A Hidden Gem from a Kentucky Author

"I was born to dig coal," Father said. "Somewheres they's a mine working. Fires still burning the world over, and they got to be fed. All the hearthstones in North Americkee hain't gone cold. I been hearing of a new mine farther than the head o'Kentucky River, on yon side Pound Gap. Grundy, its name is."

-Father in River of Earth, by Kentucky author, James Still, 1940

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I read a good little book this week about an Appalachian family who struggled for every little piece of food that they got. The narrator of River of Earth by Still is one of the children, a boy who was often hungry and cold along with the rest of his family. James Still depicts the struggles of his own mountain people in Kentucky as if he knew exactly what they were going through. His poetic use of the mountain language of the day in the early 20th century is an art form in itself. Granted, it was difficult for me to understand at times, so I just reread the sentence until I got what the character was saying. 

I first heard of this book when I read Dimestore by Lee Smith last month.  Smith devotes a chapter to this writer. She was very impressed with his natural writing ability, and she was very happy to be able to get to know him. She grew up in Grundy, Virginia, a small town that Still mentions in the above quote from his book. River of Earth reminds me of books like The Grapes of Wrath where great human suffering affects droves of people who cannot seem to find a way out. Still depicts a family who lived on some farmland, but they rarely were successful in growing enough food for the family. On top of that, Father would often allow relatives to stay a while when they had nowhere else to go because they were kin. Of course, this took food from the mouths of the children, and it angered Mother to no end. Eventually, Father felt he had no choice but to work in the coal mines, so he moved the family to one of the company houses in Blackjack. The narrator vows that he will never become a coal miner because he plans to become a "horse doctor" one day, yet the people around him say that there is no way out once your family works in the mines. His own relatives told him this would be his fate, and their words burned in his ears: "'What'er you're aiming to be, you'll end snagging jackrock.' It throbbed in my head like truth, and however swiftly I ran, it sped with me." The book only covers about three years in the life of this family, so I don't know if the boy ever became a veterinarian. But the ending doesn't lead the reader to believe that he will reach his dreams. 

Today I counted the number of books that I read in 2016, and I found that I read 24 of them. I seem to read from various genres so it's hard to pin me down on what kinds of books that I like. I read historical novels such as The Nightingale by Hannah and Thomas Jefferson Dreams of Sally Hemings by O'Connor. I also read some fun novels set in Paris such as A Paris Apartment by Gable, and Hidden in Paris by Gantz, I enjoyed some memoirs such as The French House by Don Wallace and The Magnolia Story by the Gaines'. I enjoyed all of these and look forward to discussing some great ones in the months ahead. Next on my list is a book that I got for Christmas, War & Turpentine by Stefan Hertmans. It was on the NY Times best 10 books of the year list in 2016, so it's going to be a great ride. Have you read it? If you have, no spoilers please!

I appreciate the book list of one of my readers, and I will hang on to it for when I need a new book. Readers, please leave me your thoughts on what I've shared today - your opinions are truly appreciated.

-Melissa Hill
Book Blogger
www.onegoodbookblog.blogspot.com