The book seems in reaction to a lot of the cultural conversation spawned by Hillbilly Elegy, a book later adapted into an Academy Award-losing feature film. What’s your view on that read?
How familiar were you with the history of the region, be it political or labor related or activist?
How do you view the broader media narrative around the region of Appalachia? Historically? In general? After 2016?
There is still plenty of time to get your hands on the book, again it’s a fairly quick read so if you were to buy it now you would not have all that much trouble finishing it with us.
A strongly pro-union man who was also bit of a psycho killer! Give me a whole book on Sid Hatfield, West Virginia & The Battle of Blair Mountain!! By the way, if in the area I would totally hit that Hatfield-McCoy Dinner Show and dig into that Feudin' Fried Chicken!!!
About Hillbilly Elegy: I thought from the start that the author of Hillbilly Elegy had ulterior motives...that he was simplifying and selecting to be able to serve a political purpose. He presents one slice of life as if it is the whole of a huge region. And he offers facile ideas as solutions.
I grew up in Appalachia myself...if you define Appalachia by the ancient mountain range. My Appalachia was full of all kinds of people doing all kinds of things...an artist holding a one-weekend art show around her log house on Lookout Mountain that people came from many states to attend...the local radio host who always speculated on what would be the weekend of peak color on the leaves of the trees in nearby Smoky Mountain National park...a high school graduating class of almost 200 in a mill town that on our sixtieth reunion had a majority of the class still living and present, representing all walks of life and traveling to the reunion from all parts of the country. So I know personally that Appalachia is varied, multi-cultural, and best experienced as PLACE. Landscape is inscape, the great Barry Lopez told us a long time ago. Appalachia is PLACE.
I'd also recommend checking out "Hollow" if anyone is looking for another documentary.
http://hollowdocumentary.com/
A Camera Is A Gun! Later today I'm going to check out that documentary Stranger With A Camera.
https://vimeo.com/channels/676200/54465749
A strongly pro-union man who was also bit of a psycho killer! Give me a whole book on Sid Hatfield, West Virginia & The Battle of Blair Mountain!! By the way, if in the area I would totally hit that Hatfield-McCoy Dinner Show and dig into that Feudin' Fried Chicken!!!
About Hillbilly Elegy: I thought from the start that the author of Hillbilly Elegy had ulterior motives...that he was simplifying and selecting to be able to serve a political purpose. He presents one slice of life as if it is the whole of a huge region. And he offers facile ideas as solutions.
I grew up in Appalachia myself...if you define Appalachia by the ancient mountain range. My Appalachia was full of all kinds of people doing all kinds of things...an artist holding a one-weekend art show around her log house on Lookout Mountain that people came from many states to attend...the local radio host who always speculated on what would be the weekend of peak color on the leaves of the trees in nearby Smoky Mountain National park...a high school graduating class of almost 200 in a mill town that on our sixtieth reunion had a majority of the class still living and present, representing all walks of life and traveling to the reunion from all parts of the country. So I know personally that Appalachia is varied, multi-cultural, and best experienced as PLACE. Landscape is inscape, the great Barry Lopez told us a long time ago. Appalachia is PLACE.