A haunting memoir about growing up dirt-poor in the Alabama hills--and about moving on but never really being able to leave. The extraordinary gifts for evocation and insight and the stunning talent for story- telling that earned Rick Bragg a Pulitzer Prize for feature writing in 1996 are here brought to bear on the wrenching story of his own family's life. It is the story of a war-haunted, hard-drinking father and a strong-willed, loving mother who...

Presents a food memoir, cookbook, and tribute to the author's mother, sharing classic family recipes--many of them pre-dating the Civil War--and preparation secrets for such traditional fare as short ribs, biscuits, and perfect mashed potatoes.

"Part cookbook, part memoir, The Best Cook in the World is Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Bragg's loving tribute to the South, his family, and, especially, his extraordinary mother. Here are irresistible stories and recipes from across generations. They come, skillet by skillet, from Bragg's ancestors, from feasts and near famine, from funerals and celebrations, and from a thousand tales of family lore as rich and sumptuous as the dishes they inspired."...