Will the Circle Be Unbroken?: A Memoir of Learning to Believe You're Gonna Be Okay

by Sean Dietrich

From celebrated storyteller "Sean of the South" comes an unforgettable memoir of love, loss, the friction of family memories, and the unlikely hope that you're gonna be alright. Sean Dietrich was twelve years old when he scattered his father's ashes from the mountain range. His father was a man who lived for baseball, a steel worker with a ready wink, who once scaled a fifty-foot tree just to hang a tire swing for his son. He was also the stranger who tried to kidnap and kill Sean's mother before pulling the trigger on himself. He was a childhood hero, now reduced to a man in a box. Will the Circle Be Unbroken? is the story of what happens after the unthinkable, and the journey we all must make in finding the courage to stop the cycles of the past from laying claim to our future. Sean was a seventh-grade drop-out, a dishwasher then a construction worker to help his mother and sister scrape by, and a self-described "nobody with a sad story behind him." Yet he cannot deny the glimmers of life's goodness even amid its rough edges. Such goodness becomes even harder to deny when Sean meets the love of his life at a fried chicken church potluck, and harder still when his lifelong love of storytelling leads him to stages across the southeast, where he is known and loved as "Sean of the South." A story that will stay with you long after the final page, Will the Circle Be Unbroken? testifies to the strength that lives within us all to make our peace with the past and look to the future with renewed hope and wonder.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Biography, Audiobook, Southern, Biography Memoir, Book Club

Audio CD

First published March 10, 2020

About the author

Sean Dietrich is a columnist, podcaster, speaker, and novelist, known for his commentary on life in the American South. His work has appeared in Southern Living, The Tallahassee Democrat, Good Grit, South Magazine, The Bitter Southerner, Thom Magazine, and The Mobile Press Register, and he has authored ten books.

Reviews

[Christy fictional_traits · Rating 4 out of 5]

'My childhood was not a pretty one, but I believe ugly childhoods make pretty people'.

After reading Sean Dietrich's recently released, Kinfolk, I was intrigued to read more from him and consequently came across this memoir.

When the first line, of the first chapter, is 'The day before my father shot himself...', you know you're in for heartache. When the first line, of the second chapter, begins 'In my family, there was no real difference between fried chicken and religion', you realise you're in for some wry humour along the way. Dietrich shares with us his childhood that was sowed in hardship and poverty but ultimately watered with love - the love from his mother. His memoir may set off with the horrifically defining moment of his father's suicide, but we quickly journey down his road to becoming an adult and, more importantly, his travels towards self-worth, 'I'd been looking at my life all wrong. It wasn't a math equation. Things weren't supposed to add up. There was no solution. In fact, there was no problem'. Dietrich's childhood had all the ingredients for failure, however not only did he triumph over these, he did so with grace and self-reflection, 'Suffering is suffering. And I learned that it unites us, the same way laughter does. I came to understand I was never alone and never had been'.

I really enjoyed this memoir. I may not be from the South but I sure did appreciate the droll humour and his evocative writing, 'The goal of my life is to make people feel good. Anyone. Hopefully even you'. Yes, this book definitely did that.

[Jocelyn Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

You guys. I listen to A LOT of audiobooks. Most of them I listen to at 1.25 speed to keep things moving along, you know? But you couldn't pay me to speed through anything written and narrated by Sean of the South/ Sean Dietrich. His voice and pace are perfect and NOT to be messed with. ⁠
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I adore this memoir. Parts of it make me laugh out loud so hard, and other parts scrape sobs from the bottom of my gut, which I valiantly restrain while wiping down the kitchen counters after dinner so as not to scare my family. ⁠
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If you enjoy memoirs, please read (or preferably listen to) this. If you enjoy novels, please listen to this because Sean excels at storytelling so much. And also don't miss his novel, Stars of Alabama.

[Beth Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever waited for a book to be published for so long that you just want the whole experience to last a little bit longer? That is the case with Will the Circle Be Unbroken by Sean Dietrich. As one of his number one fans for years I have longed for this memoir to be published and finally --here it is. A real copy of it in my hands. I waited to start it because I wanted to read it in one sitting and today was that day. What a glorious day it was!

Meet Sean Dietrich. AKA Sean of the South. Author, musician and all around great guy. Seriously. I knew from reading his blog and daily posts for years that his entire story had not been shared with us yet and true to form the words he penned in Will the Circle Be Unbroken are words that will stick with me for a long time. Sean reveals in his memoir many more details of his life than I had read before and this book made me laugh, cry, get angry and sentimental with every page turn. As a master story teller I believe the story of Sean's life is the best story he has told.

Brutally honest and revealing Sean chronicles more than just the tragic suicide of his father in the pages and leaves the reader with such a sense of being a part of his life that I felt like family. A family that hugs necks, that shares tomato sandwiches with Duke's Mayonnaise and that loves all things bloodhound. This is a family that I can belong to and one that supports one another.

Sean's story is a story of struggles and triumphs, disappointments and hardships that give way to success and fulfillment. The book is filled with quotable quotes and life lessons all wrapped up in glorious words. To say that reading this book was a joy is an understatement. I truly felt inspired and motivated as I read the encouraging story of Sean's life. Perhaps the best part of this story is seeing the transformation of a man who doubted his worth as a man to become an encourager in his very own right. With the support of a loving wife, Jamie, Sean has bridged the gap to become the voice of the overlooked. Giving others a voice and sharing their stories with others is such a gift that he is giving our world in a time when good stories really do need to be shared. Ignoring the advice of an executive at a large newspaper in Georgia Sean continued to write about the good things in life, the ordinary things turned extraordinary, the simple things. I, for one, am very grateful that he chose to ignore that woman's advice. The world is a better place because of Sean Dietrich. Keep on writing, Sean of the South. Your audience awaits.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is southern storytelling at its finest. Sad, beautiful, funny, true.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will make you cry, laugh, be sad, become encouraged, get angry, and feel at home with the little boy who withstood a great tragedy with great courage. Sean may have been a seventh grade dropout, but his ability to take you into his journey is just amazing. It seemed as if every page offered a different emotion. I found humor with the Baptist church fried chicken, anger at his father's abuse, and fear for the trauma Sean suffered that led to his fear and nightmares. There is hope from the message of the blind man, and encouragement with his mother's determination to do whatever it would take to raise her two children. If you love a great book that is totally open, honest, and an overall message that everything's gonna be okay, you have a winner here. This one will truly make you think and then you will realize that yes, life can be difficult, but everything will be okay.

[Shawn Smucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superbly written memoir, something like Lake Wobegon with a southern warmth. Very well done.

[Carlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven’t the foggiest idea what persuaded me to pick up a memoir of some white southern dude I’ve never heard of, but damn if I’m not glad I did. I don’t give that fifth star out often, but this is easily one of my favorite memoirs I’ve ever read, and it’s every bit deserving. Half way through listening to the audiobook (which I highly recommend listening to, despite the next half of my sentence), I found myself ordering a hard copy of this book because there were so many quotes, jokes and thoughts I wanted to be able to go back over again, and some things are just different in print. And, even if I never reread this book (which I undoubtedly will), this thing just deserves a spot on my bookshelf. It also made me stop in my tracks and listen to Nitty Gritty Dirt Band on repeat. This thing just fed my soul- there’s no other way of putting it.

[Rach · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my family, there was no real difference between fried chicken and religion. Whenever my mother passed through the fellowship hall doors, it was with a fried offering of chicken. Families brought their best fare to the house of the Lord, usually in the form of casseroles. Others brought Jell-O molds, or worse, tomato aspic—a gelatinous tomato dish spread onto a cracker. I’d rather lick a mule between the ears than eat tomato aspic.

My mother, however, always brought fried chicken. Dishes were laid upon the Blessed Altar of Folding Card Tables and blessed by the high priest.

Amen. Hallelujah. Let’s eat.

I’ve got no additional pitch besides the words of Sean of the South himself!! Come for the heart, the poignancy, the gut-wrenching tension of loving Southern people and being so deeply hurt by them, the endless fight of wanting to leave the past behind you but knowing the past lives within us. Stay for the audiobook version READ BY SEAN!!!! with his drawl so thick you can use it to pave county roads.

52 BookClub #28: a book includes a funeral

My childhood was not a pretty one, but I believe ugly childhoods make pretty people. I have gone through moments when I doubted the things I thought I knew. I’ve experienced tragedy like anyone else. I’ve lost people, I’ve buried good dogs, I’ve been uncertain where I belong, I’ve been a Kansan, and I’ve been a Southerner. I’ve been a loser and man who feels like he won life’s lottery. But no matter where life takes me, I will always be a rural child and a survivor of suicide.

I am like anyone else who gathers in a fellowship hall. I’ve endured sadness, horror, grief, anxiety, and football teams who just can’t seem to win a national championship. I’ve lived through dark decades when the sun wouldn’t show itself. But when I walk into any fellowship hall in the USA on a Wednesday night, bad things go away. You can always visit a fellowship hall to see and feel the same things.

You close your eyes and see the image of your mother holding a covered dish. You feel the memory of your father, the most confusing man you ever knew, who ruined your life but also made your life what it is. A tapestry of things both reprehensible and exquisite. A man who once sat beside you with a necktie flung over his shoulder. Who loved you.

You wonder how this beautiful person had the audacity to leave all this behind.

And you are forever haunted by fellowship halls, even when you aren’t in them. You dream of them. You can’t wait to revisit them. They are your proof. Evidence that life is not against you. A reminder that eventually, no matter what it seems like, the tables will be set up, folding chairs will be unfolded, tablecloths will be unfurled, casseroles will arrive by the thousands. You will eat the food of your people. The homemade biscuits, the tea with too much sugar, and the fried chicken. And it will hit you all at once. No matter how bad it looks, that blind man was telling the truth.

Everything will be alright.

[Kristi Adams Books Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply loved this book. Because, as Dolly Parton once shared in Steel Magnolias, “Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.”

When grief and hardness cross your path early in life – time doesn’t heal all wounds. When you’re young, time only serves to make those wounds sharper. The title of this book could not be more poignant, because for a long time, just as the song goes – the best you can do is simply ‘try to hold up and be brave’ as Sean shares in reflecting the deep loss of a parent.

Eventually – you don’t hold up so well anymore, and you end up getting in your own way. But if you’re lucky – you find a book like this one that helps you “remember parts of your life that you had forgotten.”

The memories that imprinted when your heart wasn’t looking.

There are so many striking and heartfelt passages in this book – but one that has lingered with me each morning is, “Something hard within me began to thaw.”

My own mother passed away suddenly in a ‘one-in-a-million’ workplace accident when I was 7 years old, and I’ve spent a good deal of my life in late mourning. I spent many wretched days in swampy southeast Texas wondering how on earth my life had gone sideways so early. And promptly moved away as fast as I could.

Sean’s stories – and this book in particular, reminded me that hope and laughter is always waiting for you on the shoreline. These rich, heartfelt stories gently eased me back home.

Trust me – pick up 2 copies, because this is one book you will definitely want to share with a beloved family member or friend!

[Tara DuBose-Schmitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wrenching story beautifully told. Sean of the South can certainly turn a phrase. I’ve never read any of his other writings but will make a point to do so in the future.

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I told myself that I wasn’t going to rate memoirs anymore because it feels like rating someone’s life, but I can’t help but rate this 5 stars. More attention for Sean Dietrich!!!!!!

[Monica H (TeaandBooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Will the Circle Be Unbroken was my last read of the year. I picked it up because I have been following him on Instagram. I will start by saying that I am a Midwesterner and not a Southerner and this author is known as "Sean of the South." Even though I am not a Southerner, I enjoyed his memoir from beginning to end. Sean tells things like they are and is down to earth. I really like that about him. Parts of his story left me wanting to cry and others made me chuckle--sometimes all within the same chapter.

If you like a good memoir, I encourage you to give Will the Circle Be Unbroken? a try. I like the writing style. I liked that I felt inspired in several ways through Sean's story.

I purchased my copy of this book from Amazon.

[Chrystie Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. A book I couldn’t put down. An author I’d love to drink sweet tea with while swinging on a front porch swing. I love the way he tells his stories. Poignant. Endearing. Funny. Gut-wrenching. Hope-filled. Relatable. My first book by Sean of the South. Not sure it could be topped, but I’ll definitely read more from him.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

First book of 2025 and a great one to start the year. I loved it! Poignant, meaningful, masterful storytelling.

[Virginia Brackett · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like Sean Dietrich’s memoir, Will the Circle Be Unbroken?, as it seemed a positive read, and – a shocking reveal - I actually enjoy memoirs (#CompanyofPatriots)! I found the avalanche of humor a bit much - Dietrich's forcing of stereotypes and platitudes on the reader in every paragraph became tedious. A folksy, self-deprecating voice can provide an excellent narrative frame, but, in this case, I felt like the character from Alice in Wonderland who said, “It’s much too much and far too very very.” I did feel much compassion toward Dietrich for his tragic early loss and for the way it changed his life, although I thought his negotiation with that loss went on too long on the page. Understanding that those observations were based firmly in my own opinion and wouldn’t necessarily be shared by others, I was ready to recommend the memoir until I hit the chapter "World Series." One must be able to trust a narrator, and Dietrich became untrustworthy when he placed the Kansas City Royals baseball team in Kansas, labeling them a Kansas team. I'm assuming he did so in order to stress his hatred for Kansas where he lived with as a young child, as it always reminded him of a family tragedy. Thus, he wrote that he couldn't root for Kansas, etc. However, the Royals are located in Missouri, in fact, east of Kansas City, MO, where I live. The fact that the early tragedy took place in Parkville, MO, which is only 18 miles from Kauffman Stadium where the Royals play, suggests Dietrich must have had an acute knowledge of the area. So, I have to assume that he misrepresented his geography in order to better make his point. That decision was unnecessary, in my opinion, as he clearly made his feelings known in other ways. Although perhaps not everyone would recognize this error, many will.

[Bagman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many of the four and five star ratings must be from fans of the author's podcast because I found nothing to support those these kinds of numbers. In fact, while the first half of the book was admittedly decent, with a few laugh-out-loud and 'Aha moments', the second half became redundant and predictable.

Nope, now that I think about it, the second half of the book actually became annoying with the protagonist's constant whining and contemplation. Chapter after chapter it was the same thing, "I hate my father", "I love my father", "I wish he wasn't dead", "I'm glad he's dead", "He never treated me bad", "He was mean to me", "He was a great father", "He was an awful father". Since I never had to deal with a family member suicide, I guess the nuance was lost on me. But, providing the reader with the same contradictory message, for me at least, ceased to be entertaining.

Three stars because I enjoyed the first half of the book.

[Sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

The timing of this book is providential. It's the kind of need that so many people need right now. The reminder that loss is hurtful and confusing and a very long journey, but that we can and do come out the other side when we do the work.
Personally, Dietrich's story resonates for personal reasons. Suicide has touched my life and I've seen those even closer to it than I struggle through the healing. But I've had to heal too, and I've had to heal around and despite their struggles.
This book is an inspiration and a reminder that there is still good in the world even when it doesn't feel like it sometimes.

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 5 out of 5]

A poignant memoir written as only Sean of the South could tell it. He is a master storyteller - dishing out sadness, humor and good ole southern comfort. Parts brought a lump to my throat, while others had me laughing out loud.

The book was broken into chapters that read more like short stories, but actually fit together like a picture puzzle. I’m so glad he has written books and a blog, I’ve become a faithful follower!

My only question - Missouri or Kansas????

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining Southern read . He has a sad story but tells it well.

[M.L. Little · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have literally been singing the lyrics wrong my entire life, it took this book for me to realize what the lyrics actually are I am not joking.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A memoir about a boy growing up in the deep shadow cast by his father’s suicide has no right to be this funny. Given the profundity of this event – its psychological toll, and the sudden poverty it thrust Sean’s family into – it’s come up in Sean’s other collections, but Will the Circle be Unbroken brings it center stage, a bit like The Prince of Frogtown did for Rick Bragg’s own father. Although some of these pieces may have appeared in other collections, this is not a hodgepodge: they’re tightly knit together, telling the lifelong story of Sean’s struggles with pain, sorrow, anger, and self-doubt, always haunted by the gangly red-head taking up permanent residence in his head. Despite this pain, it carries Sean’s hallmarks of charm, sweetness, and humor, and I suspect I will remember it as one of my favorite books of 2023.

We encounter Sean’s father first an idolized hero, young Sean watching him pitch and listening to the old folks wonder at his arm – but later having to regard him with fear, as psychological turmoil sets the stage for Sean’s father to recreating the same horrors of his own childhood, anger and abuse. The sudden loss forces Sean and his mother to work constantly to keep themselves and his sister fed: Sean helps his mother deliver papers, and drops out of high school to work construction, while also developing his skills with the guitar. The early parts of this memoir are saturated with deep emotion: Sean tells us of a young girl friend who he comforted after she’s orphaned comforting him in turn, when he flees his father’s funeral. Sean took deep comfort in the Baptist community he was raised in, though when their family leaves Kansas – and the painful memories thereof – behind, they are forced to draw more on their own reserves. As Sean grows, he continues to struggle with sorrow, anger, and confusion: his dad haunts him at pivotal moments both good and ill, often in the form of a bird but once appearing as a stranger in a bar. I realize mirages abound in the realm of memory, but they make for a powerful story, especially as we witness Sean’s refusal to give in to self-pity, and his realization that each of us suffers in unique ways but are here to help support one another along. The book culminates in Sean reaching a triumphant adulthood – finding himself a musician, a writer, and most importantly a husband, and someone who at long last can love and forgive his father despite the pain his suicide bathed Sean’s life in.

Will the Circle be Unbroken is wonderful in every way.

[Cece · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life story of Sean of the South with the traumatic loss of his father and how it impacted his life. He is a master storyteller and brings just enough humor to keep from the hard moments bearable. The circle of life is not always easy and his story shows that family and home is really where we have our roots and memories. One of my favorite quotes :” It almost feels like home, except it’s not. Home is not a place on the map. Home is not a one word answer. Home is this woman asleep in the seat beside you and the animal that sleeps behind you. Home is a feeling. And an idea you have to fight to preserve because this world tries to take it from you.” I was a fan before reading this and loved hearing the rest of his story. Highly recommend.

[Amy Kannel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this SO MUCH. This was my first exposure to Sean of the South and now I'm eager for more. He reminds me of Rick Bragg, which is basically the very best compliment I can give a writer. Just such a phenomenal mix of compelling storytelling, beautifully crafted sentences, hilarity, and gut-punch poignance.

I started this on a beach vacation, was in tears at the end of chapter 3, and then decided I was so invested I had to keep reading even if it was the opposite of a lighthearted "beach read." If that tells you anything. Five enthusiastic stars!

Also can I just say, his personal background and how he became the writer he is...is truly unbelievable.

[Shannon McGarvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This guy is a superb storyteller. I laughed, I cried, I cried while laughing. Loved hearing his shoutout to Springhill and the GM plant. Excited to read more from him.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rubbed me the wrong way at the beginning with his sacrilegious confusion between potlucks and true religion (surely hyperbolic) but this did indeed make me laugh and cry multiple times, and granted a lot of gainful perspective in between

[Donna Kremer · Rating 5 out of 5]

How could you not like a book like this. It’s your childhood speaking to you. It’s all the goodness of your church family and the stained recipes incarnate on the church’s Sunday buffet tables. It’s your heart longing to be loved. It’s the warmth of a vast, open landscape that God created for your pure enjoyment.

It’s appropriate that tomorrow I’ll be heading to the first church I ever attended as a child back in 1970-something where a beautiful long haired girl taught me the lyrics of Kum Ba Yah and I received my first Bible the size of my tiny hands. It’s all so fresh in my mind now. I feel I could write chapters about it.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this guy. Great storyteller and he narrated his own memoir. I’ll be reading more of his stuff, via audiobook when possible. 4 star read with a 5 star ending.

[Deanna Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read and listened to the Audiobook and man what a story this is. Sean Dietrich can tell a story, and this was an amazing story about overcoming circumstances and never quitting in life.

This book will break your heart, make you laugh, and be hopeful about tomorrow.

I don't know what's getting into me lately with Nonfiction and Bios- something I never read- but I've been getting into it A LOT lately.

[Savannah Breedlove · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO very good. Sweet, sad, Southern, and enchanting.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found myself laughing and crying throughout this memoir.