I am Canadian, but planning a road trip through much of Appalachia. To be exact we are crossing at Niagara falls and going down through Cleveland-Columbus-Cincinatti-Louisville-Memphis
Then back up through Nashville-Knoxville-Charleston (wv)- Pittsburgh-Buffalo
So not entirely Appalachia but that general geographical area.
I'm interested in books that depict life in those areas. Could be modern day or not, historical fiction, fiction, memoirs.
Themes I'm particularly interested in are Black stories, music and it's history, especially pertaining to Tennessee, horse country in Kentucky (I'm an equestrian), LGBTQ stories. But open to all themes and stories.
I'm currently reading Memphis by Tara Stringfellow and loving it.
by Defiant-Access-2088
7 Comments
I enjoyed the book woman of troublesome creek!
The Birds of Opulence by Crystal Wilkinson
Southernmost by Silas House
Orpheus Girl by Brynne Rebele Henry! It’s kind of haunting though, haha. A LGBTQ coming-of-age story set in a conservative Southern town, where 2 girls are sent to a conversion camp. Explores themes of self-discovery & the horrors of prejudice
Strange As This Weather Has Been by Ann Pancake. A lot of her short stories are good, too.
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver.
Clay’s Quilt by Silas House. Or like a bunch of other stuff by him, too.
Appalachian Elegy by bell hooks. -This is poetry.
Even As We Breathe by Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle.
Barbara Kingsolver’s *Demon Copperhead*. Set primarily in SW Virginia during the opioid crisis. I’m very familiar with the region, as my parents are from there, and it struck me as very authentic. Almost too much so, at times.
Toni Morrison was originally from Lorain, Ohio (west of Cleveland). Not Appalachia, of course, but since you mention the area and the African-American experience, then any of her novels.
It’s on my to-read list and more general, but I understand Isabel Wilkerson’s *The Warmth of Other Suns* is excellent. It’s non-fiction about the migration of African-Americans from the south to north.
While not related to the region, for overall African-American experience and contemporary issues, Ta-Nehisi Coates’ *Between the World and Me* is excellent. It’s framed as an extended letter from an African-American man to his adolescent son.
Sharyn McCrumb has written quite a few mysteries in her series The Ballad Novels that are set in Appalachia, each using a traditional folk song to center the story. Mostly contemporary, but drawing deeply on local history and culture. My favorite was The Songcatcher.
Memoir-
+ Coal Miner’s Daughter by Loretta Lynn
+ The Most We Ever Had by Rock Bragg (part non fiction elements)
+ Another Appalachia by Neema Avashia
Nonfiction-
+ Soul Full of Coal Dust by Chris Hamby
+ What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia by Elizabeth Catte
+ The Third Rainbow Girl by Emma Copley Eisenberg (part memoir elements)