The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Women

Reviews

“These complex, powerful narratives expand our perspectives on this region and the women who live there, particularly offering counternarratives to those who romanticize Appalachia or otherwise misrepresent mountain residents.”—Sandra L. Ballard, Appalachian State University “Kami Ahrens has selected a rich collection of powerful and compelling oral histories that reminds us of Foxfire’s extraordinary and enduring legacy.” –Brent D. Glass, director emeritus, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution “Foxfire publications have long been essential to understanding Appalachia and folk traditions. This new, expertly edited book offers selections that are incisive and diverse, presenting timeless voices and amplifying their resonance in present times.” –Rose McLarney, author of Forage and editor of A Literary Field Guide to Southern Appalachia “These authentic, unaffected firsthand accounts show that we have much to learn from these women—their compelling knowledge has enlivened these communities and is critical to a broader understanding of place.”—Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, author of Even As We Breathe and former executive director of the Cherokee Preservation Foundation “Extensive quotations provide access to life worlds that may no longer exist, but shape the present, and remind us of the strength and endurance required to sustain families and communities in often-remote mountain locales. . . . The commitment to family and fostering community exemplified by the testimony of these women prepare the observer and collaborator not from this culture with the vocabulary of motive and experiential context to better understand and support. The collection provides an invaluable preparation for fieldwork in rural Appalachia.”—Contemporary Sociology “The greatest strength of the book is its demonstration of the diversity of women’s identities and experiences, which challenges some of the most persistent stereotypes about Appalachian women. . . . [A]n accessible introduction to many dimensions of Appalachian women’s lives over the past century.”—Journal of Southern History “Anyone interested in Appalachia and the people who lived and continue to live there will find this book to be a great starting point.”—Georgia Library Quarterly “Every interview subject is a unique individual, and the stories are informative and nuanced. . . . [T]he women’s voices share tales again and again of a tight-knit community that worked organically as a collectivist society rather than the individualist society of contemporary America.”—Chapter 16 “Captivating, resisting nostalgia with its authentic, honest, and sometimes contradictory experiences from women all over the region.”—Garden and Gun Expand reviews