New in paperback this month: Jiff Biggers' The United States of Appalachia: How Southern Mountaineers Brought Independence, Culture, and Enlightenment to America.From the publisher:
The idea of Appalachia holds a certain negative connotation in the eyes of many Americans — author Jeff Biggers shows how ignorant the rest of us are when it comes to the true history of a remarkable region
The word “Appalachia” is seldom uttered in the same sentence as the word “enlightenment.”
More likely, images of the film Deliverance, corncob-chomping grannies, or bonafide gun-toting hillbillies come to mind. However, in truth, Appalachia has been a cradle of U.S. freedom, independence, and enlightenment, as well as a region of progressive social history, literature, and music.
The United States of Appalachia reveals to us how so many of our nation’s basic freedoms and founding moments were born in and disseminated from the Appalachias. From the first declaration of independence to the beginnings of folk music, literature, and poetry, Jeff Biggers illuminates with humor, intelligence, and clarity reasons why we all need a lesson in Appalachia history.