One Hundred Years of Dirt
Violence, treachery and cruelty run through the generational veins of Rick Morton's family. A horrific accident thrusts his mother and siblings into a world impossible for them to navigate, a life of poverty and drug addiction
One Hundred Years of Dirt is an unflinching memoir in which the mother is a hero who is never rewarded. It is a meditation on the anger, fear of others and an obsession with real and imagined borders. Yet it is also a testimony to the strength of familial love and endurance.
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Community Reviews
I have definitely finished this book because it’s no longer on my kindle. But the fact that it hasn’t stayed with me is perhaps telling. Lauded as the Australian “hillbilly elegy” it didn’t hit me as hard but it still gave an insight into life for many Australians.
“Social mobility is not a train you get to board after you’ve scraped together enough for the ticket. You have to build the whole bloody engine. Some have nothing to work with except a spoon and hand-me-down psychological distress”
He demonstrates such compassion, love and respect in telling his family’s story. I felt such empathy for his brother who may not have had the same drive to get out but a drive perhaps to cover the pain.
I did enjoy the book it was a beautiful story but there wasn’t necessarily a narrative flow to it.
“Social mobility is not a train you get to board after you’ve scraped together enough for the ticket. You have to build the whole bloody engine. Some have nothing to work with except a spoon and hand-me-down psychological distress”
He demonstrates such compassion, love and respect in telling his family’s story. I felt such empathy for his brother who may not have had the same drive to get out but a drive perhaps to cover the pain.
I did enjoy the book it was a beautiful story but there wasn’t necessarily a narrative flow to it.
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