Customer Reviews

Generations: An American Family

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I discovered "Generations" a few weeks ago at a used book sale, read it immediately, and passed it on to my octogenarian grandparents. The book is an amazing tale of how one need not be old and feel old at the same time. The central characters, Burnam and Addie Ledford, are great examples of Appalachian people who have wonderful stores of generations of family fact and legend, proven and unproven.

As a native of WV, I have known many people whose age, alertness, and knowledge rivaled that of Burnam and Addie, but few had all three, and seldom did such couples survive to the ages achieved by Burnam and Addie without the death of one or the other.

I'm extremely glad that Egerton took the time to get to know Burnam and Addie. (Read the book and you'll see that it's based on hours and hours of interviews with the couple.) Because we usually take such resources for granted (or just ignore them) we don't appreciate what the likes of Burnam and Addie have until they're gone. And, obviously--but painfully--it's too late then.

It's clear from the other reviews on this site that the Ledford family appreciates Egerton's work. I'm writing this to show that others can appreciate the book as well. Anyone interested in re-hearing the tales he or she heard at grandparents' knees will love Burnam and Addie's stories, which take us back to their great-grandparents and the late eighteenth century--no mean feat when one considers that they lived into the 1980s!

Egerton's coverage of the topic is thorough and entertaining. I was enthralled except when he went into detail about the Ledfords' descendants in order to give a rare view of seven generations of such a family. I was not as interested in the descendants, but for those who are, that part is well done, too.

If you love a good story, read this book. I grew up listening to and appreciating old story tellers like Burnam and Addie. Here in my present urban setting, I know of no one who matches the story-telling skills of the old people I knew in West Virginia. I'm afraid the art is being lost, along with front porches, and shooting the breeze while watching fireflies and listening to crickets. I'm no Luddite, but I do hate to see the loss of resources like Burnam and Addie. Old storytellers will die, but someone can pick up the standard and carry on in their stead. My thanks to Egerton for recording all that they had to say.

I am the youngest granddaughter of the Ledfords and have real memories of when the book was being researched by John. We thought he was nuts! It is so very well written that it envokes sensory memories for me. I feel that I am with my beloved grandparents. I invite you to meet my family as they walk down time starting with covered wagons entering the Cumberland Gap and the dangers they met and ending in the 70's at the last family gathering before Grandpa's death. Each person can find something of interest. There is humor, adventures, romance, and tales of deep saddness. The reader is pulled into the story and seems to be part of the Ledford family. Come join the Ledford family as we live thru the times as your family also did. See you there.

We soon came to accept the author John as family. He also has written other books.

You have to read the book to figure out my idenity.

Having read this book numerous times I can honestly tell you that is really is a wonderful oral history of an American family, which just happens to be MY family. Egerton did a great job of capturing their oral reports of the history of the Ledford family. Oddly enough, my name, (or should I say my father's name, who I am named after) is the last words of the book. It dates back well into the 1800's to what would be my great-great-great grandparents. I would recomend this book to anyone who wants a good look into the history of an American family.

This is the real story of Burnam and Addie Ledford of eastern Kentucky and their ancestors and their descendants. Author John Egerton, who spent quite a lot of time with the two Ledfords whose ages and memories were remarkable, took the ancient art of oral storytelling and crafted it into a well-written book. I felt I was actually there with Burnam and Addie while reading this book.

It's not just the story of this one family, but also a story about how some of our ancestors moved west through the Cumberland Gap; a story about how big and wide-spread a family tree gets over the years; a story about how slow things changed just a few generations ago, but how fast things change in today's world; about how you sometimes can't go back home and find home (devastation of mining in Appalachia). There is also a lesson here. Our ancestors all have interesting stories to tell, but if no one listens or writes them down, they get lost forever and that's a shame.

Loved sharing this book with the family. Worth buying if you or your family grew up or had family that grew up in Harlan. It was great seeing some familiar family names and seeing how they came to be in one big family.

I am a densent of Aly Ledford he was my g.g.g.grandfother.I love my book,the Generations. would like for everyone to read it.

I am the Great-Grandson of Burnham & Addie, Grandson of Carl & Gerry, Son of Sue & Joe.

To John Edgerton - THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for preserving the history of our family. I can remember you from Lancaster at Grandaddy's birthday years ago.

To Readers - An incredible story that you'll like to read - and one that I'm proud to be a part of.