What do you think?
Rate this book
Uneven Ground: Appalachia since 1945
Appalachia has played a complex and often contradictory role in the unfolding of American history. Created by urban journalists in the years following the Civil War, the idea of Appalachia provided a counterpoint to emerging definitions of progress. Early-twentieth-century critics of modernity saw the region as a remnant of frontier life, a reflection of simpler times that should be preserved and protected. However, supporters of development and of the growth of material production, consumption, and technology decried what they perceived as the isolation and backwardness of the place and sought to "uplift" the mountain people through education and industrialization.
Ronald D Eller has worked with local leaders, state policymakers, and national planners to translate the lessons of private industrial-development history into public policy affecting the region. In Uneven Ground: Appalachia since 1945, Eller examines the politics of development in Appalachia since World War II with an eye toward exploring the idea of progress as it has evolved in modern America. Appalachia's struggle to overcome poverty, to live in harmony with the land, and to respect the diversity of cultures and the value of community is also an American story. In the end, Eller concludes, "Appalachia was not different from the rest of America; it was in fact a mirror of what the nation was becoming."
Ronald D Eller has worked with local leaders, state policymakers, and national planners to translate the lessons of private industrial-development history into public policy affecting the region. In Uneven Ground: Appalachia since 1945, Eller examines the politics of development in Appalachia since World War II with an eye toward exploring the idea of progress as it has evolved in modern America. Appalachia's struggle to overcome poverty, to live in harmony with the land, and to respect the diversity of cultures and the value of community is also an American story. In the end, Eller concludes, "Appalachia was not different from the rest of America; it was in fact a mirror of what the nation was becoming."
392 pages, Hardcover
First published September 19, 2008
135 people are currently reading
1496 people want to read
About the author
Ronald D. Eller
5 books6 followersOriginally from southern West Virginia, Ron Eller has spent more than forty years writing and teaching about the Appalachian region. A descendent of eight generations of families from Appalachia, Dr. Eller served for 15 years as the Director of the University of Kentucky Appalachian Center where he coordinated research and service programs on a wide range of Appalachian policy issues including education, health care, economic development, civic leadership and the environment. Currently Distinguished Professor of History at UK, Dr. Eller is in demand as a speaker on Appalachian issues at colleges, conferences, and community forums throughout the nation, and he serves as a frequent consultant to civic organizations and the national media. A former Rockefeller Foundation Scholar, he holds the Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and is widely known as a scholar of Appalachian history and the study of rural economic development and social change. He has published more than sixty articles and reports but is most well known for his award-winning book Miners, Millhands and Mountaineers: The Industrialization of the Appalachian South, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 1983. He has served as Chairman of the Governor’s Kentucky Appalachian Task Force, the first Chairman of the Kentucky Appalachian Commission and as a member of the Sustainable Communities Task Force of President Clinton’s Council on Sustainable Development. Among other awards, he is the recipient of the Jim Wayne Miller Award for Distinguished Service to Appalachia, two East Kentucky Leadership Foundation Special Awards (1999 and 2009), and the University of Kentucky William E. Lyons Award for Outstanding Public Service. He has worked on projects in rural education reform with the Ford Foundation, the American Council on Education, and the American Association of Community Colleges and has served as the John D. Whisman Visiting Scholar for the Appalachian Regional Commission in Washington. Dr. Eller’s most recent book is Uneven Ground: Appalachia Since 1945, published by the University Press of Kentucky in 2008 and winner of the 2008 Willis D. Weatherford Award for the best publication about Appalachia by the Appalachian Studies Association and the 2009 V.O. Key Award for the best book on Southern Politics by the Southern Political Science Association. The book examines the impact of government programs and economic development on Appalachia since World War II.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
October 18, 2015
I've heard this book compared to Harry Caudill's landmark "Night Comes to the Cumberlands" in its importance. I would agree. The breadth and scope of Ron Eller's story of Appalachia was at once fascinating, heartbreaking, challenging, and hopeful. This was, to me, not only a story of greed and corruption, but a rallying cry to move forward and challenge the status quo, as others before have so tirelessly done. I will read and refer to this book often for many years to come.
August 9, 2024
Eller did a great job of portraying Appalachia as a bellwether rather than as backward or behind. If exploitative laws and lax regulations continue to be the norm, the United States will become what Appalachia has been for decades. The gap between rich and poor will continue to grow, our land will be stripped of resources to pad the pockets of the wealthy, and we will be blamed for our own poverty and lack of education as those in power continue to take more for themselves.
The book was dense with deep dives into historical contexts, but it necessarily covered a lot of ground.
For a full review, check out my blog post: http://www.rachelrosolina.com/2018/05...
The book was dense with deep dives into historical contexts, but it necessarily covered a lot of ground.
For a full review, check out my blog post: http://www.rachelrosolina.com/2018/05...
August 16, 2022
This is one of the best histories of Appalachia I've encountered. Eller argues that Appalachia is a cultural and geographic concept that has troubled America's sense of identity and modernity since it was first bracketed away as a distinct, and therefore separate, unit of society. He frames Appalachia as a laboratory for policy experimentation, a political-economic bellwether for the changing nation, and a diverse landscape filled with traditions of collectivity and resistance. In the book, Eller troubles the assumed parallelism of growth, progress, and development. In the second half of the 20th Century, Appalachia experienced each of the three, but Eller's attention is to the uneven manifestation of each. Asking growth for whom, progress toward what, and development at what cost?
December 19, 2020
Appalachia as the “Other America” in US Public Policies.
Do you want to understand why Appalachia continues to languish behind?
Read this book and recoil.
Appalachia is a nation within a nation, where a bygone frontier’s vestiges reside in its people, defying America's progression. Yet, despite being rich in cultural history, its people remained poor. The New Deal, Great Society, and Reaganomics floundered as poverty in Appalachia remained widespread. Many suspects are speculated, such as the coal industry's slow decline or offshoring, but none as dominant as backward culture. Experts such as Michael Harrington and Rupert Vance theorized that the isolation provided by the Mississippi River and the Appalachian Mountain inhibits the native's progression as they are not being integrated into mainstream culture. Given this, the government and private industry should aggressively open up Appalachia to the outside world by changing the local ecosystem. Thus, only through unrestrained growth can the Appalachian people integrated into American society and become prosperous.
This premise, however, ignores the underlying factor that caused Appalachia's impoverishment, industrialization. Before the Second Industrial Revolution, Appalachia was the land of homesteads where each family owned a cabin and forage the forest contributing to a diverse diet made up of uganost (wild greens), corn salad (sweet flower), and ramps. When Fredrick Olmsted traveled through the region, he commented, “Extreme poverty is rare in the mountains, but a smaller proportion of the people live in a style corresponding to … New England ‘forehanded folks,’ than in any other part of the … world.” After the Civil War, the self-sufficient lifestyle started to change, as mine companies felled forest, closing off hunting and gathering grounds. This development removed the ecological base that much of the highlanders depended on and eliminated alternative income sources such as logging or farming. Communities became dependent on the coal companies, as they are increasingly becoming the sole source of income for these towns.
The old adage about progress over people is repeated so often that it can become stale and meaningless. Eller, however, expanded this proverb through Appalachia's struggles. Three different administrations tried to shape Appalachia more like the United States, and in these trials, devastated the region.
First, the New Deal. Under the Keynesian banner, Franklin D. Roosevelt enacted ambitious programs to lift the US out of the Great Depression. The Tennessee Valley Authority “constructed seven of the world’s largest coal-fired power plants… [which] created a cheap market for locally produced coal.” However, those coal plants contributed to the region being stripped of its resources, as industries hurriedly mine the mountain surfaces leading to the topsoil eroding. This, in turn, exacerbates flood damages such as the 1957 flood, which killed fourteen people. A U.S. Forest Service assessment pointed to strip mining as the main culprit for the flood damages and warned that “the conditions of the area will continue to get worse.” Furthermore, the temporary job boom proved to be short-lived as America switch to oil as its primary fuel source leading to jobs quickly evaporating as it appeared.
Best captured the situation was Eleanor Roosevelt’s Arthurdale project. Mrs. Roosevelt, like many, wanted to lift the Appalachia’s residents out of their gloom. She built Arthurdale, the icon of the New Deal, picking out the house applications for resident, and enticing General Electric to the project, hoping that the Appalachian people progressed to the modern age, away from its regression. Instead, the project faltered as the high-minded ideals conflicted with the reality, where residents quickly found themselves indebted to the factory, which the government promised them to be their salvation to civilization. GE pulled out, and residents tried to attract industries, briefly making faucets before finally, they sold the town back into private hands. This project encapsulated the New Deal aims, bringing industries into Appalachia to make its people embracing the modern age. Instead, it failed as unemployment climb, and companies increasingly automated the jobs, ironically a product of progression, which worsened the people's misery.
President Johnson promised to eradicate poverty in his Great Society by pouring money into developmental infrastructure so the region can be linked to America. However, despite modernization Appalachia, it still failed to bring much of the promised lifting for its residents. One key factor was that “public investments made in the region … shall be concentrated in areas where there is a significant potential for future growth.” This led to uneven distribution of aid, which favored cities over the countryside. This act was deliberate as planners wanted residents to migrate from the “dying mining camps and rural communities” to urban centers. The consequence was the still present rural-urban divide, which “displaces our collective responsibilities for the land and for each other onto the vagaries of the market.” Local newspapers accused the ARC board of being out of touch with Appalachia's real condition while unemployment continues to climb. Furthermore, there were hints that the plan aimed to make the resident lived in the cities, so gradually they adopted the sophisticated culture and shed their rustic tradition. However, the shift from an economic to a cultural war alienated the moderates and middle class that is needed for the plan to succeed, which doomed the endeavors to lift the region. By abandoning the small towns, the Great Society failed to lift the whole region out of its destitution, as the policies turn communities against each other.
America changed tactics. In the 1980s, under Reaganomics, Regan tried to integrate Appalachia into the national economy by incentivizing businesses to move in by lowering taxes, relaxing regulation, and subsidizing operations. Highways were built to connect the larger towns to external markets. However, like the Great Society, money poured almost exclusively into urban centers as the uneven access of transportations channels human and financial resources into the growth centers. The economic shift to service from manufacturing hurt residents, as decades of educational neglect limited their opportunity to entry-level service positions such as waiters, busboys, and receptionist. The cuts of social services and the state government increased burden under the welfare cuts, aggravated the situation as there are limited opportunities to close the gap. In Central Appalachia, personal income nearly declined by 10%, while the southern portion saw personal income raised by 3.2% due to the uneven distribution of human capital.
In all three programs, attempt to integrate Appalachia failed as they failed to address the region's systemic problems. Disregarding reports such as Appalachian Land Ownership Task Force, which pointed to the disproportionate tax burden, environmental damages, and human capital deficiencies as the main culprit of Appalachia downturns, government actions continued to be driven by the notion that Appalachia is not like America, where we’ve to accelerate integration so that its residents can shed their backwardness and join American society. These three programs attempts to integrated Appalachia lead to devastating results.
In his book, Uneven Ground: Appalachia since 1945, Eller depicts Appalachia, not as the “Other America”, so often a stereotype founded in American discussion about the region. Instead, Appalachia is America’s bellwether, magnifying the persisting faults within American society. Neither free market growth nor social welfare lifted the region out of poverty because they failed to address the root problems of the region leading to a growing gap between the wealthy and the poor. By continuing to assert that Appalachia is different from mainstream society, we continue to fall prey to a narrative that failed us, which repeatedly prevents us from really accepting Appalachia, and pushed it away from us, labeled as the black sheep of the family. Only when you stop trying to escape from Appalachia or changed it for what it is and instead look at it directly can you identify the root problems of Appalachia’s downturn.
One of the book’s greatest assets is Eller's astute attention to detail, and his nuance of the issues is sharp. His arguments are never impetuous and are well supported. However, towards the end, the book loses some of its lusters, as Eller started to diverge from the previous chapters' carefully constructed argument, and slightly appeared preachy through its lopsided framing in favor of the social activist while not bring much for the other side. While offered much in anticapitalism fever, it doesn’t offer the perceptive analysis, as I expected from the previous chapters. Yet, I cannot discount the book merits for this, as overall Eller compellingly illustrates Appalachia struggles, and despite the book's breadth and scope, he meticulously details the mishaps and ultimately our prejudice toward Appalachia. This book is for those wanting to learn about the structural problems that plague the region and understand the historical background behind them.
There is a quote in the middle of the book that encapsulates the American response in Appalachia from the New Deal to the present. It’s written by Michael Smathers near the end of the Great Society period.
“While I was home last summer, I attended a celebration of historic Old Rugby in Morgan County, Tennessee. For a while that afternoon I sat in a yard listening to some musicians and speakers. Two flatland women were sitting on chairs in front of me, and one of them was being bothered by a long stem growing out of a plant behind her. There was nothing pretty about this stem. It was sort of ugly. It bore neither flowers nor leaves. But on the upper end it held two immature seedpods, and to me it represented life. The one woman complained to her friend about the nuisance of the stem, whereupon her friend leaned over and with some effort broke the stem.
That action seemed to me a typical response of technological society. If a flower bothers you, break it. If the environment restricts you, change it. If people get in your way, manipulate them. I believe that the more typical mountain response in this situation would have been to move your chair—to adapt yourself rather than to manipulate your environment. It is a practice we all need to learn—to move our chairs before we use up the world and bury ourselves in our own waste.”
Do you want to understand why Appalachia continues to languish behind?
Read this book and recoil.
Appalachia is a nation within a nation, where a bygone frontier’s vestiges reside in its people, defying America's progression. Yet, despite being rich in cultural history, its people remained poor. The New Deal, Great Society, and Reaganomics floundered as poverty in Appalachia remained widespread. Many suspects are speculated, such as the coal industry's slow decline or offshoring, but none as dominant as backward culture. Experts such as Michael Harrington and Rupert Vance theorized that the isolation provided by the Mississippi River and the Appalachian Mountain inhibits the native's progression as they are not being integrated into mainstream culture. Given this, the government and private industry should aggressively open up Appalachia to the outside world by changing the local ecosystem. Thus, only through unrestrained growth can the Appalachian people integrated into American society and become prosperous.
This premise, however, ignores the underlying factor that caused Appalachia's impoverishment, industrialization. Before the Second Industrial Revolution, Appalachia was the land of homesteads where each family owned a cabin and forage the forest contributing to a diverse diet made up of uganost (wild greens), corn salad (sweet flower), and ramps. When Fredrick Olmsted traveled through the region, he commented, “Extreme poverty is rare in the mountains, but a smaller proportion of the people live in a style corresponding to … New England ‘forehanded folks,’ than in any other part of the … world.” After the Civil War, the self-sufficient lifestyle started to change, as mine companies felled forest, closing off hunting and gathering grounds. This development removed the ecological base that much of the highlanders depended on and eliminated alternative income sources such as logging or farming. Communities became dependent on the coal companies, as they are increasingly becoming the sole source of income for these towns.
The old adage about progress over people is repeated so often that it can become stale and meaningless. Eller, however, expanded this proverb through Appalachia's struggles. Three different administrations tried to shape Appalachia more like the United States, and in these trials, devastated the region.
First, the New Deal. Under the Keynesian banner, Franklin D. Roosevelt enacted ambitious programs to lift the US out of the Great Depression. The Tennessee Valley Authority “constructed seven of the world’s largest coal-fired power plants… [which] created a cheap market for locally produced coal.” However, those coal plants contributed to the region being stripped of its resources, as industries hurriedly mine the mountain surfaces leading to the topsoil eroding. This, in turn, exacerbates flood damages such as the 1957 flood, which killed fourteen people. A U.S. Forest Service assessment pointed to strip mining as the main culprit for the flood damages and warned that “the conditions of the area will continue to get worse.” Furthermore, the temporary job boom proved to be short-lived as America switch to oil as its primary fuel source leading to jobs quickly evaporating as it appeared.
Best captured the situation was Eleanor Roosevelt’s Arthurdale project. Mrs. Roosevelt, like many, wanted to lift the Appalachia’s residents out of their gloom. She built Arthurdale, the icon of the New Deal, picking out the house applications for resident, and enticing General Electric to the project, hoping that the Appalachian people progressed to the modern age, away from its regression. Instead, the project faltered as the high-minded ideals conflicted with the reality, where residents quickly found themselves indebted to the factory, which the government promised them to be their salvation to civilization. GE pulled out, and residents tried to attract industries, briefly making faucets before finally, they sold the town back into private hands. This project encapsulated the New Deal aims, bringing industries into Appalachia to make its people embracing the modern age. Instead, it failed as unemployment climb, and companies increasingly automated the jobs, ironically a product of progression, which worsened the people's misery.
President Johnson promised to eradicate poverty in his Great Society by pouring money into developmental infrastructure so the region can be linked to America. However, despite modernization Appalachia, it still failed to bring much of the promised lifting for its residents. One key factor was that “public investments made in the region … shall be concentrated in areas where there is a significant potential for future growth.” This led to uneven distribution of aid, which favored cities over the countryside. This act was deliberate as planners wanted residents to migrate from the “dying mining camps and rural communities” to urban centers. The consequence was the still present rural-urban divide, which “displaces our collective responsibilities for the land and for each other onto the vagaries of the market.” Local newspapers accused the ARC board of being out of touch with Appalachia's real condition while unemployment continues to climb. Furthermore, there were hints that the plan aimed to make the resident lived in the cities, so gradually they adopted the sophisticated culture and shed their rustic tradition. However, the shift from an economic to a cultural war alienated the moderates and middle class that is needed for the plan to succeed, which doomed the endeavors to lift the region. By abandoning the small towns, the Great Society failed to lift the whole region out of its destitution, as the policies turn communities against each other.
America changed tactics. In the 1980s, under Reaganomics, Regan tried to integrate Appalachia into the national economy by incentivizing businesses to move in by lowering taxes, relaxing regulation, and subsidizing operations. Highways were built to connect the larger towns to external markets. However, like the Great Society, money poured almost exclusively into urban centers as the uneven access of transportations channels human and financial resources into the growth centers. The economic shift to service from manufacturing hurt residents, as decades of educational neglect limited their opportunity to entry-level service positions such as waiters, busboys, and receptionist. The cuts of social services and the state government increased burden under the welfare cuts, aggravated the situation as there are limited opportunities to close the gap. In Central Appalachia, personal income nearly declined by 10%, while the southern portion saw personal income raised by 3.2% due to the uneven distribution of human capital.
In all three programs, attempt to integrate Appalachia failed as they failed to address the region's systemic problems. Disregarding reports such as Appalachian Land Ownership Task Force, which pointed to the disproportionate tax burden, environmental damages, and human capital deficiencies as the main culprit of Appalachia downturns, government actions continued to be driven by the notion that Appalachia is not like America, where we’ve to accelerate integration so that its residents can shed their backwardness and join American society. These three programs attempts to integrated Appalachia lead to devastating results.
In his book, Uneven Ground: Appalachia since 1945, Eller depicts Appalachia, not as the “Other America”, so often a stereotype founded in American discussion about the region. Instead, Appalachia is America’s bellwether, magnifying the persisting faults within American society. Neither free market growth nor social welfare lifted the region out of poverty because they failed to address the root problems of the region leading to a growing gap between the wealthy and the poor. By continuing to assert that Appalachia is different from mainstream society, we continue to fall prey to a narrative that failed us, which repeatedly prevents us from really accepting Appalachia, and pushed it away from us, labeled as the black sheep of the family. Only when you stop trying to escape from Appalachia or changed it for what it is and instead look at it directly can you identify the root problems of Appalachia’s downturn.
One of the book’s greatest assets is Eller's astute attention to detail, and his nuance of the issues is sharp. His arguments are never impetuous and are well supported. However, towards the end, the book loses some of its lusters, as Eller started to diverge from the previous chapters' carefully constructed argument, and slightly appeared preachy through its lopsided framing in favor of the social activist while not bring much for the other side. While offered much in anticapitalism fever, it doesn’t offer the perceptive analysis, as I expected from the previous chapters. Yet, I cannot discount the book merits for this, as overall Eller compellingly illustrates Appalachia struggles, and despite the book's breadth and scope, he meticulously details the mishaps and ultimately our prejudice toward Appalachia. This book is for those wanting to learn about the structural problems that plague the region and understand the historical background behind them.
There is a quote in the middle of the book that encapsulates the American response in Appalachia from the New Deal to the present. It’s written by Michael Smathers near the end of the Great Society period.
“While I was home last summer, I attended a celebration of historic Old Rugby in Morgan County, Tennessee. For a while that afternoon I sat in a yard listening to some musicians and speakers. Two flatland women were sitting on chairs in front of me, and one of them was being bothered by a long stem growing out of a plant behind her. There was nothing pretty about this stem. It was sort of ugly. It bore neither flowers nor leaves. But on the upper end it held two immature seedpods, and to me it represented life. The one woman complained to her friend about the nuisance of the stem, whereupon her friend leaned over and with some effort broke the stem.
That action seemed to me a typical response of technological society. If a flower bothers you, break it. If the environment restricts you, change it. If people get in your way, manipulate them. I believe that the more typical mountain response in this situation would have been to move your chair—to adapt yourself rather than to manipulate your environment. It is a practice we all need to learn—to move our chairs before we use up the world and bury ourselves in our own waste.”
July 3, 2021
A little dry at times, but totally worth the read! Super educational!
September 25, 2015
Political history on the economic development of Appalachia since 1945. The area of the Appalachians the author primarily focuses on is eastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia. This work is scholastically-written and has plenty of good information but is repetitive in its assertions. In my opinion the repetition becomes too tedious for a substantial part of the first half of chapter three. Otherwise, the work is very good when it gets into the specifics, like in describing the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and community resistance to environmental degradation.
Just be aware, Ronald D. Eller is highly critical of Capitalism and argues the economic structure espoused by the United States is the fundamental culprit in the continued poverty faced by the rural regions of Appalachia and ultimately other communities located throughout the nation. Eller argues the different fixes devised to cure extreme poverty in Appalachia have failed the region's poorest because both the Free Market and Keynesian methods presume the correctness of Capitalism.
Just be aware, Ronald D. Eller is highly critical of Capitalism and argues the economic structure espoused by the United States is the fundamental culprit in the continued poverty faced by the rural regions of Appalachia and ultimately other communities located throughout the nation. Eller argues the different fixes devised to cure extreme poverty in Appalachia have failed the region's poorest because both the Free Market and Keynesian methods presume the correctness of Capitalism.
July 30, 2013
Detailed history of the myriad and conflicting anti-poverty campaigns developed for progress in Appalachia. Enormous amounts of private and government funding over decades saw mixed progress in the development of this "land apart." Eller takes on complex cultural, political, educational, environmental, and industrial issues and describes the challenges and shortcomings of growth policies. An interesting, if, depressing, read.
Read
April 2, 2025Book Review: Uneven Ground: Appalachia Since 1945 by Ronald D. Eller
Overview
Uneven Ground: Appalachia Since 1945 by Ronald D. Eller provides a comprehensive examination of the social, economic, and political dynamics shaping Appalachia in the years following World War II. Through meticulous research and insightful analysis, Eller challenges prevailing stereotypes about the region while highlighting its complexities and ongoing struggles.
Content Summary
The book explores various facets of Appalachian life, including the historical impacts of coal mining, industrial development, and government policies. Eller delves into the region’s economic challenges, particularly how they have evolved over the decades, and critiques the effectiveness of initiatives aimed at improving conditions for local residents.
Key topics include:
Development and Disparities: Eller addresses how economic development in Appalachia has often been uneven, resulting in significant disparities between different areas and communities within the region.
Cultural Identity: The author emphasizes the rich cultural heritage of Appalachians, countering negative portrayals that focus solely on poverty and desperation.
Political Landscape: The text examines the political movements and leadership that have influenced policy decisions affecting the region, shedding light on the intersection of local and national politics.
Environmental Issues: Eller discusses the environmental degradation resulting from industrial practices, particularly within the coal industry, and considers the long-term implications for the landscape and communities.
Analysis and Impact
Eller’s writing is both scholarly and accessible, making complex issues relatable to a broad audience. His thorough research is evident throughout the book, supported by numerous case studies and historical data. The narrative is engaging, and Eller’s passion for the region is palpable, urging readers to reconsider their perceptions of Appalachia.
Critically, Uneven Ground serves as both a historical account and a call to action, advocating for a nuanced understanding of the region’s challenges and potential pathways forward. The book is a vital resource for anyone interested in Appalachian studies, sociology, and the broader implications of regional development in America.
Conclusion
Uneven Ground: Appalachia Since 1945 is an essential read for those seeking to understand the complexities of Appalachian life and its historical context. Ronald D. Eller’s insightful analysis offers a valuable perspective that challenges stereotypes while encouraging a deeper appreciation for the region’s resilience and cultural richness. This book stands out as a significant contribution to discussions about development, identity, and social justice in Appalachia and beyond.
Overview
Uneven Ground: Appalachia Since 1945 by Ronald D. Eller provides a comprehensive examination of the social, economic, and political dynamics shaping Appalachia in the years following World War II. Through meticulous research and insightful analysis, Eller challenges prevailing stereotypes about the region while highlighting its complexities and ongoing struggles.
Content Summary
The book explores various facets of Appalachian life, including the historical impacts of coal mining, industrial development, and government policies. Eller delves into the region’s economic challenges, particularly how they have evolved over the decades, and critiques the effectiveness of initiatives aimed at improving conditions for local residents.
Key topics include:
Development and Disparities: Eller addresses how economic development in Appalachia has often been uneven, resulting in significant disparities between different areas and communities within the region.
Cultural Identity: The author emphasizes the rich cultural heritage of Appalachians, countering negative portrayals that focus solely on poverty and desperation.
Political Landscape: The text examines the political movements and leadership that have influenced policy decisions affecting the region, shedding light on the intersection of local and national politics.
Environmental Issues: Eller discusses the environmental degradation resulting from industrial practices, particularly within the coal industry, and considers the long-term implications for the landscape and communities.
Analysis and Impact
Eller’s writing is both scholarly and accessible, making complex issues relatable to a broad audience. His thorough research is evident throughout the book, supported by numerous case studies and historical data. The narrative is engaging, and Eller’s passion for the region is palpable, urging readers to reconsider their perceptions of Appalachia.
Critically, Uneven Ground serves as both a historical account and a call to action, advocating for a nuanced understanding of the region’s challenges and potential pathways forward. The book is a vital resource for anyone interested in Appalachian studies, sociology, and the broader implications of regional development in America.
Conclusion
Uneven Ground: Appalachia Since 1945 is an essential read for those seeking to understand the complexities of Appalachian life and its historical context. Ronald D. Eller’s insightful analysis offers a valuable perspective that challenges stereotypes while encouraging a deeper appreciation for the region’s resilience and cultural richness. This book stands out as a significant contribution to discussions about development, identity, and social justice in Appalachia and beyond.
June 3, 2025
In regards to the content, the monopoly man is definitely real and he’s in charge of the coal companies in Appalachia.
The title of the book is too broad. This is really a book about government and nonprofit programs to alleviate poverty in Appalachia. There is very little about Appalachian culture. The author is constantly discussing the death of Appalachian culture yet we do not delve into the typical Appalachian family life, Appalachian land relationships or race dynamics. Instead of spreading information about Appalachian culture and why it needs to be preserved, we get page after page about the stereotypes - drug abuse, coal mining, poverty. Obviously these topics needed to be addressed but I don’t understand why more time couldn’t have been spent on the highlights of Appalachian life that could give the reader some perspective on why people are reluctant to leave the area.
I’m lucky to come from an Appalachian family and lived in central Appalachia for a small portion of my life so I have personal experiences with the culture. To an average reader who has limited experience, I struggle to see why they would think Appalachian culture needs to be preserved. I needed to hear more Appalachian voices but this book was mostly the voices of those trying to control Appalachia economically, socially, and politically.
If you are interested in government programs, immediate environmental concerns, or The War on Poverty, this book is for you. If you’re more interested in a broader understanding of Appalachian culture, government and life, move on.
The title of the book is too broad. This is really a book about government and nonprofit programs to alleviate poverty in Appalachia. There is very little about Appalachian culture. The author is constantly discussing the death of Appalachian culture yet we do not delve into the typical Appalachian family life, Appalachian land relationships or race dynamics. Instead of spreading information about Appalachian culture and why it needs to be preserved, we get page after page about the stereotypes - drug abuse, coal mining, poverty. Obviously these topics needed to be addressed but I don’t understand why more time couldn’t have been spent on the highlights of Appalachian life that could give the reader some perspective on why people are reluctant to leave the area.
I’m lucky to come from an Appalachian family and lived in central Appalachia for a small portion of my life so I have personal experiences with the culture. To an average reader who has limited experience, I struggle to see why they would think Appalachian culture needs to be preserved. I needed to hear more Appalachian voices but this book was mostly the voices of those trying to control Appalachia economically, socially, and politically.
If you are interested in government programs, immediate environmental concerns, or The War on Poverty, this book is for you. If you’re more interested in a broader understanding of Appalachian culture, government and life, move on.
May 8, 2022
a Comprehensive History of Appalachia
Eller goes into great detail about how politics have affected Appalachia’s region. It’s a wonderful, comprehensive read of Appalachia’s struggles to escape poverty. This book gives you a solid background in Appalachia’s political and economical struggles from 1945 to present. He dives into many common myths and stereotypes about Appalachia’s people and culture to expel these falsities. I think his book is best summed up with this quote, “Appalachia was not different from the rest of America; it was in fact a mirror of what the nation was becoming.”
Eller goes into great detail about how politics have affected Appalachia’s region. It’s a wonderful, comprehensive read of Appalachia’s struggles to escape poverty. This book gives you a solid background in Appalachia’s political and economical struggles from 1945 to present. He dives into many common myths and stereotypes about Appalachia’s people and culture to expel these falsities. I think his book is best summed up with this quote, “Appalachia was not different from the rest of America; it was in fact a mirror of what the nation was becoming.”
October 13, 2020
Required reading for a course I'm taking! Being from Southern Appalachia, I was not privy to much of the coal mining information apart from what I'd seen on the news. I probably fell prey to the stereotypical image of Appalachia before reading this book, and I didn't identify with that aspect growing up. It was quite informative and I've already gotten another book on hold that I read about in this one.
August 9, 2024
This was a serious, in-depth, academic level book yet immensely readable. I have always had an interest in this region of the US. Heaven only knows where my interest came from. Perhaps because I was born to an immigrant family, I have always routed for the underdog.
At any rate I am glad to have had a chance to read this and update my understanding of the region.
This is an important book to read if you are interested in US History. Corporate greed, corruption and sometimes well intentioned government actions have all contributed to this great American scandal. Appalachia deserves so much more.
At any rate I am glad to have had a chance to read this and update my understanding of the region.
This is an important book to read if you are interested in US History. Corporate greed, corruption and sometimes well intentioned government actions have all contributed to this great American scandal. Appalachia deserves so much more.
January 23, 2022
Eller takes a look at the history of Appalachia's industrialization (or failure to do so) through a quasi-Marxist lens. Topics include the dog and pony show that is the Appalachian Regional Commission, why the New Deal worked while the Great Society flopped, and the "development" narrative that has honestly done more harm than good. This is the only serious examination of Appalachia I've ever read.
February 27, 2020
A revelation on every page, and this is coming from someone who grew up in Charleston WV
June 10, 2020
Very informative.
April 13, 2022
Excellent overview of Appalachian history.
July 15, 2023
After consuming most of my Appalachian media through stories, memoirs, and more personal narration, reading something of a textbook on the region was both appreciated and..not so.
December 29, 2023
This book made me feel the same way John Keegan’s First World War did. Great history with a twinge of hopelessness for the situation.
April 25, 2024
One of the best books on Appalachia I have read, it gives an in-depth account of the region's state during the fall of the coal industry and its aftermath while attempting to escape poverty. Very informative and feels almost like a textbook, but Eller does a fantastic job weaving this story during Appalachia's most critical years.
December 4, 2024
An essential for anyone studying the Appalachian region. This book is so full of knowledge it may be a bit intimidating at first, but it is great!
September 4, 2025
Thank you Silas House for recommending. This is an outstanding book on Appalachia.
August 9, 2024
A very thorough history of the Appalachian region post-war. A great alternative to Hillbilly Elegy!
June 17, 2016
Ron Eller was a history professor at UK in the 1980s. He is an amazing scholar and teacher. This work I utilized for my final exam in graduate school. His work is easy to read, informative and well researched.
December 29, 2016
This was written as a textbook but don't let that put you off. If you want to understand Appalachia this is the book to read and it is easy and enjoyable to read. I've never enjoyed reading a textbook more.
February 21, 2023
Well researched and had numerous good examples to support his opinions. It’s such a broad, complex issue that I think you would need 4-5 books to cover each social and economic issue in depth. Overall, a good academic read. Not exactly a thrilling page turner but well done
February 27, 2009
Wow... way to many organizational acronyms in this book. I did like reading all about the area/economy/etc. And yes, I still want to live there!
December 16, 2010
I was unable to finish this--just lost interest.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews