21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Appalachia Has An Enduring Frontier Spirit, August 2, 2004
This review is from: The Appalachians: America's First and Last Frontier (Hardcover)
Appalachia, the Southern Highlands, and the Great Smoky Mountains - these are the places where my ancestors settled in the late 1700s, and where my family has remained. As I write this review, it is for two books. The first is "The Appalachians: America's First and Last Frontier." The second is "People of Passion: Stories of Faith & Determination That Will Touch Your Heart & Warm Your Soul." These books combine to present word pictures and photography that do justice to the area and the people I love.
The first book, with its photographs, essays, oral histories, and historical timeline, covers all of Appalachia, including its geography and people, from Mt. Katahdin, Maine, to Mt. Oglethorpe, Georgia. It is a scholarly work that flows well and is easy to read. The diversity of the 200,000 square mile region with its 13 states is evident, but the thread of similarity and solidarity that runs throughout the region and its 23 million people is definitely unique. The book emphasizes that Appalachia is one of the few regions of the country that has its centuries-old culture still intact. And we're not talking about "The Beverly Hillbillies" or "Green Acres." The book does not ignore the stereotypes with which most everyone is familiar, but it also reveals the realities of which relatively few people are aware. It covers the customary moon shiners and snake handlers, but it also includes the literature, art, crafts, music, customs, and other contributions that are distinctive to the region. Reading this book will help one to appreciate better that fact that Smithsonian designated 2004 to be the "Year of Appalachia."
The second book, "People of Passion," presents 200 years of history in the Southern Highlands as told through personal stories. These 48 stories are in chronological order, beginning in 1768 with James Robertson, "The Father of Tennessee." They run through 1965, with the last story being about a mountain nurse named Marjorie Chalmers. In between are accounts of such people as John Ross, the main Cherokee chief for nearly 40 years; Dr. Raymond Huggins, a first-class tooth-jumper; the North Carolina Manumission Society that denounced slavery and purchased slave contracts to free them; Billy Ogle, the founder of what was to become the resort city of Gatlinburg, TN; Mahala Mullins, arguably the most celebrated of the unique Melungeon ethnic group; and the Walker Sisters, staunchly independent women that are still legendary in these mountains. All of the accounts are interwoven with historic research that ties them together, from the Revolutionary War, to the Civil War, on through the two World Wars, and beyond. The book is informative, entertaining, and inspirational. It certainly supports its subtitle, "Stories of Faith & Determination That Will Touch Your Heart & Warm Your Soul."
Initially, I got these books because of my personal interest in and love for Appalachia. I was not disappointed. In fact, I was surprised at my very positive response to them. Now, as a classroom teacher, I am going to recommend these parallel books to all of my students and make the books required reading for some of my classes. I want my students to see for themselves that Appalachia has an enduring frontier spirit and that our ancestors' ways, values, faith, and determination are still evident in the midst of the universal changes of contemporary times.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
well meaning but little new information, January 30, 2006
This review is from: The Appalachians: America's First and Last Frontier (Hardcover)
I picked up this book like most folks, I bet, after watching the PBS series. I found the film more effective than the book. The book is really a rehash of a lot of old stories that don't veer too much off the well-trod paths...that is, fine folks in the backwoods, front porch story tellers, and mostly white Appalachians.
To be honest, a far more groundbreaking and fascinating and rich portrait is the new book, The United States of Appalachia: How Southern Mountaineers Brought Independence, Culture and Enlightenment to America.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Introduction to America's Southern Treasure, January 29, 2006
This review is from: The Appalachians: America's First and Last Frontier (Hardcover)
Mari-Lynn Evans and others have compiled a very nice volume of stories, information, and cultural images from the Southern Mountains called Appalachia into a concisely written book. The book is also rich in color and b/w pictures too. This book is in my opinion for those Americans who know nothing of the mountain history and cultural and want the truth about this often misunderstood and sterotyped part of our nation. The book was written in sections so one could read the book in parts and lay it down, then pick it up and resume reading. The book had some colorful stories in it that entertained and yet other sections that were deeply informative and historically ancedotal. That was a nice mix so the reader doesn't lose interest in the subject. There were no blatant mountain stereotypes or overly romanticized stories in the book, yet I have read other books on Appalachia where the information on the mountains was more in depth and dry reading. I have personally purchased this book for three other people besides myself. For those interested in this treasured part of America, this is a great book to read first.
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