Truman Capote: The Story of His Bizarre and Exotic Boyhood by an Aunt Who Helped Raise Him

by James C. Simmons

Truman The Story of His Bizarre and Exotic Boyhood by an Aunt Who Helped Raise Him. In this 1983 memoir, Truman Capote's maternal aunt Marie Rudisill discusses his childhood.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1983

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rich, textured account of early 20th century life in the Deep South, with dialects from many socioeconomic classes. Even if you don't care about Capote, it's still a spellbinding story.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was actually written by his aunt Marie Rudisill with James C. Simmons and it was a delightful read. Storytelling seems to have run in the family as Mrs. Rudisill knew how to tell a tale. She is always frank and honest about people and events but never cruel or judgmental. You get a good feeling for the people and time. A extra perk to reading this book was to read her her memories of Truman and Nelle Harper Lee as children.

[Susan Moresi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It explained alot, although that's not saying that it explained everything.

I knew that the influence of the civil war had hung around a lot longer than I would've thought in the South, but a major surprise to me was that in the 1920s and 1930s, in the South, the Civil War was a very looming presence. It had ruined the (former) lives of what had been prominent families, completely gotten rid of their way of life, and, in this case, pretty much ruined their ability to farm or at least to depend on agriculture for a living. And I certainly never associated it with Truman Capote.

I'd say worth reading, and not that hard of a read.

Also, I didn't realize his parents basically abandoned him to other family members.

[Alan Gaul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by capotes aunt a year before he died and she kvetches about him cutting off his family for 15 years at the end lol. Hidden gem this book is. I really believe capote wrote To Kill a Mockingbird

[Elizabeth Dowgiello · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. Not much about Truman. Focus was mainly extended family.