Twilight in Hazard: An Appalachian Reckoning

by Alan Maimon

From investigative reporter and Pulitzer Prize finalist Alan Maimon comes the story of how a perfect storm of events has had a devastating impact on life in small town Appalachia, and on the soul of a shaken nation . . .

When Alan Maimon got the assignment in 2000 to report on life in rural Eastern Kentucky, his editor at the Louisville Courier-Journal told him to cover the region “like a foreign correspondent would.”

And indeed, when Maimon arrived in Hazard, Kentucky fresh off a reporting stint for the New York Times’s Berlin bureau, he felt every bit the outsider. He had landed in a place in the vice grip of ecological devastation and a corporate-made opioid epidemic—a place where vote-buying and drug-motivated political assassinations were the order of the day.

While reporting on the intense religious allegiances, the bitter, bareknuckled political rivalries, and the faltering attempts to emerge from a century-long coal-based economy, Maimon learns that everything—and nothing—you have heard about the region is true. And far from being a foreign place, it is a region whose generations-long struggles are driven by quintessentially American forces.

Resisting the easy cliches, Maimon’s Twilight in Hazard gives us a profound understanding of the region from his years of careful reporting. It is both a powerful chronicle of a young reporter’s immersion in a place, and of his return years later—this time as the husband of a Harlan County coal miner’s daughter—to find the area struggling with its identity and in the thrall of Trumpism as a political ideology.

Twilight in Hazard refuses to mythologize Central Appalachia. It is a plea to move past the fixation on coal, and a reminder of the true costs to democracy when the media retreats from places of rural distress. It is an intimate portrait of a people staring down some of the most pernicious forces at work in America today while simultaneously being asked: How could you let this happen to yourselves?

Twilight in Hazard instead tells the more riveting, noirish, and sometimes bitingly humorous story of how we all let this happen.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, History, Audiobook, Memoir, Economics, Journalism

1 pages, Audio CD

First published June 8, 2021

Reviews

[Stella Pollard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gets 3 stars from this Hazard native. While I admire Mr. Maimon for not dragging our town completely through the mud, this book does nothing but glorify “what’s wrong” with EKY. Pointing out the shortcomings and infuriating things that some of the folks there do, but not really highlighting any of the positives of the town. It certainly doesn’t do the best of job at sharing a “humorous” story. I also appreciate that the author shares on the cover sleeve that we “all” let this happen, not just Appalachian Americans. However, the book didn’t really portray that message to me. I could be implicitly biased because that’s my home. Those are MY people. That is my blood, so I tried to keep an open mind to that while reading this story.

I will give kudos to the author, he did a superb job at describing people like Mayor Gorman , Dr. Dan, and many others and did Giovanni’s supreme (ha, see what I did there?) justice in its delicious pizza but very vocal politics. (SIDE NOTE: The owner of the pizza store is actually a brother to the doctor who is currently pulling 15 years for illegal pill prescriptions.) however, Butch- the owner- is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. He does a lot for the community.

What you will not find in this book:

•The injustice of black lung and how it is killing the people off in this town. My dad passed away in 2011 from it. That’s when we decided we needed to move. I couldn’t live through one more loss like that. And do you know what the state and federal government is doing about it? Nothing.

•I grew up in a holler with well water- yes, well water. It was polluted with sulfer but that’s what I drank. We didn’t have access to city water. I had problems with my teeth for my whole life (I am now, at 32, wearing braces for the first time, ever! I’m so grateful). I didn’t drink Mountain Dew growing up but I still had issues with my teeth… do you know what it’s like taking a bath or shower in sulfer water? It’s not the best on blonde hair and it certainly isn’t the best for cleaning clothes. (RIP white shirts).

•there isn’t high speed internet there - so-long chances for infrastructure.

•the mountains make it difficult to get freight to locations and the road conditions/no interstate connection make it extremely difficult to find solutions for that

•Hazard is home to Hazard Community and Technical College which produces many RNs, electricians, trade degrees and pushes many others into the University Center of the Mountians (thank you EKU, UK, MSU, and others for the support). WHY DOES THIS NOT GET THE RECOGNITION IT DESERVES ❤️ So thankful for HCTCS

Side notes:
•France’s Diner is Bomb.com
•I’m sad circle t wasn’t mentioned haha or Kings Pizza!
•the goose house’s head fell off this year, but my cousin fixed it up and it’s good as new— also, not across from France’s.
•the club 80 became an auction after the club closed, my parents ran that! Now it’s an “adult bookstore” 😱

Ok. That’s enough. I’m rambeling.. for future inspiring authors of Appalachian Reckoning (😬 cringe, first find a new phrase- please! For the love…), write it with a person from Appalachia.

Overall, it was a good read. Much better than Elegy 🤢. 3 stars.

[♥Milica♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will never get tired of reading about this region. Or listening, since I did decide on the audiobook for this one.

I found Twilight in Hazard to be really insightful, I feel like I understand Eastern Kentucky better now that I've finished it. The amount of love Maimon has for the people there is apparent, his portrayal of them and their problems never felt exploitative, and his outsider perspective was interesting.

I'd definitely reread this one in the future.

[Jennifer Schultz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read if you: Are interested in thoughtful and wide-ranging examinations of Appalachia that aren't patronizing or exploitative.

If you liked Death in Mud Lick by Eric Eyre, you should read this one. Although Twilight in Hazard is not just about the opiod crisis (and is concerned with eastern Kentucky, whereas Death in Mud Lick has a West Virginia focus), the physical and emotional trauma in the region due to opiods is deeply felt; the latter part of Twilight in Hazard is also a chronicle of the long decline of local journalism.

Librarians/booksellers: Purchase if interest in Appalachia-related books are popular; this is definitely noteworthy.

Many thanks to Melville House and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Richard Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a sort of a sequel to "Night Comes to the Cumberland." Just when we thought that we had ground the region down to dust, stripping its forests and mineral wealth, robbing and exploiting its people, sending its sons off to die in foreign wars or deep under the earth in dangerous mines; just when we thought that we had a bad enough drug epidemic with crystal meth, now along come opioids and the death of the coal business so that there is only a trickle of decent jobs remaining. And the long history of political corruption and violence goes on and on. Let's give these poor folks a break.

For me the nice thing about this book is the way that it calls for solutions that will treat the people respectfully, not condescendingly or mockingly. Find a way to play to the region's strengths - its music, its culture, its crafts, its colorful history, its beauty, its community spirit. There is so much good to be found here. If we just can find the right trigger to get it started and stop the insane exploitation from the outside that they have suffered again and again and again.

[Staci · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting look at eastern Kentucky through the eyes of a journalist from the east coast. Topics covered included coal mining, narcotics, politics and religion. Good job by the narrator.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Any book that mentions the Broke Spoke gets an automatic 5 stars

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good, not great. It reads more of a reflection of the authors time in the area at what appears to be a pivotal moment in his journalistic and personal life.

I understand such a reflection but with such a dramatic title of “reckoning” it does not read that way. The bit about politics was some of the better discussions but felt severely lacking. With so many important ideas to discuss, politics, religion, poverty, opioid crisis, it felt like instead of diving into any of these ideas we just scratched them and left, I feel it required much more to flesh out the evolution of these on eastern Kentucky in the past and moving forward.

I like the author he is a great writer and can string thoughts, opinions, ideas and feelings of the subject matter very well but this work was lacking for me.

[Megan Burge · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Rather than touting a return to normalcy after a particularly tumultuous and dangerous period in our history, we have to aggressively rethink what is normal and acceptable. We have to attack the historical and structural forces that keep people in poverty. We have to combat the notion that people and places are irredeemable, by telling their stories. Only then will we have a chance of becoming the most righteous version of ourselves.”

[Tfalcone · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned some things about persistent poverty, the drug epidemic and the coal industry.

[Ashley Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally gave this one 3 stars, but bumped to 4. Probably a solid 3.5. I liked that he emphasized he was an outsider giving his opinions/experiences. Unlike a Middletown Ohioan claiming to represent all of Appalachia 🙃

[Tracy R · Rating 4 out of 5]

A community needs to work with outsiders and insiders to succeed. Looking to the past and hoping for the past does not make a brighter future.

[Brittany Benningfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

READ THIS INSTEAD OF HILLBILLY ELEGY!! Love, a life-long Kentuckian.

[Manisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to the audiobook.

[Kevin Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the book to read about Eastern Kentucky. Not because it’s an amazing book, but because it’s really the only book about the region. Despite being the poorest area of the U.S outside of a reservation, Eastern Kentucky gets very little coverage. This book seeks to rectify that, but unfortunately it is outdated (the author has not lived in Hazard since 2005) and severely lacking in personal accounts of the region outside the lives of politicians and powerful local players. Still, it gives a decent top down overview of a severely underserved and little understood region of America.

[Bobby Daugherty · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author starts out addressing the opioid crisis that started under Obama and then goes on the lambast the locals for voting against Hillary Clinton when she announced she would eliminate their jobs. It appears that the left can only stay on topic if the topic is "Orange Man Bad". A complete waste of print.

[Stephanie Pieck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eastern Kentucky contains some of the most beautiful land in the country. Remote, rugged, and rich in history, it has captured the imagination of generations of Americans … in all the wrong ways. The author seeks to break down the stereotypes of “hillbillies” and “poor white trash” that have plagued the region.
It is true that the area’s residents are some of the poorest in the nation. They have suffered through horrific mining accidents and the degradation of their land, water, and air. They have been overlooked by politicians more interested in filling their coffers by courting powerful and influential donors (which often include the mining and pharmaceutical companies that have caused so much trouble in the region).
The people of eastern Kentucky have a deep pride in their heritage and their country. Yet many also have a deep desire to leave, or if they stay, to find a way to have a better life. They rely on social services programs provided by the government, yet they long for less governmental control and oversight, especially concering issues like guns, abortion, and religion.
The author worked as a regional reporter in the area for several years in the early 2000’s. When the newspaper he wrote for was bought up by a large conglomerate that was making sweeping changes to how local news was covered, he chose to find work elsewhere, although his passion for and dedication to the people he wrote about never wavered.
This book gives readers a chance to glimpse the poisoned politics, longstanding feuds, corporate neglect, and political apathy that have combined to keep eastern Kentucky lagging behind so many other parts of the United States. He also illustrates how the divide between rich and poor, Republican and Democrat, rural and urban, a divide that is now splintering so much of America, is on stark display in eastern Kentucky.
And yet, the author highlights a few signs of hope. Hope, coupled with hard work and a reorienting of society’s thinking about how to tackle problems like poverty, education, and environment, would benefit all of us, including the people of eastern Kentucky.

[Brianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having grown up in the EXACT area of the author, this nonfiction book gave me the context I was missing all along. Maimon, an experienced award-winning investigative reporter, was stationed in Hazard as he wrote for the Courier-Journal. He's compiled his expertise into a researched book that explores politics, religion, medicine, economics, and more. This book does NOT pigeonhole Appalachia as an isolated region of hillbillies (though Hillbilly Days is the actual opposite kind of celebration), rather, Maimon situates Appalachia in larger contexts relating to the state, region, and nation. I found myself remembering the events he discusses because I lived in the region during those exact years, but I learned more about how my experience was shaped by contexts outside of my control--or anyone's control. The book is so rich with information that I'm probably going to buy it instead of checking it out from the library when I want to reread it. Highlights for me were the history and downfall of coal mining, crooked politics, the argument about the Ten Commandments in schools, the opioid epidemic, Eric C. Conn (I remember every single one of his billboards), and how generations of kids taught themselves how to "not speak Appalachian" so they could move out of the area and get jobs--I am one of those people. I see myself in this book, much like other Appalachian-oriented books on this year's list.

[Rodney Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alan Maimon’s Twilight in Hazard is another in a long line of books attempting to explain Appalachia, particularly Appalachian Kentucky, to the rest of America.
I am proudly from Eastern Kentucky and I can’t and won’t deny that we have more than our fair share of issues to attempt to resolve. Nevertheless I often take issue with books like these and I find Mr. Maimon makes similar mistakes as other writers who attempt the project of explaining Appalachia.
The primary mistake he makes is by portraying Eastern Kentucky as a monolith. He paints generally in broad strokes with Kentuckians as gun toting right wingers and when he does mention those that do not fit the stereotype it is only to reinforce my second issue, partisanship.
Many books of this nature are excessively partisan and this book is no exception. This book takes a progressive stance and continually hits on the points one would expect from that angle. I find the attempt to show Eastern Kentucky as a sort of proxy for explaining the rise of Trumpism to be particularly tired.
The strongest aspect of this book is that Mr. Maimon does portray Eastern Kentuckians in a sympathetic light. While I often disagree with his conclusions, he does not try to denigrate Appalachians. While he resorts to some stereotypes, he does not portray Eastern Kentuckians as simple “hicks”.

[maddie patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up!

I really enjoyed this one. Maimon's passion for reporting on the region was incredibly well-written, and as a reader, I could genuinely feel his passion for the people of Eastern Kentucky. The chapter on political violence was the most interesting to me personally, and I feel like some of the anecdotes he describes should have been bigger news because WHAT do you mean a dude running for the office of sheriff was shot and burned in his car???? That's crazy!!!!

One thing that really stuck with me throughout my reading was also how familiar the story of Eastern Kentucky is, especially when compared to the rest of the world. I read a lot about Latin America, and some elements of the exploitative industries, incompetent and corrupt governments, and persistent political violence felt so similar, despite the vast regional differences. To me, those similarities just emphasized how empires will create systems of oppression both abroad and internally, and use them as a way to control civilians. It also just reemphasized how the struggles for justice, environmental equality, and financial equity are the same all across the world, and how important global movements towards those goals are.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firstly the narrator is fantastic. He’s very prolific and was the perfect choice for this book.

Secondly, the author is very knowledgeable about everything he includes and eloquent in his explanations that make his nuanced discussions clear, even to those of us who don’t know the area.

I definitely feel like I have a better understanding of an area I knew very little about, and interestingly I have been reflecting in a different way about where I am from as well, as there are details about the dominating industry of my home state that I wouldn’t have really considered, having never considered it through the lens of the rise and fall of the coal industry. And I do know what it’s like to be from a part of the country that people make fun of everywhere else, so that angle was abundantly relatable.

One final note: You really have to be ready for some gut-wrenching realities before reading though, so steady yourself if you are sensitive at heart. Black lung, strip mining, OxyContin addiction… it can be difficult to take a good hard look at so much social devastation & environmental ruin left behind by laissez-faire extractionism, and how its wake lasts for generations to come.

[Adam‘’s book reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of Twilight in Hazard: An Appalachian Reckoning by Alan Maimon

Alan Maimon’s Twilight in Hazard offers a vivid and heartfelt look into life in Eastern Kentucky. As a reporter stationed in Hazard County from 2001 to 2005, Maimon shares his personal experiences, making the book both engaging and informative.

The chapters are concise yet rich with stories about the area’s challenges, including political issues, economic hardships, and the resilience of its people. Maimon also touches on the decline of local newspapers, emphasizing their importance in keeping communities connected and informed.

This book serves as a modern follow-up to Harry M. Caudill’s Night Comes to the Cumberlands, bringing the story of Appalachia into the present day. Maimon’s genuine respect and affection for the community shine through, making Twilight in Hazard a compelling read for anyone interested in understanding the true essence of this unique region.

[Chas Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found Twilight in Hazard an engaging read. As a person from a more liminal area, one of the Appalachian counties a little closer to central Kentucky, I appreciated the approach Maimon took to the narrative. I didn’t read it as disparaging or moon-eyed and optimistic. The author paid proper attention to the problems facing the people he reported for and didn’t paint them as ignorant victims. Overall, the reader was left with the conviction (if they didn’t have it already) that the people of Eastern Kentucky face complex challenges that are systematic in nature and will require a complex solution that doesn’t hinge on any one industry or one answer. There’s no silver bullet. I also felt that he suggested that the people of Eastern Kentucky are drawing on their own creativity and resources to begin to address those problems. It was reasonably hopeful.

[Carol N. Boozer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a realistic, yet sympathetic, description of the lives of residents of Eastern Kentucky and the many challenges they face. With globalization and the closing of factories, coal mining remained one of the few ways to make a living that allowed staying in the area. The harshness of their lives and the closing of mines contributed to widespread addiction to oxycontin and to "bad nerves," frequently a basis for social security disability support. Corruption by officials is common; interest and attempts at solutions by representatives are scarce. While this book does not offer solutions, it does make it difficult to continue to overlook and even disparage fellow Americans who have such need.

[Mason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trigger warning: opioid crisis, racism, poverty, murder

This was pretty interesting! The author lived in Eastern Kentucky for over twenty years, and this is the result of all of his research. It's very in-depth and covers a lot of different topics. However, there are times when it comes across as rambling about one thing as opposed to a whole picture of what's going on in Appalachia. I really appreciated talking about Charles Booker, but I wish the book looked at some of the people of color in Appalachia and their experiences.

[Barbara Kemp · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written by a journalist who lived in Harlan for about 5 years. He told stories about the people, some of which I was vaguely familiar. I knew about Eric Conn, “Mr. Social Security,” but not about his doctor and judge abettors. I had heard of the murder of Sam Catron, but not the backstory. Having lived in Eastern Kentucky I was familiar with “you talk proper,” or in my case “you talk educated.” So much of this book was not unfamiliar but he told a little more of the story than I remembered. I enjoyed the book.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

A NYTimes recommendation (I think). Well-written, intriguing, sometimes a little hard to pin down. This was part memoir/slice of life, part travelogue, part essay collection. If I had a frustration, it would be that it didn't attempt complete explanations - but I think that was the point, maybe. Complete explanations tend to render complex subjects too one-dimensional. I enjoyed the people and scenes Maimon conveyed. Some people will inevitably compare it to Hillbilly Elegy - but Maimon makes it pretty clear upfront that the books are not apples and oranges.

[T P Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book but not an easy read. It's an anecdotal account of reportage in Eastern Kentucky with a frightening list of problems and challenges for the region. I got a little lost in the detail. It didn't satisfy me either as a biographical account of the authors time in the region or an overview of the issues facing the region. Still, lots of interesting information and a handful of good character sketches.

[Jeffrey Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a younger journalist based in Appalachia, this book has a particular personal relevance, although I'm in Western North Carolina. Maimon does great work here, complicating and challenging tired tropes about our region, while holding the powerful accountable and highlighting the ways mountain communities continue to be exploited.

He also touches on some of the reasons why so many rural Appalachians vote for politicians and policies that run counter to their own interests.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although very complex at times, my interest in the topic kept me reading and appreciating this book. The geographical location of Appalachia, the issues that the author discusses, and his research into the issues are all good reasons for me to recommend this book. He’s not from the area, but obviously cares deeply for it.

[kevin moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writer takes his experience as a reporter, drilling down on Appalachian Ky stories, and addresses the many layers that make up the Appalachian culture.

Opioids, coal, unique medical conditions, religion, politics, media and the unreal number of public officials serving time (I thought NJ won that game)

Very well done through the use of individual stories that reflect each layer.