tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-243923798905252664.post1938879109037918317..comments2023-10-10T03:58:32.375-07:00Comments on Fingers & Prose: Appalachian Stories - Recommendations Wanted!Melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08151339860580266808noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-243923798905252664.post-43995193588413521982012-08-21T19:59:10.312-07:002012-08-21T19:59:10.312-07:00I forgot about Robert Morgan! I remember liking G...I forgot about Robert Morgan! I remember liking Gap Creek, but it was in my pre-blogging days so I don't remember any of it. :/ I didn't even think to see if he had other works. Thanks for jogging my memory!Melodyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08151339860580266808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-243923798905252664.post-23589107401639914762012-08-21T03:55:24.669-07:002012-08-21T03:55:24.669-07:00Robert Morgan - Gap Creek fame. Oprah loved that ...Robert Morgan - Gap Creek fame. Oprah loved that book. You should check out his site. He's a complete Appalachian writer. I think The Hinterlands would be a good one and he's also done short stories and poetry. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-243923798905252664.post-89014530334617804442012-08-20T11:27:55.840-07:002012-08-20T11:27:55.840-07:00I think it's fascinating to me because there i...I think it's fascinating to me because there is something Old World about it. In a country where recorded history is very new, I look for roots wherever I can find them. :) But yes, I agree, a study of American Literature should include something Appalachian!Melodyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08151339860580266808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-243923798905252664.post-78293048797803704202012-08-20T04:46:50.226-07:002012-08-20T04:46:50.226-07:00It's a shame that those of us who still study ...It's a shame that those of us who still study American literature do not get a taste of native American stories (or, to put it simply, white/East coast literature). I had never heard of "Appalachian literature" although this seems like a great start. Thanks for sharing this!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-243923798905252664.post-62897033268549917432012-08-19T17:02:07.012-07:002012-08-19T17:02:07.012-07:00ooo, I didn't know about Barbara Kingsolver&#...ooo, I didn't know about Barbara Kingsolver's new release - I'll be looking forward to that one. I'll look into the other...thanks for the suggestions!Melodyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08151339860580266808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-243923798905252664.post-8555041229412350932012-08-19T16:52:29.478-07:002012-08-19T16:52:29.478-07:00Barbara Kingsolver's new book this fall, Fligh...Barbara Kingsolver's new book this fall, Flight Behavior, is set in Appalachia. <br /><br />Also, I think Wiley Cash's debut novel, A Land More Kind Than Home, is set there. <br /><br />As the Crowe Flies and Readshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12110661562901480120noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-243923798905252664.post-77265423178154497142012-08-19T14:33:20.115-07:002012-08-19T14:33:20.115-07:00I forgot about Cold Mountain - I did read that and...I forgot about Cold Mountain - I did read that and remember enjoying it. Mountains and lyrical writing and I'm sold. ;)<br /><br />Thanks so much for your other recommendations, I'm going to spend some time looking into them! Sounds like some really interesting perspectives on the area.Melodyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08151339860580266808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-243923798905252664.post-45479388818512750192012-08-19T14:27:33.313-07:002012-08-19T14:27:33.313-07:00Thanks Belle! I've added both to my wishlist.Thanks Belle! I've added both to my wishlist.Melodyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08151339860580266808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-243923798905252664.post-34860901131775633332012-08-19T12:41:36.057-07:002012-08-19T12:41:36.057-07:00Even though I've lived int he Appalachians nea...Even though I've lived int he Appalachians nearly all my life, I've only ever read a few books set here. I remember really liking The Education of Little Tree when I was younger. It's a lovely story of a Cherokee boy's coming of age in the hidden valleys and woods near what is now Cherokee. It's been maybe 10 years since I've read it, so I can't exactly vouch for it now, but I remember loving it then. <br /><br />I also remember reading Cold Mountain, which is set in partially in North Carolina. Again, I don't remember much of it, but from the quotes I've read from it recently it sounds like the writing is very good. It's pretty popular I think, so it must have something going for it.<br /> <br />More recently, I read and enjoyed If You Want Me to Stay by Michael Parker. It isn't quite set in Appalachia, but it does include parts of the North Carolina foothills, which are similar. It has a truly lovely sense of setting that really worked for me. It also touches on many of those universal themes like family, love, and the nature of home, so you might like it.<br /><br />If you're interested in a short story, I really liked "When The World Is All On Fire" by William Sanders. It's set in a future where global warming and overpopulation have ruined most of the world. The Cherokee reservation is one of the only places of forest left because they keep everyone else out. It's really an interesting story, and it's set like 20 minutes from where I used to live. If you can find it anywhere I'd recommend it.Emilyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07389249065514335671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-243923798905252664.post-73389125352528655582012-08-19T10:58:23.653-07:002012-08-19T10:58:23.653-07:00Bloodroot by Amy Greene and anything by Wilma Dyke...Bloodroot by Amy Greene and anything by Wilma Dykeman. Dykeman wrote and published in the 1960s and it might be hard to get a hold of her works. Paula (Learning to Trust) and I both loved The Tall Woman. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com