The Harlan Renaissance: Stories of Black Life in Appalachian Coal Towns

by William H. Turner

Weatherford Award Winner, Nonfiction

A personal remembrance from the preeminent chronicler of Black life in Appalachia.

The Harlan Renaissance is an intimate remembrance of kinship and community in eastern Kentucky’s coal towns written by one of the luminaries of Appalachian studies, William Turner. Turner reconstructs Black life in the company towns in and around Harlan County during coal’s final postwar boom years, which built toward an enduring bust as the children of Black miners, like the author, left the region in search of better opportunities.

The Harlan Renaissance invites readers into what might be an unfamiliar one studded by large and vibrant Black communities, where families took the pulse of the nation through magazines like Jet and Ebony and through the news that traveled within Black churches, schools, and restaurants. Difficult choices for the future were made as parents considered the unpredictable nature of Appalachia’s economic realities alongside the unpredictable nature of a national movement toward civil rights.

Unfolding through layers of sociological insight and oral history, The Harlan Renaissance centers the sympathetic perspectives and critical eye of a master narrator of Black life.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Race, American History

390 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2021

Reviews

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting insights into Black life in Appalachia--specifically Turner's families and networks--and company town communities. The full out assault on Frank X. Walker and Affrilachian Writers was unexpected, maybe a generational disagreements of some sport between Turner and Walker. A good editing would have gone a long way to condensing and focusing the repetitive nature of the book and cutting down the length a bit. Still worth the read.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Turner has written an uneven, but important, work on the substance of Black life and culture in company towns of Appalachia. There seem to be some axes to grind in places and some pontification, but there are also excellent arguments. It has to be said that Turner is no doubt a great academic whose experience growing up in Lynch, KY created a sense of self-worth that infuse his existence and have engendered cultural mores that are unique to persons who have his same upbringing. All of this said, I have an affinity for this geography and I can read all about this area without too much nitpicking.

[Julie Brock · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not bad, just a bit too micro-level. It reads more as a memoir or his family’s history than a representation of Appalachian coal towns, as stated in the subtitle. All along I thought the author was an historian and then by the end I realized he is a sociologist. It’s been decades since I read anything by a sociologist, so maybe I’m just not accustomed to that field.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

An insightful memoir that focuses attention on an often-ignored group, the black Americans in Appalachian coal towns. Turner was a child in an eastern Kentucky coal town and he reminisces about the way things were, finding good (e.g., the sense of community) and bad (being so reliant on the company for your life, the changes that integration brought). An interesting, thought-provoking book.

[Jasmine VanDyke · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid read, although this book was not what I was expecting. I thought the book would be more academic in nature, when it was more of a micro-history style memoir. Regardless, an interesting collection of personal stories that tie into the larger and forgotten history of black life in Appalachia.

[Kevin McAvoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A time long gone but described so clearly you feel like you are right there. Growing up in coal-mining towns of Harlan County, Kentucky, Mr Turner has lovingly shared his life with the world. Encouraged by Alex Haley he accepted the challenge of writing Black Appalachian history. Listened to the audible audiobook. Narrated perfectly. Enjoyed learning this true history spoken from the heart.

[Bruce Cashbaugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enlightening book about growing up Black in Appalachia in the 1950s and 1960s. And about coal mining.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

An important read. I was hoping for more stories - a lot of it reads like a history book and lacks the personal feel I was hoping for from the title.

[Julia Landis · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important nuanced addition to the highly whitewashed Appalachian history. Turner tells his life’s story in this memoir/important addition to the Appalachian studies canon.