Back Talk from Appalachia: Confronting Stereotypes

by Dwight B. Billings (Editor), Gurney Norman (Editor)

Appalachia has long been stereotyped as a region of feuds, moonshine stills, mine wars, environmental destruction, joblessness, and hopelessness. Robert Schenkkan's 1992 Pulitzer-Prize winning play The Kentucky Cycle once again adopted these stereotypes, recasting the American myth as a story of repeated failure and poverty--the failure of the American spirit and the poverty of the American soul. Dismayed by national critics' lack of attention to the negative depictions of mountain people in the play, a group of Appalachian scholars rallied against the stereotypical representations of the region's people. In Back Talk from Appalachia, these writers talk back to the American mainstream, confronting head-on those who view their home region one-dimensionally. The essays, written by historians, literary scholars, sociologists, creative writers, and activists, provide a variety of responses. Some examine the sources of Appalachian mythology in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century literature. Others reveal personal experiences and examples of grassroots activism that confound and contradict accepted images of ""hillbillies."" The volume ends with a series of critiques aimed directly at The Kentucky Cycle and similar contemporary works that highlight the sociological, political, and cultural assumptions about Appalachia fueling today's false stereotypes.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

362 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1998

Reviews

[Arabella · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great deep dive into Appalachian stereotypes. It is a collection of academic writings, with some poetry and short writings in the middle, but everything is very interesting; the language is not difficult to read. Even though it was published in 1999, I would still very much recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Appalachian culture and history (Maybe start with What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia by Elizabeth Catte though for an introduction to the topic). There is a lot of critiques of a play called The Kentucky Cycle, and the opinions of this piece can be applied to the more current Hillbilly Elegy. Overall, a really interesting and thought provoking read!

[Elizabeth Kral · Rating 5 out of 5]

Academic: useful for me as a writer of historical fiction.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly academic-style collection of articles.

[Joshua Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful read, especially for those that bleed blue. Former Poet Laureate and an inspiration righter giving Kentucky authors a good name.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely easy to read and very enjoyable. Dwight has a way of making academia fun.