Looking for Andy Griffith

A Father's Journey

By: Evan Dalton Smith

Narrated by: Evan Dalton Smith

Andy Griffith (1926-2012) is one of North Carolina's most beloved exports, capturing America's heart as Sheriff Andy Taylor. Evan Dalton Smith was born in the North Carolina Piedmont over four decades after Andy, just an hour south of Griffith's hometown of Mount Airy. Both were small-town boys who grew up in similar places, where the counties were dry and the churches plentiful. But for both, there was darkness, crushed hopes, and tragedy, hidden just below the surface.

For Smith and many generations in North Carolina, Andy Griffith was like the air—everywhere, all the time, a part of daily life. Even after he left the state, Smith always felt the pull of home and the lingering ghost of Andy alongside it. This is an exploration on celebrity and the self, on home and what that means when you leave it, and why we love and admire the people we do—even if we've never met them—all told through the entwined lives of iconic actor Andy Griffith and writer Evan Dalton Smith. It is through Smith's telling of Griffith's life that he finds his own story, one that is both informed by and freed from the legacy of one of North Carolina's most famous sons.

©2024 Evan Dalton Smith (P)2024 Tantor

A beautiful story.

This was a beautiful story,expertly crafted and beautifully read. I loved every minute of it.

Listening to a distant friend

I enjoyed every part of the book whether it was from reading or listening to this story of humanity shared by this author.
As Andy was a surrogate father to many of us as we grew up. I appreciate the vulnerability of the author as he shares very relatable stories of his own tragedies and traumas and how Andy himself suffered through some similar but definitely relatable life experiences author. The author does wonderful job of sharing the history of Andy’s personal life as well as many historical events and people which makes Andy’s so significant as a cultural icon in our modern day society. This is a great listen and read.

It was very disjointed

I did not like it. It was more an autobiography of himself and struggled that the actor. It was really hard to follow.