Appalachian and Rural Studies at Clermont

This list is a only sample of what is available at the Marcotte Library in the areas of literature, health/healthcare and history/social conditions.  More titles are available through UC Libraries and OhioLINK.

Black bone : 25 Years of the Affrilachian poets edited by Bianca Lynne Springgs & Jeremy Paden

"The Appalachian region stretches from Mississippi to New York, encompassing rural areas as well as cities from Birmingham to Pittsburgh. Though Appalachia's people are as diverse as its terrain, few other regions in America are as burdened with stereotypes. Author Frank X Walker coined the term "Affrilachia" to give identity and voice to people of African descent from this region and to highlight Appalachia's multicultural identity. This act inspired a group of gifted artists, the Affrilachian Poets, to begin working together and using their writing to defy persistent stereotypes of Appalachia as a racially and culturally homogenized region."  --book cover

Bloodroot : reflections on place by Appalachian women writers edited by Joyce Dyer

"A broad sampling of deeply impressive writings--essays, memoirs, poetry, letters, stories by women from the Southern Highlands, edited by Dyer (In a Tangled Wood, not reviewed). If the word Appalachia conjures little more for you than mining disasters and Walker Evans photos, turn these pages and discover the remarkable storytelling tradition that flourished there, and thrives still. Every one of these 35 pieces goes down smooth as a glass of Georgia peach, even when it bites. A few of the names of the contributors will be familiarNikki Giovanni and Gail Godwin, Jayne Anne Phillips, whose offering is a terrific out-of-time remembrance of her hometown, circa 1962but most of the women here (all were born in the 20th century) have toiled long and hard, often in obscurity, their love of words keeping the storytelling art aliveand high art it is. Each writer was asked to address how the Appalachias had affected them (whites, African-Americans, and Native Americans are represented)." --Kirkus Review

Red holler : contemporary Appalachian literature edited by John E. Branscum and Wayne Thomas

"A diverse anthology of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and graphic essays by contemporary Appalachian writers. The editors have assembled a collection spanning ten years and the mountain range from Mississippi to New York, placing fresh new voices alongside widely known and celebrated authors. From Native American myth, African American urban legend, folk culture, and European ghost stories, this is an anthology of disenfranchised, yet robust peoples" -- Provided by publisher

Appalachian health and well-being edited by Robert L. Ludke and Phillip J. Obermiller

"In Appalachian Health and Well-Being, editors Robert L. Ludke and Phillip J. Obermiller bring together leading researchers and practitioners to provide a much-needed compilation of data- and research-driven perspectives, broadening our understanding of strategies to decrease the health inequalities affecting both rural and urban Appalachians. The contributors propose specific recommendations for necessary research, suggest practical solutions for health policy, and present best practices models for effective health intervention. This in-depth analysis offers new insights for students, health practitioners, and policy makers, promoting a greater understanding of the factors affecting Appalachian health and effective responses to those needs." ---Publisher's summary

Rx Appalachia : stories of treatment and survival in rural Kentucky by Lesly-Marie Buer

"Using the narratives of women who use(d) drugs, this account challenges popular understandings of Appalachia spread by such pundits as JD Vance by documenting how women, families, and communities cope with generational systems of oppression. Prescription opioids are associated with rising rates of overdose deaths and hepatitis C and HIV infection in the US, including in rural Central Appalachia. Yet there is a dearth of studies examining rural opioid use. RX Appalachia explores the gendered inequalities that situate women's encounters with substance abuse treatment as well as additional state interventions targeted at women who use drugs in one of the most impoverished regions in the US." --Publisher's summary

A history of Appalachia by Richard B. Drake

"Drake traces the roots of the deep divisions in [Appalachia] between those with money and power and those without, and he maintains a reasonable balance between passionate advocacy and dispassionate scholarship in his analysis of the effects on the region of the coal, chemical, and hydroelectric power industries. . . . An essential text that establishes the facts, tells the stories, identifies the heroes and villains, explodes the stereotypes, and demystifies and celebrates the region."―KIRKUS REVIEW, Dec 15, 2000

Appalachian legacy : economic opportunity after the war on poverty edited by James P. Ziliak

"In 1964 President Lyndon Johnson traveled to Kentucky's Martin County to declare war on poverty. The following year he signed the Appalachian Regional Development Act, creating a state-federal partnership to improve the region's economic prospects through better job opportunities, improved human capital, and enhanced transportation. As the focal point of domestic antipoverty efforts, Appalachia took on special symbolic as well as economic importance. Nearly half a century later, what are the results? Appalachian Legacy provides the answers". --Publisher's summary

Y'all means all : the emerging voices queering Appalachia edited by Z. Zane McNeill

"Y'all Means All is a celebration of the weird and wonderful aspects of a troubled region in all of their manifest glory! The seventeen writers in this collection eschew the contemporary trend of 'reactive' writing in the genre of Appalachian studies to provide examples of how modern Appalachians are defining themselves on their own terms with resiliency, ingenuity, and spirit. Multidisciplinary and multi-genre, they incorporate critical race theory and queer theory to challenge the labels, stereotypes, and marginalization that queer folks in Appalachia have faced historically from within and outside the region." -- Back cover