One of the most descriptive books I have ever read from the view point of a boy living between the coal mines of the mountains and the farm home in the hills. The two rivers of earth are the garden soil and the coal seams. This story, set in the coal mining region of eastern Kentucky during the depression, is more relevant to our area in that time period (i.e. River of Earth is a novel, published in 1940, by the Appalachian author James Still. In James Still’s 1940 novel River of Earth, which takes place in Kentucky, we are offered not only a fascinating coming-of-age story with a striking setting, but references and historical first-hand knowledge of how life played out in the mountains and coal-camps of the region. His writing is so lovely and artful. Video documentary on the Kentucky author and poet James Still, produced by the Kentucky Educational Network in 1997. In River of Earth, the young male protagonist figures out the kind of person he wants to be after observing his parents. Your IP: 128.199.77.201 Mining vs. subsistence farming and written from a child's view of the adult world. Publication Date. Poetic prose and real characters. Mill River Wetland Committee and Sustainable Fairfield Task Force have joined forces to offer Nature’s Tapestry, one of MRWC’s new community programs on Thursday, April 22nd at 4pm. I came back to River of Earth this month and enjoyed it just as much this time as I have the many times I have previously read it. ", Final Impressions: River of Earth by James Still, December 2018, Initial Impressions: River of Earth by James Still, December 2018, 33 Sweeping Multigenerational Family Dramas. How does one grow a crop if one has eaten the seeds to avoid starvation the winter before? It does a really great job of taking you to early 20th century Appalachia- the language that the book is written in is really interesting and impressive. River of Earth and Sky: Poems for th The universe unfolds in a series of images which change the inner experience of the reader. It is the story, seen through the eyes of a boy, of three years in the life of his family and their kin. You can picture the home lived in from the revelations of the writer as he paints a portrait with his work. To make exploring even more fun, we have organized a passport challenge. Wow. I would recommend this book to people because it helps to give an image of troubles people had been through in that time. Even when detailed maps are available, the length measurement is not always clear. He is full of quirks, afraid of birth and blood and yet brave when it comes to some dire exigency. Lovely, poignant, sad... Where’s the spot for 10 stars! The language is archaic and picturesque. This one has no particular political agenda, though, being told by a seven-year-old boy whose coal miner father keeps moving his family around. He sees his parents pulled between the meager farm with its sense of independence and the mining camp with its uncertain promise of material prosperity. This is a well-written book, though the "ending" could be a bit more robust. You can picture the home lived in from the revelations of the writer as he paints a portrait with his work. James Still captures the stark, almost hopeless, situation of the families, while simultaneously showing the strength and endurance of the individuals and their connections to one another. I met Still in his cabin once and he left an indelible impression. He writes vivid and poetic descriptions of the Kentucky mountains, and it’s primitive and destitute people, but without sentimentality. This immense volume of fresh water dilutes the ocean’s saltiness for more than 100 miles (160 km) from shore. The maternal uncles of the unnamed narrator of RIVER OF EARTH remain in place, even roustabout Uncle Jolly, in the pastoral Kentucky hills. He sees his parents pulled between the meager farm with its sense of independence and the mining camp with its uncertain promise of material prosperity. Cloudflare Ray ID: 63da442faa23cc1c His writing is so love. Authors. December 31st 1978 I enjoyed the characters, and the dialect wasn't a problem after a few pages. This one has no particular political agenda, though, being told by a seven-year-old boy whose coal miner father keeps moving his family around. I was reminded of the families in "Christy" (and of my own ancestors.) Not for the faint-hearted, this one. River of Earth, originally published in 1940, is a classic tale of Appalachian coal miners, dirt-poor, ever-proud people living deep in the mountains, crags and hollers, trying to scratch out a living, sometimes from pretty much nothing. Performance & security by Cloudflare, Please complete the security check to access. Wonderful book. Many of these coal towns were self-sufficient farming communities that saw huge prosperity during the coal boom, and in contrast, unemployment and poverty as coal demand decreased. But it is far too honest, too human, too real and believable, to be considered a manufactured saga of a historically stricken … I feel like this book is better than 3 stars, but I didn't like it more than 3 stars. To see what your friends thought of this book. In James Still’s 1940 novel River of Earth, which takes place in Kentucky, we are offered not only a fascinating coming-of-age story with a striking setting, but references and historical first-hand knowledge of how life played out in the mountains and coal-camps of the region. Coal mines laid off workers, and progressively shut down operations to 5 days a week, 4, 3, eventually closing altogether, and struggling to reopen at the soonest blip of coal demand. He tells a story of family trials and triumphs that it well-known among my family and friends. That’s it. Page 2 of 50 - About 500 essays. This was all well and good until the demand for coal decreased. If you are at an office or shared network, you can ask the network administrator to run a scan across the network looking for misconfigured or infected devices. First published in 1940, James Still's masterful novel has become a classic. A reader familiar with only present day discourse would be lost without an appended glossary, which unfortunately is not provided. For its depiction of struggling farmers during the Great Depression, it has also been compared to John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. River of Earth Appalachian Bildungsroman The Appalachian bildungsroman is the same as a basic bildungsroman story, but it is set in the Appalachian Mountains. The lad who tells the tale is endearing in every way. Seen through the eyes of an eight year old boy, rather than a plot, the novel portrays day to day life of a family, told with the harsh local dialogue. River of Earth follows a family in the Appalachian mining culture in the early 20th century. I read this book several years ago. It sucked the oil, Since I don't seem to be able to get enough of books set in the Appalachian region and since this 1940 novel seems to make an appearance on most best Appalachian literature lists, this seemed like a match made in heaven. In the 1920s, Appalachian farmers who were completely self-sufficient became enamoured of the quick and plentiful wages of coal miners. Please enable Cookies and reload the page. It is the story, seen through the eyes of a boy, of three years in the life of his family and their kin. But Brack Baldridge, the narrator's father, "'was born to dig coal'" and keeps his family "'allus'" on the move in search of work in the mines. I got this book through my library after reading about it in Lee Smith's memoir, "Dimestore". Video Recording. Although I've lived plenty of my years in the mountains, I'm not from them. Make use of Google Earth's detailed globe by tilting the map to save a perfect 3D view or diving into Street View for a 360 experience. A river of earth, the mountains the waves, and the transient industry that is coal mining encapsulate some descriptors in this Kentucky novel of coal mining communities being hit by the depression. Garden, and a thread of smoke went through the chimney a ridge-pocket, '' he said in and. N'T like it more than 100 miles ( 160 km ) from shore was hard to read that... 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