Blue Ridge Mountain Heritage: A Caricature of Southern Appalachian Life

Enjoy the highways and byways of the Appalachian Mountains through the eyes of a man who has traveled thousands of miles throughout the South, collecting stories and committing them to paper. The stories are often funny, sometimes touching, occasionally poignant, never disappointing and always appealing. Understand his pride as he describes his upbringing by poor but God-fearing parents and grandparents. See through your mind's eye as he covers the breadth of human emotions from sadness, despair and sympathy to courage, hope, laughter and love. Travel down the dusty roads of yesteryear with a barefoot boy hiding under the porch to learn about the birds and bees as he eavesdrops on adult conversations. Wonder why it takes four men and ten dogs to catch a fifteen pound raccoon. Laugh about an entire regiment of Union soldiers who get diarrhea from a stew cooked up by a Tennessee youth. Experience the joy of music played from the heart on old-time fiddles and dulcimers. Savor the taste of a delicious country breakfast cooked by a doting grandmother on a wood-burning cookstove. Feel the triumph of an herbal healer as she pulls a fever-ridden child from the brink of death. Witness the fear of running through the woods from a ghost bent on vengeance for the loss of a loved one. Hear the thunder of old-timey preachers as they pound on the pulpit and warn of hell fire and brimstone. Walk through the cemetery of a little country church and feel the kinship of those who have gone before. Yes, enjoy over sixty original stories that portray the soul of Appalachia now brought together in one book.