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Rivers of America #28
The Shenandoah (West Virginia Classics) by Julia Davis
In 1945, West Virginia author Julia Davis penned The Shenandoah as part of the Rivers of America Series, a landmark collection of books written by literary figures over a period of thirty years. In this classic reprint, now with an introduction by Christopher Camuto, Davis tells the history of the Shenandoah Valley and River, drawing on her own research and the experiences of ancestors who settled and lived in the area. Her book provides a poetic vision of both the river and the valley, preserving a fragment of America’s landscape.
- GenresHistory
Paperback
First published January 1, 1945
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About the author
Julia Davis Adams
19 books1 followerJulia Davis was born in Clarksburg, West Virginia to a prominent family. After her mother Julia McDonald Davis died from childbed fever, young Julia was raised mostly by her grandparents. Her father John W. Davis was a lawyer and partner in the New York-based firm Davis Polk. He served as U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain just after World War I and later ran for president. She attended Wellesley College for two years and then transferred to Barnard College, where she graduated in 1922. The following year, she married William McMillan Adams and began writing books for young people.
Adams made her publishing debut with The Swords of the Vikings in 1927. During her career, she produced more than 20 other books, primarily history and fiction, including the Shenandoah volume for the landmark Rivers of America series. She also wrote two volumes of memoirs, Legacy of Love (1961) and The Embassy Girls (1992), and two novels under the pseudonym F. Draco. Two of her children's novels - Vaino: A Boy of New Finland (1929) and Mountains Are Free (1930) - were chosen as Newbery Honor Books.
She worked for a year as a reporter for The Associated Press. After divorcing her first husband, she married again twice, and cared for stepchildren and other children who needed homes. She was an agent for the State Charities Aid Association in 1933-1938, and was active in charitable organizations in New York.
Adams made her publishing debut with The Swords of the Vikings in 1927. During her career, she produced more than 20 other books, primarily history and fiction, including the Shenandoah volume for the landmark Rivers of America series. She also wrote two volumes of memoirs, Legacy of Love (1961) and The Embassy Girls (1992), and two novels under the pseudonym F. Draco. Two of her children's novels - Vaino: A Boy of New Finland (1929) and Mountains Are Free (1930) - were chosen as Newbery Honor Books.
She worked for a year as a reporter for The Associated Press. After divorcing her first husband, she married again twice, and cared for stepchildren and other children who needed homes. She was an agent for the State Charities Aid Association in 1933-1938, and was active in charitable organizations in New York.
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November 20, 2024
My bad on this book. One of my favorite songs is ‘Shenandoah’ sung beautifully by Judy Garland on her tv show. I thought this book would at least talk a bit about the song. Nope. This book written in the 1940s is exclusively about the Shenandoah valley.
Most of the book focuses on the battles of the Civil War and particularly about the brave confederate soldiers and generals. The lost cause is alive and well in this book. The yankee come across as vicious and crude, black people as primitive and mostly harmless as long as they don’t get their simple minds confused by unscrupulous Northerners. Robert E. Lee in particular comes across like a saint.
Given the later controversy over segregation, I found this line telling: ‘…or a mild racial disturbance when one of the colored workers drank from a fountain reserved for the whites.’ A single word like ‘reserved’ can make white supremacy sound so natural and necessary.
Most of the book focuses on the battles of the Civil War and particularly about the brave confederate soldiers and generals. The lost cause is alive and well in this book. The yankee come across as vicious and crude, black people as primitive and mostly harmless as long as they don’t get their simple minds confused by unscrupulous Northerners. Robert E. Lee in particular comes across like a saint.
Given the later controversy over segregation, I found this line telling: ‘…or a mild racial disturbance when one of the colored workers drank from a fountain reserved for the whites.’ A single word like ‘reserved’ can make white supremacy sound so natural and necessary.
Displaying 1 of 1 review