idea is to showcase the author's writing, and his ability to bring people and their problems (and joys) to life for the reader. The book is divided into fourteen chapters that discuss everything from aging to education and secrets. Bragg won the Pulitzer Prize in 1996 for his newspaper writing, and he has won numerous other awards, too. Not even a college graduate, he was born in 1959 in a small town in Alabama. He has written for a variety of newspapers, and most of the stories in this book were written for the New York Times, where he still works today ("Author Biography"). This book is hard to read, because some of the stories are quite emotional. Others are joyful and light. Reading a book of newspaper stories seemed a bit boring at first, but once the reader picks up this engrossing book, it is hard to stop turning the pages until the end.

The author's main purpose in writing this book is to share the lives of everyday people around America with the reader. He does this admirably with his well-written portrayals of everything from survivors of disasters to children with autism and the secrets every person keeps to themselves. In actuality, the book is just a group of newspaper columns gathered and reprinted, but the columns flow together well, and each chapter seems to move toward the next with ease.

Bragg begins the book with a section titled "Survivors," which discusses natural disasters, murder, and death from uranium poisoning, to name a few. His words are poignant and thought-provoking at the same time. In "The Valley of Bro
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ken Hearts" he writes, "If heartaches were matches, her little house would have burned down a long time ago. Most days now the old woman just sits in the yard and dreams of a dead husband, in a valley crowded with ghosts of men who died too soon" (Bragg 16). As this story shows, Bragg has a way of stating the facts with emotion and empathy that draws the reader into the book and makes them want to learn more about the people and places he describes. He seems to be able to open the people up to their very deepest emotions and get them to say what they really think and feel, and then shares that perfectly with the reader.

In the chapter "Hurtful Things," Bragg introduces the reader to the pain and trials of being homeless in America. He writes, "Ed Washington lives in a refrigerator box under the interstate with an emaciated black cat named Two-Lane. He sleeps with a kitchen knife in his blankets because he had a dream once that someone killed him and no one noticed" (Bragg 61). The reader immediately understands that companionship is important to everyone, no matter where they live. Worst is the fear of dying without mattering, and dying without anyone noticing you are gone. Bragg goes for the jugular in these stories, and the reader understands the pain, suffering, and sadness of these people across America.

Later, the reader meets Taylor Touchstone, a 10-year-old autistic boy who survived four days in a swamp,… READ MORE

Quoted Instructions for "Rick Bragg's Somebody Told Me" Assignment:

This is a book review on the book "Somebody Told Me" Written by Rick Bragg.

The review itself should be formatted like a composition: introduction, body and conclusion.

The introductory paragraph usuallly includes

*the author and title again,

*the purpose or main idea of the book (the kind of book),

*a brief overview of the contents of the book,

*background information about the subject matter and/or author (optional), and the reviewer's thesis (what you think of the book).

The body of the reivew must iniclude at least two paragraphs (but it can have more):

*a summary of the main points of the book, using quotes and paraphrases to prove the points, and

*an evaluation of the book (criticism or praise for the book or both) (why readers should or should not read the book), using quotes and paraphrases to support opinions.

The conclusion should

*refer to the book's title and its author again and

*provide a concise comment on the book, including the reviewer's theses.

A general rule is that the first one-half to two-thirds of a review should summarize the author's main ideas and at least one-third should evaluate the book.

I will also be faxing a sample paragraph for the book review written by the teacher requesting the book review. So that will help the ***** to see what the teacher is actually looking for. *****

How to Reference "Rick Bragg's Somebody Told Me" Term Paper in a Bibliography

Rick Bragg's Somebody Told Me.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2006, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/non-fiction-work-simply/5669446. Accessed 4 Oct 2024.

Rick Bragg's Somebody Told Me (2006). Retrieved from https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/non-fiction-work-simply/5669446
A1-TermPaper.com. (2006). Rick Bragg's Somebody Told Me. [online] Available at: https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/non-fiction-work-simply/5669446 [Accessed 4 Oct, 2024].
”Rick Bragg's Somebody Told Me” 2006. A1-TermPaper.com. https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/non-fiction-work-simply/5669446.
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[1] ”Rick Bragg's Somebody Told Me”, A1-TermPaper.com, 2006. [Online]. Available: https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/non-fiction-work-simply/5669446. [Accessed: 4-Oct-2024].
1. Rick Bragg's Somebody Told Me [Internet]. A1-TermPaper.com. 2006 [cited 4 October 2024]. Available from: https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/non-fiction-work-simply/5669446
1. Rick Bragg's Somebody Told Me. A1-TermPaper.com. https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/non-fiction-work-simply/5669446. Published 2006. Accessed October 4, 2024.

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