Running on Red Dog Road: And Other Perils of an Appalachian Childhood

FROM BACK OF BOOK: "Mining companies piled trash coal in a slag heap and set it ablaze. The coal burned up, but the slate didn't. The heat turned it rose and orange and lavender. The dirt road I lived on was paved with that sharp-edged rock. We called it red dog. Grandma said, Don't you go running on that red dog road. But I do."

Gypsies, faith-healers, moonshiners, and snake handlers cavort through Drema's childhood in 1940s Appalachia after her father is killed in the coal mines, her mother goes off to work as a Rosie the Riveter, and she is left in the care of devout Pentecostal grandparents. What follows is a spitfire of a memoir that reads like a novel, with intrigue, sweeping emotion, and indisputable charm. Drema's coming of age show more is colored by tent revivals with Grandpa, poetry-writing hobos, and exotic carnivals, and through it all, she serves witness to a multi-generational family of saints and sinners whose lives defy the stereotypes. Just as she defies her own. show less

Don't let the fact that this is an "inspirational" memoir keep you from reading it. It's terrific. It contains family stories, religious stories, coming-of-age stories, stories about dealing with illness and disability, stories about extending love and acceptance to people of different cultures, a hilarious love story, and many other tasty morsels about a young girl growing up in the '40s in West Virginia. The extended family is led by Drema's Pentecostal grandparents, even when her mother comes home from the munitions factory after the war, and they are truly kind people, with a sharp mountain wit and a much different idea of what it means to have "plenty and some to share" than we would recognize in modern America. Reese Witherspoon show more should option the movie rights. show less

The author relates memories from her childhood, growing up on a "red dog road" in a rural Appalachian mining town. "Mining companies piled trash coal in a slag heap and set it ablaze. The coal burned up, but the slate didn't. The heat turned it rose and orange and lavender. The dirt road I lived on was paved with that sharp-edged rock. We called it Red Dog. My grandmother always told me, 'Don't you go running on that Red Dog road.' But oh, I did." Some of the scenes were memorable - such as when she encounters a bunch on snake handling church goers during one of her walks. She also encounters gypsies, faith-healers, and moonshiners. I liked some of the stories she told but other than remembering a few scenes it didn't make much of an show more impact on me. I would give it to anyone really interested in the rural Appalachia region and it's people. show less

What a fascinating and intriguing childhood this author had! I loved reading her story. During her life in the Appalachian mountains she encountered and experienced vast amounts of interesting people and events, so different from my own. She was a spitfire as a child and her life was held together by her godly, maternal grandmother. The book is written in first person which adds to its charm.
I received a copy of Running on Red Dog Road from Net Galley for my honest review. I really appreciate this opportunity! Thank you, Drema Hall Berkheimer for giving us your story!

It is impossible to put into words how amusing I thought this book was. There were so many things with which I could identify, and I could remember hearing a lot of the phrases which Drema's grandmother recited to her.

A wonderful memoir of life in the Appalachian mountains.
Drema writes vividly of her experiences growing up with devout grandparents and meeting many disparate characters along the way.
Riveting book, very engrossing.
I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher Zondervan via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review.

It is impossible to put into words how amusing I thought this book was. There were so many things with which I could identify, and I could remember hearing a lot of the phrases which Drema's grandmother recited to her.