Tough subject. Believable point of view. Not sure why Dixie prayed to God for help so much when going to church was rare and she didn’t say good things about her religious aunt. ( )

Set in the 1960s, primarily in Alabama, this story is about domestic abuse, sexual abuse, and what it can do to children. A depressing book, well written with especially the mother and daughter portrayed in nuanced ways. ( )

(Beware: vague spoilers below.)

I liked it, more in the beginning than as the story moved forward. At times in the first half, it felt like the author was trying to offer subtle foreshadowing and it was anything but subtle, which to me signifies a lack of craft or perhaps merely of touch. I think it's a pretty good book, but Dorothy Allison gives the theme a much more virtuosic and harrowing treatment in Bastard Out of Carolina, so that this book seems more like a riff on something that surely does deserve further riffing on than like a really original treatment of the theme. ( )

Dixie Dupree is a precocious 11-year old, reminiscent of Scout Finch, in that she is smart and sassy, has an older brother that she adores, and lives in Alabama. Dixie is forced to grow up much too soon when a terrible accident seriously injures her father, which caused her Uncle Ray to come visit the family. Uncle Ray is Dixie’s mother’s (Evie) older brother.
Dixie doesn’t have a good feeling about Uncle Ray from the start, and her feelings are justified.
I loved Dixie, but I knew exactly what was going to happen from the very beginning, when she handed over her diary, and I also knew the truth about AJ, Dixie’s older brother, early on. The big surprise to me was the identity of Mrs. Suggs, and how she fit in the story. I would have liked to understand a little more of what went wrong between the parents, as I felt that was glossed over.
I will look for more from this author, as I enjoyed her writing style.
#TheEducationOfDixieDupree #DonnaEverhart ( )

Set in the late 1960's south, Dixie lives in Alabama with her mom, dad and older brother AJ. Her mom has one of those tempers that can get away from her and Dixie tries her best to not trigger her 'other mom' coming out. Her mom is not happy living where she has no friends and her inlaws only tolerate her. Dixie learns to become an expert liar. She needs to in order to protect her unstable family. The story is told from Dixie's viewpoint, and the voice of this eleven year old comes through loud and clear. When Dixie's mom finally gets the courage to tell her husband that she want to go home to New Hampshire, disaster strikes. Then Uncle Ray comes down to help out his sister.

Dixie is the kind of child the reader wants to reach into the pages of this story and yank from this life. This is a sad story at points, but it’s also filled with love and hope and kindness from some unexpected sources. It is written in flowing, deceptively simple prose and covers a lot of issues: alcoholism, depression, physical and sexual abuse, rape, suicide, and more. This is a story with flawed characters both innocent and others evil. There is enough goodness and charm to balance this dark but captivating story. I enjoyed the story told by Dixie, but did not enjoy some of the content. I recommend this story to anyone who enjoys family drama with a dark side. ( )