Writers Archives - Page 9 of 22 - Appalachian History

Book Review: “Providence, VA”

Michael Abraham’s novel ‘Providence, VA’ is a cautionary tale of what could/will happen if society doesn’t incorporate sustainable approaches.

75 years ago the definitive Appalachian novel was published—James Still’s River of Earth. ‘Appalachian’ literature did not exist then.

“The idea of Ole Cap just sort of grew on me after I met an old man who had gone to work in the mines when he was 7 years old,” says Swiesz.

This looks like a book my taste would agree with: its Appalachian characters, environmental themes, coming of age storyline. But I didn’t.

The effort anti-secession Virginians, dubbed Unionists by the press, played in trying to save the nation from civil war is rarely told.

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