This month, Read Appalachia and I are continuing to partner in recommending rural, Appalachian and Appalachian-adjacent young adult, middle grade, and picture books. This month is Read Appalachia’s birthday and in honor of that, I am recommending books that highlight the rich diversity of folks who live in the region.
One of the reasons I’m so excited to be partnering with Kendra is that our passions and missions align. We are both dedicated to finding and sharing books that feature intersectional rural and Appalachian identities. Despite dominant narratives of rural and Appalachian people as a White, conservative, fundamentalist Christian monolith, there is a wealth of different kinds of folks who call Appalachia home, and they all deserve to see themselves represented in literature. Here’s more on this month’s theme from Kendra.
ABOUT THIS MONTH’S THEME: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, READ APPALACHIA!
It’s Read Appalachia’s 3rd Birthday!
As a kid in Appalachian Ohio, I read a lot of books both for fun and for school, but I rarely if ever saw myself or the people from my community in the books that I read. It wasn’t until I was in my last year of English program in grad school that I finally began seeing stories that feature Appalachian people, and that was only because I began to look for them outside of the classroom. In my search, I found stories featuring characters from places like western North Carolina, Eastern Kentucky and even Appalachian Ohio. The dialects I saw on the page reflected the ones I knew so well, and the stories possessed a deep sense of place and a love and connection that comes from truly understanding the cultures and communities in these mountains.
Before reading these stories, I never truly understood that there were stories that were mirrors that could reflect back to me the world that I came from, giving me a chance to see myself in their pages. There were also plenty of books that acted like windows, giving me a chance to see Appalachian communities and cultures that I wouldn’t have been introduced to otherwise. When reading these stories, I began to better understand that there are so many different ways to be Appalachian. Whether mirror or windows, Appalachian Literature plays a powerful role in our culture.
Appalachian literature is just as rich and complex as any other kind of literature. Our literature should be treasured for the beautiful art that it is and even celebrated. Read Appalachia exists to do just that, to celebrate Appalachian Literature and Writing in all of its complexity, contradictions, messiness, joys, sorrows, and emotional depth. We’re here to talk about it all.
BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
Young Adult Recommendation: Clay’s Quilt by Silas House
Silas House is Kentucky’s current openly gay Poet Laureate and a powerhouse writer. His writing always seeks to capture the complexity of Appalachian identity and experience, working to openly acknowledge the challenge of loving a place even with its imperfections–even when it feels like it doesn’t love you back. Clay’s Quilt is a story about found family, the struggle to fit in, and the importance of sustaining Appalachian cultural practices. The novel takes us to Free Creek, Kentucky where Clay Sizemore works to sew his life back together after the tragic loss of his mother at age four. Surrounded by ancient mountains, Clay works to find his place, his people, and himself.
Middle Grade Recommenation: as brave as you by Jason Reynolds
This is a tale of family history and secrets, of doing what it takes to survive and the consequences that can and often come with it. Genie and Ernie leave Brooklyn for the very first time to spend the summer with their grandparents on the family homestead in rural Virginia. There, they learn how to pick peas from their grandmother, how to make bottlecap earrings from the girl just down the hill, and how their blind grandfather navigates the world. They explore the family’s mysterious original house and the local pop-up market. When Grandpop tells Ernie that his fourteenth birthday means it’s time for him to learn how to shoot and Ernie is hesitant about learning, Genie begins to question what it means and looks like to be brave.
Picture Book Recommendation: A is for Affrilachia by Frank X Walker; Illustrated by upfromsumdirt
Although it’s typically depicted as monocultural, the people and places in Appalachia make it a rich, multifaceted, and diverse region. Frank X Walker first coined the phrase “Affrilachia,” to ensure that the voices and accomplishments of Black folks in that region were recognized and celebrated. A Is for Affrilachia continues that legacy by bringing awareness of notable African Americans from the region. It is also an alphabet book and cheerful celebration of Appalachian people, places, and history that aren’t as well known or studied in mainstream spaces. A is for Affrilachia is illustrated by acclaimed artist upfromsumdirt and features a range of musicians, artists, activists, mountain ranges, literary works, and coal mining implements. Famous names, such as playwright August Wilson, writer Nikki Giovanni, actor Chadwick Boseman, and singer Nina Simone are spotlighted, as well as lesser-known individuals, such as artist Romare Bearden and musician Amythyst Kiah. A for Affrilachia is a unique and important ABC primer that offers a wealth of regional, racial, and cultural heritage through both words and images.
Dr. Parton's Literacy In Place 