Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Summer Readin'

This entry started on an entirely different subject, but forces from the vast reaches of cyberspace pulled it in a new direction. After an undetermined amount of time clicking through page after page, I emerged from the rabbit hole that is the internet and found myself with a handsome list of Appalachian reading materials(Amazon and their endless suggestions had much to do with this). I thought to myself, 'Why not just blog some of these books that keep catching my attention?'

My summers have always been filled with reading, even in my early days earning a penny per page from my mom. Since we already have our 'ritin' assignment, I thought a readin' list might be good, too. Now we just need a mathematician among us to provide our 'rithmetic!!

Here are several books that I've added to my reading list:

Encyclopedia of Appalachia
edited by Rudy Abramson and Jean Haskell
(I just received a copy for my birthday from my sister who works at ETSU's CASS. At 1864 pages, this one might take until next summer!)

Appalachian Folkways (Creating the North American Landscape)
by John B. Rehder

Folk Medicine in Southern Appalachia
by Anthony Cavender

African American Miners and Migrants: THE EASTERN KENTUCKY SOCIAL CLUB
by Thomas E. Wagner and Philip J. Obermiller

Folk Songs of the Southern Appalachians
as sung by Jean Ritchie

Got any other good finds in your stack of books? Tag them on in your comments!!

5 comments:

Mike said...

here's another one to add to the list...

Kinfolks

John Louis Kerns said...

The United States of Appalachia by Jeff Biggers

It's been mentioned here before. I've got it and have read several of its sections. Very interesting.

Anonymous said...

Hi there, I've perused the Encyclopedia of Appalachia. The Virginia Historical Society Library acquired a copy several months ago. It is worth a look for the mere reason it has an entry on huckleberries! Anyone who has ever braved the dry creek bed/road going up Pine Mountain knows the rare joy of a good huckleberry. This is my first time on the this site and it is fabulous. It also makes me more than a little homesick.

Cheers,
Margaret Turman Kidd

Anonymous said...

Another book to add: Man Who Moved a Mountain, by Richard C. Davids. It is about Minister Bob Childress and Buffalo Moutain/Floyd County area. A great read.

Amanderpanderer said...

The "Folk Medicine" book by Cavender is wonderful.

My favorite summer Appalachian readings though: Bloodroot: Reflections on Place by Appalachian Women Writers by Joyce Dyer; Kinfolks: The Wilgus Stories
by Gurney Norman; Listen Here: Women Writing in Appalachia by Sandra L. Ballard and Patricia L. Hudson

SO FREAKING GOOD! Especially when you're displaced like I am. I miss honeysuckle.