Interpreting Appalachia, Garry Barker observes, is a task that has too often fallen to outsiders, whether government missionaries, learned experts, or sensation mongers. Not surprisingly, he suggests, their accounts of the region have usually missed the essentials: "the subtle humor, quiet pain, intense pride, and bridled passion that are part of every native mountaineer."
Those missing qualities are precisely the ones that Barker - who was born, reared, and educated in the mountains of Kentucky - brings to this thoughtful collection of essays. Written during the 1980s and early 1990s, these pieces are full of pointed insights into recent issues facing the region, but they are also deeply informed by a sense of the past and of the rich traditions that account for much of the Appalachian identity.
Divided into four parts, "Learning," "Working," "Laughing," and "Looking," Barker's essays range from some provocative thoughts on federal arts subsidies to personal perspectives on the Appalachian crafts industries, from a moving account of a trip home for a funeral to a gently humorous definition of "head of the holler" ("It's as far back as you can go," Barker says). The result is one writer's portrait of himself and his region - a stimulating mix of opinion and reflection that always poses the pertinent question even when its answer proves elusive.

Informazioni sull?autore

Garry Barker is director of the Berea College Student Crafts Program.

Le informazioni nella sezione "Su questo libro" possono far riferimento a edizioni diverse di questo titolo.

Descrizione libreria

Row by Row Bookshop is a used and antiquarian bookstore with an emphasis on special topic non-fiction. The owners have over 25 years of bookselling experience. We currently only offer our selections online.

Visita la pagina della libreria

Informazioni sull?azienda del venditore

Row By Row Bookshop
PO Box 294, Sugar Grove, NC, 28679, U.S.A.

Condizioni di vendita e spedizione

Condizioni di vendita

We accept checks or money orders in US dollars drawn on a US bank, MC, Visa and Paypal. While we welcome your telephone call, an advance e-mail allows us to process your order more efficiently.

Condizioni di spedizione

Shipping via media mail is $4.00 for the first book and $1.00 for each additional in the US. Shipping via Priority Mail in the US is $7.00 for the first book and $1.75 for each additional. We insure all purchases over $60.00 at our expense, insurance is available for other purchases upon request at $1.00 per item. PLEASE SPECIFY SHIPPING PREFERENCE. IF NO PREFERENCE IS SPECIFIED, BOOKS WILL BE SHIPPED VIA MEDIA MAIL. Default (standard) shipping outside the US and Canada is International Priority flat rate envelope at $24.00. Please note that the rate for any other shipping choice than the default is an estimate and actual rate will be charged.