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At Home in the Heart of Appalachia: A Memoir

At Home in the Heart of Appalachia: A Memoir

Current price: $18.90
Publication Date: September 17th, 2002
Publisher:
Anchor
ISBN:
9780385721394
Pages:
320

Description

John O’Brien was raised in Philadelphia by an Appalachian father who fled the mountains to escape crippling poverty and family tragedy. Years later, with a wife and two kids of his own, the son moved back into those mountains in an attempt to understand both himself and the father from whom he’d become estranged.

At once a poignant memoir and a tribute to America's most misunderstood region, At Home in the Heart of Appalachia describes a lush land of voluptuous summers, woodsmoke winters, and breathtaking autumns and springs. John O'Brien sees through the myths about Appalachia to its people and the mountain culture that has sustained them. And he takes to task naïve missionaries and rapacious industrialists who are the real source of much of the region's woe as well as its lingering hillbilly stereotypes. Finally, and profoundly, he comes to terms with the atavistic demons that haunt the relations between Appalachian fathers and sons.

About the Author

John O’Brien has held writing fellowships at the University of Iowa and Stanford University, and he was the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. His work has appeared in Hudson Review, Massachusetts Review, TriQuarterly, Country Journal, Harrowsmith, and Gray’s Sporting Journal. This is his first book. He lives with his wife, Becky, in Franklin, West Virginia.

Praise for At Home in the Heart of Appalachia: A Memoir

“A magnificent, and major, book.... A true addition to the literature of America.” --The News & Observer

“This is a heartfelt book that you quickly get comfortable in. As endearing as a friend.” --Edward Hoagland

“An illuminating meditation on a singular American place . . . rich and bighearted."
--Atlanta Journal Constitution
"Offers deep, lingering pleasure."--Jonathan Harr

“[A] beautiful reading experience.” --Stuart Dybek