Hamilton Books
Pages: 210
•
Trim: 6 x 9
978-0-7618-7160-6 • Paperback • December 2019 • $24.99 • (£18.95)
978-0-7618-7161-3 • eBook • December 2019 • $23.50 • (£17.95)
Subjects: Social Science / Sociology / Rural,
History / United States / State & Local / South (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV)
Nancy Brown Diggs is an independent scholar whose long interest in different cultures is reflected by her doctorate in East Asian studies and by the books she has authored.
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Backstory: Getting Here, Why They Left, and What They Found
Chapter 2: The Industrial Age: Coal Camps and Exploitation
Chapter 3: Faith of Our Father: Religion Evolves
Chapter 4: Westward , with Music: From Ballads to Bakersfield
Chapter 5: The Twentieth Century: King Coal, Exiles, and the Greatest Generation
Chapter 6: Values: For Better or Worse
Chapter 7: Strangers in a Strange Land: Leaving Home, Speaking Appalachian
Chapter 8: Addiction: The Scourge of Appalachia
Chapter 9: Slaying the Monster
Chapter 10: Looking Ahead: The King is Dead …
Observations by Jo Carson
References
Index
About the Author
THIS IS A MUST READ for those interested in Appalachian culture’s historical development, social values, music, religion, and social problems. Written for a general or academic audience, or as a supplement to courses in history, sociology, or other social sciences, the book adds to the narratives of Ken Burns’ forthcoming Country Music, David McCollough’s The Pioneers, J.D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy. It’s a page turner!— Jeanne Ballantine, Wright State University
In Search of Appalachia paints an intimate and respectful portrait of the people of Appalachia. In a conversational tone enlivened with entertaining anecdotes and interviews, Diggs illustrates the spiritual and cultural values unique to Appalachians and shows how they have survived the many challenges they have faced.— Bob Taft, Governor of Ohio 1999–2007, co-chair, Appalachian Regional Comission, 2005
In an era when the truth about everything is crucially needed, author Nancy Diggs unveils the true soul of Appalachia, a region commonly depicted by stereotypes of poverty, ignorance, and violence. From coal mines to mountain churches to dance halls of country music, Diggs explores it all, sculpting new images as she introduces her readers to strong, creative, hardworking folks—many having survived tough times through their music, religion, and sheer strength gained from hardscrabble pasts. Unearthing such gems from a terrain of misconceptions, Diggs’ spirited In Search of Appalachia brings to life what Walt Whitman claimed in Leaves of Grass, as Diggs writes, ‘The best of America lies in its common people.’ This excellently researched book will help to fulfill its author’s greatest hope: that Appalachia ‘be met with the celebration it deserves.’
— Ann Hagedorn, author of Wild Ride, Ransom, Beyond the River, Savage Peace, and The Invisible Soldiers