The United States of Appalachia: How Southern Mountaineers Brought Independence, Culture, and Enlightenment to America
by Jeff Biggers
On This Page
Description
Few places in the United States confound and fascinate Americans like Appalachia, yet no other area has been so markedly mischaracterized by the mass media. Stereotypes of hillbillies and rednecks repeatedly appear in representations of the region, but few, if any, of its many heroes, visionaries, or innovators are ever referenced. Make no mistake, they are legion: from Anne Royall, America's first female muckraker, to Sequoyah, a Cherokee mountaineer who invented the first syllabary in show more modern times, and international divas Nina Simone and Bessie Smith, as well as writers Cormac McCarthy, Edward Abbey, and Nobel Laureate Pearl S. Buck, Appalachia has contributed mightily to American culture -- and politics. Not only did eastern Tennessee boast the country's first antislavery newspaper, Appalachians also establishedthe first District of Washington as a bold counterpoint to British rule. With humor, intelligence, and clarity, Jeff Biggers reminds us how Appalachians have defined and shaped the United States we know today. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
I went into this book expecting a broader and shallower history, but instead the focus was on a few points in Appalachia that the author calls seminal for what the region would become. So: much more in depth and also earlier (primarily 18th century) than I had expected, but I think he pulled it off well. Probably the type of history I should have read while I lived in the South.
A surprising gem. I stumbled across this at the library. Having grown up on the edge of Appalachia in southwestern VA, it sounded intriguing, and it was.
Ratings
Members
- Recently Added By
Lists
My Genealogy Library
91 works; 9 members
Author Information
14+ Works 270 Members
Jeff Biggers is an award-winning historian, journalist, and playwright. He is the author of several books, has been long-listed for the PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award, and is the recipient of the Delta Prize for Literature and David Brower Award for environmental reporting. He is the founder of the Climate Narrative Project, an arts and advocacy show more initiative for schools and communities. Find out more at jeffbiggers.com. show less
Common Knowledge
- Important places
- Appalachia, USA
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 112
- Popularity
- 289,267
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (4.00)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 3
- ASINs
- 2
