kiddieliter

  The lives of the mountain people in the Appalachian region of the United States are chronicled in this book.  The author was reared in West Virginia in the 1960’s; this allows her to write from an intimate perspective in a way that allows an outsider to become knowledgeable of the customs and everyday existence of the people.  Their love for their dogs and their penchant for remaining in the area without regard for the trappings of the world that exists beyond the mountains are alluded to.  She speculates that perhaps the mountains, which seem to block them from the outside world, play a part in their seeming malaise toward change.  Many of those who do leave and acquire a professional education and employment almost always return.  They, though, are unable to explain why they come back.

Coal mining, the main job for generations of fathers and sons, leaves its mark on the lives of the people, even down to the coal dust which settles on the sides of the houses.  Many of these houses do not have modern amenities, including running water; this makes having a functional inside bathroom impossible.  Bodily eliminations are done in little buildings called outhouses.

The author also reveals their religious denominational preferences and their reluctance to meet new people.  She does state, however, that they will assist newcomers in many ways once they become familiar with them.

The author effectively conveys the everyday existence of Applachians, whose lives revolve around the looming mountains and the changing of the seasons which dictate the preparations necessary to exist in their seemingly cloistered world.