Townie

A Memoir

By: Andre Dubus III

Narrated by: Andre Dubus III

Length: 14 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

Andre Dubus III, author of the National Book Award–nominated House of Sand and Fog and The Garden of Last Days, reflects on his violent past and a lifestyle that threatened to destroy him—until he was saved by writing.

After their parents divorced in the 1970s, Andre Dubus III and his three siblings grew up with their exhausted working mother in a depressed Massachusetts mill town saturated with drugs and crime. To protect himself and those he loved from street violence, Andre learned to use his fists so well that he was even scared of himself. He was on a fast track to getting killed—or killing someone else—or to beatings-for-pay as a boxer.

Nearby, his father, an eminent author, taught on a college campus and took the kids out on Sundays. The clash of worlds couldn’t have been more stark—or more difficult for a son to communicate to a father. Only by becoming a writer himself could Andre begin to bridge the abyss and save himself. His memoir is a riveting, visceral, profound meditation on physical violence and the failures and triumphs of love.

©2011 Andre Dubus (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“The best first-person account of an author’s life I have ever read.” (James Lee Burke, New York Times best-selling author)

“In this gritty and gripping memoir, Dubus bares his soul in stunning and page-turning prose.” (Publishers Weekly, Starred Review)

“Powerful, haunting. . . . Beautifully written and bursting with life.” (Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review)

Deep, truth of humanity

Would you listen to Townie again? Why?

I would listen again in a couple of years. That means a lot because I like to experience books I have never read.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The narrator (author) is someone I relate to as I grew up during the same time, in Hyde Park. I remembered the forced buissing and shameful pbehavior of adults in the 70's. I remember the influx of Iranian exchange students in high school, then in college....and the predjudice.

What three words best describe Andre Dubus III’s performance?

HONEST, MEMORIES, YEARNING

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The real 70's

Any additional comments?

I was thrilled the movie

Great Read!

If you could sum up Townie in three words, what would they be?

Heartfelt, Honest, Genuine

Who was your favorite character and why?

Andre III, just cuz he's the main character and who you know the most about. I appreciated his insights and growth.

Which scene was your favorite?

The making of the casket.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

It seemed like a very unique read, like it was just a straight-out stream of consciousness but it all flowed so naturally and smoothly. He did a great job of giving sensual cues that let you be at the locale of the scene.

Interesting story - monotonous reading

The story of the author’s life was engaging, honest and at times brutal. I felt I understood his choices.

The audio reader and his style were very problematic. His vocal cadence was excruciatingly repetitive and monotonous - no variation, no emotional expression. I wanted to hear the whole story and had to grit my teeth to tolerate the voice actor.

Exceptional. The journey from youthful fear and doubt to maturity and understanding

Powerful writing, the story, the beauty, the rawness, insight and generosity of spirit. Highly recommended.

Enthralling!

My husband and have both listened to this book twice, once together and once separately, and we were both enthralled with it. Dubus' raw emotion pulled at me; while the pain, physical and psychological, made me cringe.
We live next door to Haverhill so we particularly enjoyed envisioning the local landmarks as we listened. A gritty tale of growing up in a New England mill city.

Thats Haverhill for yah!!

its a strange place full of anger but also nice enough at times ,but this is what it was like for most male teens growing up and right up to the day of your funeral you never know when your next fight will come or your last !

Superbly crafted life story

While no one else should have read Andre Dubus III’s own life story, the author is not the best reader. A bit of a conundrum, I realize, but nonetheless this shouldn’t hold you back from listening. He’s not outright terrible as a reader, and most emphatically he is hugely gifted as a writer. I’ve enjoyed a few of Dubus’s novels, notably The House of Sand and Fog, and the recent Such Kindness. Had no idea of the life of the author behind these works. His journey, from a lost and bullied boy living with little parental oversight in a rough town to a major author is wonderfully told, with much to say about what it meant to discover himself as a writer. Go for it.

As gripping as his fiction

Although this memoir has elements in common with other memoirs by adult children of neglectful or abusive parents, this is FAR BETTER than Jeannette Walls "The Glass Castle" or Mary Karr's "The Lairs' Club."

It is as good as "House of Sand and Fog" and few works are.
I am an unabashed fan of this author's father and am delighted by this author's own novellas, essays and short stories.
This autobiography touched me in a way that few autobiographies could.

Of course I had "known" the elder Andre Dubus only as he presented himself in his work. I was surprised by the depths of my outrage toward him as I realized how he had neglected the children of his first marriage and how that neglect nearly -- but did not -- destroy his children.

On the whole, this is an eye-opening, triumphant and inspiring autobiography and the son's acceptance and forgiveness of his father allows me to continue to love that writer's work.
I read the NYT review, which praised Townie but said "until it loses traction in clichés about redemption at its very end" and I disagree with this evaluation.

This book deepened my admiration and respect for the younger Andre Dubus and I found the ending cathartic.

Like his father, Dubus is a writer's writer as much as he is a reader's writer.

Despite the elder Dubus' well-known act of heroism and the loss of limbs it cost him, if one is going to compare the two, know this: the younger Dubus learned more from his father's mistakes than his father learned from them.

I look forward to reading more work from Andre Dubus III and I thank him for reading what must have evoked at times painful memories.

As an Austinite, among my favorite lines: "That’s what Texas did to me, took my hatred of bullies and bullying and institutionalized it."

And Andre Dubus III did something for me no other writer has: he eloquently explained to me how the same release found in engaging in acts of violence could be found in writing. Bravo, Mr. Dubus, Bravo!

beautiful, powerful, touching story

many times I had tears in my eyes and goosebumps on my skin as I read.
this is one of those books that will sit with me for years to come

WOW!

Would you consider the audio edition of Townie to be better than the print version?

Perhaps, only because the author himself is narrating and it's his story.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Andre (III), of course. I loved following him along in his journey. I would like to hear from his youngest sister some day. I wonder if she saw things differently?

Which character – as performed by Andre Dubus III – was your favorite?

His father.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Both. What a triumph over terrible circumstances. This story is fascinating. I thought that it was going to be about boxing and I wasn't thrilled about that. Thank goodness I was wrong.