20.8 Appalachia (Rebekah's Task)

[Kate S]

20.8 Appalachia (Rebekah's Task)

Dolly Parton, the famous singer, musician, songwriter and actor was born 19 January 1946 in the Appalachian Mountain Region of Tennessee. Her Dollywood Foundation promotes literacy and has established a program known as Imagination Library. The purpose is to get books into the lives of underserved children early on. Enrolled children receive a book a month which is mailed to them from birth until they begin kindergarten. Currently there are about 850,000 children receiving books monthly across the USA, Canada, UK and Australia through her charity. This year she was honored by the Library of Congress.

In honor of her work and her beloved Smoky Mountain homeland, read a book based in Appalachia. This is the area considered Appalachia https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appal.... Note it is not by state but designated by the Appalachian Mountain Range in which there is a common culture and heritage. ie the Eastern part of Tennessee ( about 1/3 of the state ) is considered Appalachia but not the entire state. Here are some lists to help,
Best Books Set in Appalachia
Appalachian Fiction
Best Appalachian Trail Books
* be careful. Sometimes books set in the Ozarks are mistaken for Appalachia

Questions/comments/suggestions about Task 20.8 should be posted here.

[Rebekah]

Here are the counties listed by the Appalachian Regional Commission, if it helps.
https://www.arc.gov/Appalachian_regio...
there is one state whose entirety is in Appalachia and that is West Virginia
The Appalachian Trail https://www.nps.gov/appa/index.htm
The Cumberland Trail http://www.friendsofthecumberlandtrai...
The Wilderness Road http://danielboonetrail.com
The Trail of Tears (Eastern Part) https://www.nps.gov/trte/index.htm
Overmountain Victory Trail https://www.nps.gov/ovvi/index.htm
Cumberland National Park https://www.nps.gov/cuga/index.htm
Great Smoky Mountains National Park https://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm
Shenandoah National Park https://www.nps.gov/shen/index.htm
Blue Ridge Parkway https://www.nps.gov/blri/index.htm
Bluestone https://www.nps.gov/blue/index.htm
Catoctin Mountain https://www.nps.gov/cato/index.htm
Chattahooche https://www.nps.gov/chat/index.htm
Delaware Water Gap https://www.nps.gov/dewa/index.htm
Little River Canyon https://www.nps.gov/liri/index.htm
New River Gorge https://www.nps.gov/neri/index.htm
Obed River https://www.nps.gov/obed/index.htm
Potomac Heritage https://www.nps.gov/pohe/index.htm
Russell Cave https://www.nps.gov/ruca/index.htm



and here are some of the larger cities and some smaller ones
Altoona, Pennsylvania
Antietam, Maryland
Asheville, North Carolina
Athens, Tennessee
Bedford, Pennsylvania
Birmingham, Alabama
Brasstown, North Carolina
Bristol, Tennessee/Virginia
Bryson City, North Carolina
Cartersville, Georgia
Charleston, West Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Cherokee, North Carolina
Chickamauga, Georgia/Tennessee
Chillicothe, Ohio
Corbin, Kentucky
Cumberland Gap, Tennessee
Dahlonega, Georgia
Dalton, Georgia
Erie, Pennsylvania
Fort Payne, Alabama
Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Greenville, South Carolina
Hagerstown, Maryland
Harlan, Kentucky
Harper's Ferry, West Virginia
Hazard, Kentucky
Helen, Georgia
Hendersonville, North Carolina
Hiawassee, Georgia
Huntsville, Alabama
Kennesaw, Georgia
Knoxville, Tennessee
Lexington, Virginia
Lookout Mountain, Georgia/Tennessee
Middlesboro (also spelled Middlesborough), Kentucky
Morgantown, West Virginia
Mount Airy, North Carolina
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Richmond, Kentucky
Ringgold, Georgia
Rising Fawn, Georgia
Roanoke, Virginia
Rome, Georgia
Sand Mountain, Georgia
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Sevierville, Tennessee
Spartanburg, South Carolina
Staunton, Virginia
Wheeling, West Virginia
Washington, Virginia
Youngstown, Ohio
Zanesville, Ohio

[Rebekah]

Here are two Facebook pages for Appalachian Writer's groups
https://www.facebook.com/AppalachianW...
https://www.facebook.com/AppalachianW...

and another website
https://appalwriters.weebly.com/?fbcl...

[Rebekah]

Here's more lists that ought to work
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2... Any book that takes place in West Virginia is in Appalachia
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

[Valerie]

I'm pretty sure this is correct, but to confirm:

The description for this book Big Stone Gap says it takes place in a small town in the Blue Ridge Mtns of Virginia. On the map it looks like that would be included in Appalachia. Correct?

[Kathleen (itpdx)]

Is there a percentage of the book that needs to take place in Appalachia? I am reading A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson and it looks like he completes the trail which will take him into New England.

[Karen Michele]

I'd like to check Jayber Crow

It's set in a fictional place in Kentucky
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Wi...

I have it as a possible square peg, so either answer works for me:)

[Tien]

I am terrible at geography and especially hopeless at American ones :/ I've gone through the 3 lists and these are on my TBR, I am hoping one of them will fit:

Gray Mountain
Flash and Bones (Temperance Brennan #14)
On Agate Hill

[Rebekah]

Valerie wrote: "I'm pretty sure this is correct, but to confirm:

The description for this book Big Stone Gap says it takes place in a small town in the Blue Ridge Mtns of Virginia. On the map it look..."

You are absolutely correct! I even visited a few times when living in Middlesboro, Ky, just outside Cumberland Gap National Park. my cousin married a boy from there who was a classmate of the author. Big Stone Gap is also the location of the outdoor drama Trail of the Lonesome Pine, based on a classic Appalachian book by John Fox Jr.

[Rebekah]

itpdx wrote: "Is there a percentage of the book that needs to take place in Appalachia? I am reading A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson and it looks like he completes the trail which will ..."

All of it takes place in Appalachia, hence the name Appalachian Trail! Except for the part where he is preparing for the journey. Although the extreme north of the Appalachian range usually not considered the Appalachia we most associate with the "hillbillies" and is the culture the spirit of the task, it is still Appalachia and actually only a small part of the book takes place in New England.

[Rebekah]

Karen Michele wrote: "I'd like to check Jayber Crow

It's set in a fictional place in Kentucky
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Wi...

I have it as a possible square peg, so either answe..."

I was confusing him with another East Kentucky writer, so at first I was real enthusiastic about him. He is from Henry Co, Ky which is actually outside the Appalachian Regional Commission's counties. I haven't read it so if you plan to read it anyway, I'll say if it mentions mountains in the area, then I'll count it for Appalachia. If it doesn't, then you can use it for square peg. Sorry. DOn't mean to be confusing but trying to give you some leeway.

[Rebekah]

Tien wrote: "I am terrible at geography and especially hopeless at American ones :/ I've gone through the 3 lists and these are on my TBR, I am hoping one of them will fit:

In the book description of Gray Mountain, the protagonist "..moves to Brady Virginia...in the heart of Appalachia" so that will work.
I've only read one of the Temperance Brennen books and that took place in Quebec. I read that she divides her time between Canada and her teaching job in Charlotte, NC. Charlotte is in the Piedmont area and no Appalachian region. However if her case is in Western North Carolina or if it mentions the Blue Ridge area, then it would work, otherwise not.

I really thought your third choice was going to work. It's on by tar list too! Lee Smith is a well known Appalachian author and most of her books are set in the mountains. However when I look up more about the book, it said set in a town near Hillsborough, NC. That town is in Orange County which is considered the Piedmont area of NC as well.
If you want o read any of her other books I have read the following and know they take place in Appalachia;
Fair and Tender Ladies
Oral History
Black Mountain Breakdown

[Rosemary]

The Miss Julia series https://www.goodreads.com/series/5283... is set in the fictional town of Abbotsville, NC and the nearest city is Asheville. It's often mentioned as the place they go for things. The fictional town is described in this article as a "mountain town" https://www.blueridgenow.com/news/200...
Is that okay?

[Tien]

Thanks for looking into all those, Rebekah! I wouldn't have a clue.

[Lagullande]

I'm hoping Flight Behaviour would work. It seems to be set in Appalachia, albeit in a fictional town. Is that ok?

[Rebekah]

Rosemary wrote: "The Miss Julia series https://www.goodreads.com/series/5283... is set in the fictional town of Abbotsville, NC and the nearest city is Asheville. It's often mentioned as the place they go ..."

Perfect!

[Rebekah]

Lagullande wrote: "I'm hoping Flight Behaviour would work. It seems to be set in Appalachia, albeit in a fictional town. Is that ok?"

It does. In the book description, the setting is given as Appalachia.
She's one of my favorite authors although she has books set in diverse places.
Two of my favorites she wrote set in Appalachia are Prodigal Summer (fiction) and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (non-fiction)

[Rebekah]

Tien wrote: "Thanks for looking into all those, Rebekah! I wouldn't have a clue."

My pleasure!

[Lagullande]

Rebekah wrote: "Lagullande wrote: "I'm hoping Flight Behaviour would work. It seems to be set in Appalachia, albeit in a fictional town. Is that ok?"

It does. In the book description, the setting ..."

Thanks, Rebekah. I have already read Prodigal Summer, but not Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. I heard Barbara speak in London a few weeks ago about her new book, Unsheltered, and I'm really keen to read it, but it isn't set in Appalachia. What a nice lady, though.

[Rebekah]

A Death in the Family and won the Pulitzer

The Orchard Keeper

The Funeral Dress

Ballad Mysteries by Sharyn McCrumb

Most books by Silas House

some series I will accept
Lucy Arlington mysteries
Donna Ball Raine Stockton series, Ladybug Farm series
Sandra Balzo AnnaLise Griggs series
Ann B. Ross Miss Julia series
Maggie Bishop Appalachian Adventure series
Deborah J. Ledford Steven Hawk series
Jefferson Bass Body Farm series
Christy Tillery French Natasha Chamberlaine series
Barbara Graham Tony Abernathy series
Alyse Carlson Cam Harris series
Dean Feldmeyer Rev Daniel Thompson series
D. P. Lyle Dub Walker series
Mignon F. Ballard Miss Dimple series and most Augusta Goodnight series

[Karen Michele]

Karen Michele wrote: "I'd like to check Jayber Crow

It's set in a fictional place in Kentucky
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Wi...

I have it as a possible square peg, so either answe..."

For those of you reading along in the thread, Jayber Crow takes place mostly in northwestern Kentucky, not in Appalacia. I'm still not sure about the book working for square peg, because he's traveling all around;) ---- see the thread for 20.7 Charles Darwin for my question.

[Rebekah]

One of the books on my Appalachia shelf is The Cove by Ron Rash. Cade's Cove is an art visited part of the Smoky Mountain National Park. There are lots of Hollows here such as Sweet Hollow and Ramp Hollow: The Ordeal of Appalachia. But Hollow is ALWAYS pronounced "Holler" in all the Appalachia I've been to, so if you see a book like this Tragedy in Tin Can Holler, it actually means in a Hollow but they spelled it like we pronounce it. Then I was trying to think if I really knew the difference between a cove and a hollow. Cove has absolutely nothing to do with the sea (Appalachia is landlocked) or a lake or any other body of water. Usually the Holler has a creek running through it though.
Anyway there are quite a few phrases some of you FlatLanders (off the mountains), Outlanders (from other parts of the state or from the Southern USA) and Foreigners (anyone from any other state without Appalachian Mountains in them but also includes anything in New York or further up north and beyond to the rest of the world and pronounced Furr-ners) might find confusing so I found a few glossaries for you although they don't have "ever-thing" because every section has their own terms. For example, in Southeast Kentucky everybody calls their parents Mommy and Daddy no matter how old they are, but in Southeast Tennessee you usually hear Daddy and Mama or Mom and Dad. And in just a couple of counties in East Tennessee, my family always said "you'uns" for plural You, instead of You all or Y'all. But maybe this will help.
http://artsandsciences.sc.edu/appalac...
https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/sl...
http://tnwordsmith.blogspot.com/2015/...
https://www.dailyyonder.com/mountain-...
https://daily.jstor.org/the-legendary...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appalac...

oh and Papaw and Mamaw are your grandparents although they may sometimes be spelled Pappa, Papa, or Mamma

[Rebekah]

Poke - sack or bag
Pone - usually Cornbread or Cornpone
Skillet - cast iron frying pan
Ramps - wild leeks
'Shine - Moonshine or homemade, illegal whiskey
Likker - liquor
Polks or PokeSalad - Salad made of greens from Pokeweed
sang - ginseng (grows wild in mountains)
Peaked - pronounced Peek-ed means sickly
Peckish - hungry
(a)holt - tight grip
sparkin' - courting or dating
dope - in past generations it meant soda pop but now means drugs but it's funny to hear my dad talk about how much dope he drank as a kid. So in a book published in the 50's and before it will have a much tamer meaning.

[Rosemary]

That is funny about dope!

We also say "peckish" for hungry in England. It means a little bit hungry, like when you just fancy a snack.

[Rebekah]

Rosemary wrote: "That is funny about dope!

We also say "peckish" for hungry in England. It means a little bit hungry, like when you just fancy a snack."

Well there are a lot of Linguistic, musical and cultural ties with "the old country" . in fact some other words and phrases sound like a speaker in Shakespeare.

[Karen Michele]

Thank you for all of this extra info, Rebekah! It's fun to read:)

[Rebekah]

Fun to talk about!

[Heather]

I'm rereading The Hunger Games and I'm unsure as to whether or not this would be considered Appalachia. District 12 is pretty obviously set in WV or elsewhere in Appalachia but in a post-apocalyptic future.

Here's a map of the Districts, justified by the text. https://ew.com/article/2012/03/22/hun...

ETA: also, there is a line in the book - 'District 12 was in a region known as Appalachia.' I forgot about that until I got to it.

[Rebekah]

Heather wrote: "I'm rereading The Hunger Games and I'm unsure as to whether or not this would be considered Appalachia. District 12 is pretty obviously set in WV or elsewhere in Appalachia but in a post-apocalypti..."

From what I understand, this map was made by fans taking an educated guess of where the districts are and states the author never said exactly. Also I don’t think the majority takes place in District 12. I remember the visit to the Capital and the actual games themselves, which presumably happen at the Capital are the biggest part of the book.
Since the spirit of the task was more about the culture, people, history and what makes the Appalachian Region unique, I don’t think I can count this book for the task. Sorry. It’s still a fun book!

[Heather]

Rebekah wrote: "Heather wrote: "I'm rereading The Hunger Games and I'm unsure as to whether or not this would be considered Appalachia. District 12 is pretty obviously set in WV or elsewhere in Appalachia but in a..."

*shrug* I can use it for other things. I was just trying to find something different - I *live* here. It's depressing. I don't particularly want to read more about it when I can just look out my door.

Side note, though - she *does* specifically state that District 12 was Appalachia. Location 430 if you've got a kindle. I *think* it's Chapter 4. And the last book is set almost exclusively in Districts 12 and 13 - WV, PA, and NY.

[Rebekah]

I live here too but I find a lot of different authors have a lot of different perspectives. Sorry you don’t like the task. You had asked about The Hunger Games so that was the only book I checked.

[Rebekah]

Heather wrote: "Rebekah wrote: "Heather wrote: "I'm rereading The Hunger Games and I'm unsure as to whether or not this would be considered Appalachia. District 12 is pretty obviously set in WV or elsewhere in App..."

In the article this was the line I saw. “Update 15/3/2012: WE ARE AWARE THAT THIS IS GEOLOGICALLY UNSOUND. So was Collins' assertion of the geography of Panem in the Hunger Games text.”

I don’t have the books on my IPad. I read them as paperbacks from library and it was quite a few years ago.