Dietrich (Star of Alabama) extends the narrative of his popular blog "Sean of the South" with this deeply personal memoir. A self-declared simple storyteller who champions finding a way to shine the light of positivity, Dietrich shifts the lens a bit as he unpacks his own tragedy. Chapters slowly unfold how a 12-year-old copes with the loss of a father to suicide; a parent who had been his hero but has also committed domestic violence. Without shame, Dietrich shares his coming-of-age struggles, from dropping out of school in the seventh grade to washing dishes and working construction to the arduous process of completing community college years later. More sorrowful stories are interspersed with amusing antics from Dietrich's beloved dog, Ellie Mae, as well as the author's own self-deprecating quips on Southern living. What could easily have been a heavy read is uplifted with Dietrich's quirky one-liners told with a big-hearted, Southern voice. VERDICT Followers of "Sean of the South" or Dietrich's podcast will relish this revelatory, faith-filled memoir.--Angela Forret, State Lib. of Iowa