House of Prayer No. 2 : A Writer's Journey Home 9780385513029

from ellynv

i absolutely loved this book. A unique spiritual memoir with a lot of interesting twists and turns. Poignant but not self-pitying. Though the second-person writing technique took a little getting used to (though I quickly found myself starting to use this in my own conversations - much to peoples...

from agirlandherbooks

While second-person narrative is difficult for most writers, Mark Richard's House of Prayer No. 2 is so compelling that the tale wouldn't sound right any other way. His memoir of being born with deformed hips in mid-50s rural Virginia is rich with description, reflection, resentment, astonishment...

from mirrani

The first thing a reader is going to realize about this book is that is written in second person. Yes, I said it, second person. It sounds strange, even bizarre, but I found it was a wonderful way to tell the story, that it somehow had me more deeply involved in the events than I have ever felt p...

from Doubledaypub

Beautifully written memoir Mark Richard about how he overcame a Southern Gothic childhood and a crippling hip ailment to become an award-winning writer. It's sort of like a Southern "Running with Scissors," but really so much more than that.

from msf59

He was called a "special child". In the South, this was a term used for mentally and physically challenged children. Born with bad hips and a slow demeanor, raised by an alcoholic, quick-tempered father, the boy's chances in life looked mighty slim, destined to be another discarded outcast. This ...