All About Subject Matter

I've been thinking about what makes any given reader like the book they are reading. Like Rob, i think it comes down (quite obviously) to what the central theme of the book is. In the case of "Sing Me Back Home," from reading posts I can see that many people find themselves in direct conflict with the focus of the novel: country music. This can prevent them from ENJOYING the novel, but i don't think it has to stop them from appreciating what Jennings has to say. I think what is going to help me through the dense country music portions of the book will be the deep appreciation i have for Jennings passion for music and his rhetorical skill. When I prevent myself from overanalyzing some of his rather grand statements, I find myself enjoying the dramatic flair of his writing. Chapter One concludes with, "I will tell you why it's my music, but also why its emotion-drenched wisdom also belongs to you, belongs to all of this." The dramatic repetition at the end of this line is encourages me to continue reading, even though I'm not particularly enthused about the core of the book.