I am almost afraid to pick up any book by Rick Bragg, because I know that once I read the first sentence I will immediately get lost in his story and not emerge until there’s nothing left. Even then, the words stick with me, floating through my mind for days. The Prince of Frogtown confirmed this fear for me. Bragg had briefly touched upon the story of his father in All Over But the Shoutin’ and Ava’s Man. Then, at the age of 40, Bragg becomes a stepfather to a young boy. This experience forces him to go back and search for who his father was. He has few memories himself, so he interviews relatives and old friends of this extremely complicated man, a Korean War veteran, raised in a notoriusly difficult family. We get to listen in as Bragg comes to terms with his father and learns what fatherhood is about. We also get to read some great storytelling.