The Climb from Salt Lick: A Memoir of Appalachia

by Nancy L. Abrams

In the mid-1970s, Nancy L. Abrams, a young photojournalist from the Midwest, plunges into life as a small-town reporter in West Virginia. She befriends the hippies on the commune one mountaintop over, rents a cabin in beautiful Salt Lick Valley, and falls in love with a local boy, wrestling to balance the demands of a job and a personal life. She learns how to survive in Appalachia—how to heat with coal and wood, how to chop kindling, plant a garden, and preserve produce.


The Climb from Salt Lick is the remarkable memoir of an outsider coming into adulthood. It is the story of a unique place and its people from the perspective of a woman who documents its burdens and its beauty, using words and pictures to tell the rich stories of those around her.

Genres: Nonfiction

276 pages, Paperback

Published April 15, 2018

Reviews

[cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Admittedly it's pretty easy to enjoy a book about people and places you know and love. So I was set up to enjoy this one, and it did not disappoint. I also love her style, that good journalistic syntax and no fear of the facts. Best of all though is her rearview mirror viewpoint. There has been a lot of degradation in WV in the years since these events took place, environmental, social, and political. Good people have left. But the author reminds us of what still shines here, what brought her back and kept her here, and what we can't forget: the pockets of deep beauty, a culture that knows how to live close to the earth and celebrate good times, and the people who know what's important and get it done every day. I sure hope there's a sequel getting written, I look forward to the rest of the story.

[Rachel Rosolina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abrams complicates the category of Appalachian insider vs. outsider. When she starts the memoir, she is very much an outsider, a young college student with no real knowledge of the Appalachian region, its history, or its people. And yet, when she arrived to work as a photography intern at the Preston County News for a summer, she recognized the beautiful complexity that is Appalachia. Rather than coming in to fix the town or educate its people about how they were living life wrong, as many outsiders in the history of the region have been wont to do, she was in awe. In fact, reading this memoir allowed me to fall in love with Appalachia all over again, through the eyes of a newcomer.

To read whole review, see: http://www.rachelrosolina.com/2018/07...

[Ceili · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a unique experience to read a memoir written by a family friend, featuring people you’ve met. Nancy Abrams’ book is a celebration of West Virginia, journalism, being young and making mistakes. It’s about survival and how politics and labels don’t have to mean people can’t get along and relate to one another. It’s a real privilege to have been able to read Nancy’s beautiful, engaging prose and to get a glimpse of what the world was like in the 60s, 70s and 80s, and how the founding members of UpTop got their start on the farm. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys memoirs or loves Appalachia.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I've been to most of the areas, in West Virginia, that are mentioned in this book, I found it to be interesting. I especially liked learning about a few historical facts about the area that I hadn't known before. I'm glad the author fell in love with the state, since I find it to be so beautiful.

[Bekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely book. I love watching the author grow and evolve. She is tough, brave, charming, and funny—and what pulls me in is that she doesn't try to be any of these things. They just come naturally. Her writing is exquisite too. Nothing extra, nothing clunky, nothing forced. I'm hoping she comes out with a sequel.

[Donna Coleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Salt Lick

I grew up in and around Terra Alta. Reading an "outsiders" perspective has intrigued me. The beauty of my hometown seems to be a thing of the past. She captured the wonders of Preston County in these pages. The culture of Preston County is like no other. It will always be home. This book made my heart happy and even mended my soul.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice, quick read. Entertainingly interesting story of a girl from St. Louis getting a summer job at a small-town newspaper in West Virginia. This free-spirited girl discovers she loves the mountain area.

[Doreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book very enjoyable as it took place near the area I now live in, and the author and I are about the same age so I could visualize the time period she was talking about.
I would recommend this book.

[Iris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend lent me this book. What a treat . I loved it . The characters just leap off the pages ,and they became so real to me.