I Was Raised by Women

I was raised by

rigatoni eating

Meat cooking

Red rice so good you want to eat

The whole pot at once

“Go ahead and help yourself”

Kind of women.

Some frizzy haired

Braid and perm styling

“Baby, sit down

And let me do your hair”

Sorta Women.

Some short legged

Big hip, pale milk

Kitchen singing

Stained shirt wearing

House slippers slipping

Charming chicas

“I know I cook good”

Type of Women.

Some coffee drinking

Slack wearing

Working nine to five

My God

this day never ends

“Better not disturb me”

Type of Sisters.

Some music listening

Computer typing

Shouting in the halls

Hey, girl, hey

Homestuck reading

“C’mon girl live a little”

Kind of Sisters.

Some dirty-look giving,

Hands on hips

“Don’t you talk

to me in that tone

of voice young lady”

Sorta women.

Some still learning

Story writing

Word manipulating

“Leave me alone”

School going

Shut up, I’m thinking

Type of Queens.

I was raised by women.

My response to “I Was Raised by Women” by Kelly Norman Ellis

            http://coalblackvoices.com/poets/kelly/index.html

-J

Big Black Bear

            I read a blog post in The Charleston Gazette about a black bear that was found in a suburban neighborhood outside of Boston.  It was a rarity for them, and the locals came running in amazement to watch the bear climb a tree for safety.

            The spring before we moved to West Virginia, the family who lived in our house took a picture of a black bear and her two little cubs climbing the small deck next door.  When I saw the picture, I thought it was great.  I’d seen bears in movies and even in some pictures, but to know that there were bears—real, wild bears—practically in my own backyard really gave me yet another reason to be excited about moving.

            Did I ever imagine it would happen to us three years later? No.

            I had just gotten back from a half a week at camp, and my mom told me excitedly that a bear had come to the house two nights before trying to get to the raspberries.  It had knocked over the trash, and completely destroyed the gate of our fence.  Sure enough, when I got out of the car and went over to the side of the house, the trash was still spread over the yard (so the guys who were bringing the trap would have more proof), and the gate was off its hinges, mangled, and caved in.  The grass around the trash and fence was also smashed down, but it was too much for a small animal.  I admit, it was pretty intimidating; we were careful when we let our dogs out at night before we all went to bed, and sometimes it was scary to think that I’d be running out the door for school at about the time it came every morning.  That weekend, the people brought the bear trap, and nothing happened.  Unbelievable! The bear had come almost every day that week and when the trap came, it disappeared.  It was a vicious cycle that lasted throughout the summer.

People in the neighborhood were starting to get frustrated; there were so many kids and so many dogs running around that it was dangerous to have a bear that had gotten so used to humans and houses.  By September or October, we heard that a bear had been hit by a car, and everyone thought it could have been “ours” since no one had seen it in a few weeks.  Whatever happened to it, I’m not really sure.  But it didn’t come back this summer.  Even though our garden was full of raspberries.

-K

Affrilachian Poetry

                Affrilachian poetry is one of many types of poetry reflecting the history of the Appalachian region.  The writers put their own experiences and emotions into the poems to supply the reader with lots of imagery and a dose of what life was like for them. One poem in particular, “Raised by Women” by Kelly Norman Ellis, really stood out to me.

                The poem is about Ellis’s childhood and how she was raised by women, most likely her mother and aunts. They seemed to be a very encouraging, supportive family who loved to have fun, but they also had their dark moments. They talk about how the women were divorced, but they got over it and continued on with their lives, trying to make the best out of them. There are also references to well known African Americans, such as James Brown, a well known singer, and Angela Davis, an activist, suggesting that Ellis and her family looked up to celebrities for inspiration to continue living good lives.

                Poems like Ellis’s and the others on Coal Black Voices  help people, whether they live in Appalachia or not, get a glimpse of what life was like for an African American in the Appalachian region.  The poems are very deep and powerful, and they help to strengthen Appalachias long and deep history.

-C

Four-wheeling in Appalachia

          The Appalachian Mountains offer twisted dirt roads that you cannot find throughout the whole country. In Appalachia, a popular hobby among country-folk locals is four-wheeling around the wooded mountains. Instead of going out and spending money all the time at a typical movie or expensive bowling games, me and my family sometimes would go four-wheeling when I was younger.

          To get ready for a four-wheeling trip, my mom would hook the heavy trailer on the hitch of the jeep. I slowly drove the four-wheeler up the wooden trailer so my mom could tightly strap the four-wheeler down on the trailer. We would drive ten minutes up the road towards the outskirts of Morgantown near Grafton. The best trails are houses near Grafton with the deep woods behind them.

         We parked the jeep at the local convenience store my dad owns. The convenience store had a strong sense of community around the near homes and neighborhoods. It is common for four-wheelers to drive up and fill up their tanks with gas. We unloaded the large yellow four-wheeler off the trailer leaving the trailer at the store.

        My dad would drive the four-wheeler with me and my mom on the back seat down a bumpy road that led into a small neighborhood behind the store of double-wides and modular’s. The sound of the motor running echoed past all the homes on each side of the road. We passed by all the houses to see houses disappearing and more large rocks and colorful trees in our eyesight. For whatever reason, every time we would pass a specific rock 2 minutes after the houses disappeared, there would be a new carcass of an animal that had such a strong stench. I always tried to hold my breath when we passed by. Once off the neighborhood road, the road turned into dirty dust and rocks of all sizes. All I could see either way I looked was trees with leaves of burnt yellow and brick red. Between the trees, I could see the mountains that were covered in trees for miles. Driving down the path was always bumpy and scary down some of the steep hills that were not meant to be driven on. Down the steep hills, I would tightly grab onto my dad’s black slick leather coat a beef jerky company once gave him for work and my mom would hold onto me. Throughout the trail, my dad would stop the four-wheeler occasionally so my mom could pick up the heavy rocks by the creek for the pond at our house while I played in the water trying to find lizards. We would usually pass one or two four-wheelers while riding on the path 20 minutes away from the homes we first drove by. I would excitedly wave at the others knowing we both shared the autumn woods together.

         Four-wheeling is a common activity throughout the Appalachian Mountains. I find myself lucky to have enough wooded land covered in trees and back trails to be able to ride them in our state. In other large cities like Los Angeles, one can’t drive a four-wheeler to a convenience store on across a main road to get gas. Looking at the leaves and the feeling you get when the air swipes quickly across your face as one goes fast on the four-wheeler is an infinite feeling. One can only get that feeling when they live in the Appalachian Mountains.

          -M



The Older History

It’s all fine and dandy to talk about the days when the coal companies first came. Yes, that is a vital part of the history of Appalachia. However, there’s more to these mountains than that. In the days before the Revolutionary War, most of the Appalachian Mountains were in an area known as the Virginia frontier.

Life was harder than can be imagined on the frontier. No one was crawling down into holes and carving out the bowels of the earth, true, but frontier people lived constantly in the shadow of death. It could come in the form of starvation, disease, and forest accidents. Mountain lions and bears abounded in the early 18^th century.

The biggest fear was being raided by Shawnee warriors. In 1774, the Shawnee declared war on the settlers of the Virginia frontier. They then proceded to attack the isolated outposts, scalping and abducting, killing livestock, and burning the cabin before melting back into the forest.

Because of the raids, settlers gained permission to build their own civilian refuge forts. These were generally not staffed by military units. They would be built on a local farm that was decided to be the best site of defense. They may or may not have included the family’s home as part of the compound. The way these  forts looked varied greatly. Some were full compounds surrounded by a stockade wall, others were just a blockhouse that families camped around. Some had sleeping cabins or meeting houses. No two forts looked alike.

These forts, now long gone, were a vital part of Appalachian history. I believe they led to the sense of self-relieance that exists today. We cannot let that part of our heritage fade away, but there are very few places that focus on the pre-American frontier. One of those places in Prickett’s Fort in Fairmont, WV. The interpreters at Prickett’s Fort work hard to display accurately the daily life of the 1770s and 1780s, so that we do not forget how hard life was.

 (photo credit for all three pictures to BJ Omanson at Prickett’s Fort)

-M



Mountain Dew Mouth

In many regions of Appalachia there is a major decline in dental health, many speculate that this is due to the numerous financially challenged families and individuals; however, many dentists believe that the true culprit is Mountain Dew. The price to maintain a regular dental check up is high, but other precautions could be met to decrease the need for these visits to the dental office. If kids and adults could put down the soft drinks, particularly Mountain Dew, then there would be no need to schedule so many routine checkups. If making healthier choices seems to be the most cost effective way to reduce the price of oral hygiene, then why are so few doing it? One local oral surgeon suggests that this is caused my multiple things including low dental IQ’s, bad parenting, and the addictive nature of the drink all work cohesively to make this a hard habit to break. Many call this condition, “Mountain Dew Mouth” which is used to describe all the decay caused by this soft drink.  The American Dental Association says that 65 percent of West Virginia's children ages three through seven suffer from tooth decay. If the damage  is extensive, it is possible that the permanent teeth underneeth the already decayed teeth can begin to rot. Actions agains this blight have already begun, mobile clinics have been traveling all around the appalachian region trying to aid those suffering from this condition, but the only way this process can be permanently extinguished is by educating the youth on how dangerous it it.

-K

Icy chill bites soft cheeks.

A flush rises on the skin.

The bloom of spring succumbs to the quiet of fall.

Yet this decadence of beauty is no sin.

Leaves jump to their deaths,

land delicately on their grave.

The quiet of fall will surrender to the silence of winter.

By the fire, smokey and sweet sit the brave.

Faced with death, no fear shown.

The cycle begins again.

For after the silence comes the crooning of life.

Sit, appreciate, watch is begin.  

-C

The Real Life Bambi

The Real Life Bambi:

He’s not Prince of the Forest

If you think he’s cute now, wait until you see the garden…

                Over the past few years Morgantown, WV has added a few thousand residents to its population, as well as approximately 1400 urban deer. Since the more wooded areas are being developed for residential purposes the deer’s habitat has been diminished to the point where they literally live in our backyards. Measures are being taken to try to control the urban deer population, and an urban deer hunt is starting up again this fall season.

            Imagine you’re driving down a well-driven local road after sunset and all of a sudden you see a deer calmly watching you from the side of the road. You stop the car, and the deer meanders across the street as if it lives there. Chances are that it probably does. Morgantown residents from various parts of the city continue to complain about how deer live in their backyard and eat up all their vegetation outside. Not only do they eat the lovely flowers in the front yard, but the deer make a feast on the gardens in residents’ backyards. On several morning occasions, I’ve walked outside my house and found several deer on my front walk and backyard. To be honest, they aren’t that cute up close.

            In the summer of 2011, the Morgantown City Council approved an ordinance to begin an urban deer hunt to attempt to lower the deer population. The ordinance allowed people who took specialized courses and received their urban hunting licenses to be a part of the hunt. Other rules for the 2011 Urban Deer Hunt included the following:

·         Receiving a city permit after taking a special course on how to hunt in the city

·         Hunters could only kill two deer per year, but the first deer had to be a doe.

·         All deer must be shot from a tree stand. No deer stalking.

·          After killing the deer the hunters can choose to either keep the deer or donate the meat to a local food shelter. The City of Morgantown agreed to pay for the meat to be processed.

After the first year of the urban hunt, 48 deer were killed and 18 of them were donated to local food shelters in the Morgantown area. There were no complaints about the hunt.

            In 2012, Morgantown City Council approved a revised urban deer hunt, allowing hunters with special licenses to hunt from several designated posts and kill up to seven deer per season. During the week of the hunt in September, the urban hunters donated 543 pounds of venison to the local food shelters. The hunt will continue until December.

           

-C



Fall: The Best Season in Appalachia

The most beautiful time of year in Appalachia is definitely fall. The leaves are changing color from bright green to beautiful hues of brown, orange and red. The weather is getting chilly, but there are still days where the sun pokes through the clouds. Around school, I’m starting to see the shorts and t-shirts disappear, and in their place are jeans, jackets, sweaters, and cardigans. Only the brave few continue to wear their summer clothes, but I’m sure by mid-October this will no longer be so.

                Speaking of October, Halloween is only about a month away. It’s almost time for crazy decorations and costumes, movies that keep you up at all hours of the night, and candy. Lots of candy. Of all those things, the decorations are my favorite. But not the traditional skulls, witches, and spiders; my favorite decorations are the ones that have a touch of Appalachia. For example, last year, my grandparents who live out in the country decided to decorate for Halloween. They made a life sized man by filling old clothes with straw and tying the limbs together (the same way you would make a scarecrow), then put a straw hat on his head so that he looked like a farmer. They laid him face down in their front yard, then stabbed a pitchfork in his back. Passerbies were calling them for the entire season asking if there was actually someone murdered in their yard. This is something that would only work in Appalachia, and for that, I love it.

                The best part about fall in Appalachia certainly has to be the food. Who doesn’t crave the delicious taste of pumpkin pie, apple cider, and cinnamon spiced everything? Personally, I’m most excited for sipping hot cocoa by a fire. And when you think of food, who doesn’t think of Thanksgiving? It’s still about two months away, but my mouth is already watering in anticipation of the vast amounts of delicious food I get to share with my family, all while feeling quite thankful for being alive.

                Some people are still hanging on to the small threads left of summer, cringing at the steadily dropping temperatures. Others can’t wait for winter, and are simply waiting for fall to pass by. But I’ve been waiting all year for this. During the fall season, I come alive. If I were anywhere else in the world, it probably wouldn’t mean anything to me, but here in Appalachia, this is what I live for.

-F

Political West Virginia

                Politics in West Virginia are very strange. Strictly speaking, we are a republican state; that is, we have a record for voting republican in federal elections. However, we seem to always vote democratic in state elections. So which party do we support; are we red or blue? Why would a state choose to have democrats so close to home, in charge of the more intimate matters, but then place a republican in the oval office? Perhaps this discrepancy is a result of the “War on Coal”. Republicans in the big league are friendly to the coal mines, not forcing expensive regulations upon them, whereas democrats have a vendetta against them. During Obama’s presidency thousands of jobs have been lost as coal mines shut their doors to avoid the debt that would be created by the new policy. Not just in West Virginia, but in Ohio, Pennsylvania and other Appalachian states as well. This struggle between political loyalties and employment greatly complicates the choices voters have to make.

                It is interesting that politicians so take for granted their actions. In this time of economic stress jobs must be created, that is what the politicians have been singing, and yet their actions are destroying jobs; the jobs of the people who need them most. For many people, coal is their life, their sustenance. It’s how they provide for their families. In many parts of Appalachia mining is the family business…the only job around. Is it fair for men in comfy offices with enough dough to retire tomorrow, to put hard working men covered in coal dust out of work?

                I suppose West Virginia is purple then. We are what we have to be to survive. Voting should be about which candidate the voter thinks would best run the country, which candidate agrees and supports the morals the voter holds dear, and yet these people are forced to put all that aside and vote on who is going to keep them employed. Our homes are lit and warm because of hardworking Appalachian men, putting them out of work is not a proper thank you.

-C

Buckwheat Cakes and Appalachia

It never ceases to amaze me the things Appalachians celebrate. This year West Virginia alone has approximately 120 registered festivals and public events. There is the ever popular Strawberry Festival in Buckhannon, Fiddler’s Reunion in Elkins, Bridge Day in Fayetteville, Irish Road Bowling at Holly River State Park, Lumberjackin’ Bluegrass Jamboree in Twin Falls, George Washington’s Bathtub celebration in Berkeley Springs, and even the Road Kill Cook-off in Marlinton. My favorite, however, takes place this weekend in Kingwood; the annual Preston County Buckwheat Festival.

 Ever since I can remember, my family has traveled to this festival on Thursday or Friday to watch (or march) the parades, ride carnival rides, play games, see the 4-H exhibits, and enjoy a buckwheat cake dinner. This festival, now in its seventy-first year, celebrates how farmers grew buckwheat to feed cattle while recovering from the Great Depression. Buckwheat was relied on by the people as a type of insurance crop because of its good quality and short growing season. It means a lot to the people of Preston County and they start preparing months in advance; and everyone around the area is encouraged to participate in the fair’s activities.

                These kind of celebrations are one of the things that really make Appalachia unique. They instill a sense of community in everyone who attends and are a great way to learn about our culture. The people that run them do a great job in having an entertaining festival while taking Appalachian pride in everything they do.

                The Buckwheat Festival, as well as many other festivals in West Virginia and Appalachia is a great way to have fun and forget about the stress of everyday life. The music, food, parades, and crafts show Appalachian culture in its best. They are a great way to remind us of who we are as a people and where we came from.

                So if you get a chance, come on up to Kingwood this weekend. Ride rides, watch a parade, try buckwheat cakes; it will be worth it. Also, make sure to check out some of the other festivals around the area. Each represents our culture in their own unique way.

-R 

Obama Administration and Coal

          In the campaign of 2012, many know the candidate Obama is against coal because it’s unhealthy for the environment. Obama wants to get rid of coal plants around the country while Romney supports the importance of these jobs. Understanding our largest industry is economically essential to Appalachia. The coal industry takes part in global warming and that is the reason Obama is against it. I believe the coal industry should stay so jobs are not taken away and because, although global warming is important, the world is still going to end whether or not the coal industry is there.

          If the coal industry was demolished, many hard-working Americans would go jobless. The industry may not be popular throughout the whole country, but many men of the Appalachian region depend on it. Many families’ fundamental foundations consist entirely on the coal mines. Without it, some would be limited on other places to work while still making enough money to support a family. Not every America’s answer is to go to college. In some families, it is unthinkable to send a child to college due to lack of money. By having the coal mine, it gives some the opportunity to still make decent money with the education they can. It would also be hard to provide jobs in the area of the coal miners because our economy is already having a tough time supporting those without coal mining jobs let alone supplying them for people in the mines.

         Another reason why the Obama administration should be kept the coal industry alive is because the world is going to end whether people realize it or not. As one can help prevent global warming, I think it will continue anyways with or without the coal industry. Other countries in the world help contribute to global warming with all the pollution from buildings, power plants, and cars. Basically, other places are going to contribute to global warming so it is still going to occur with or without coal. 

          In shaping the area of Appalachia, coal plays a giant job in it. Coal companies should be kept around to help the men who depend on it support their family and because global warming is an issue anyways. Obama should look at the destruction of our economy if he gets rid of the coal jobs. Our economy is already terrible, why would one want to make it worse because they are trying to save our already damaged environment?

-M

Squandered Rights

Appalachia loves to voice its supposed passion for politics. However, I’ve learned that the majority of our protests are empty hearted. Around Morgantown, I continuously see signs demanding an end to the “war on coal” and for Obama to be fired. In response, I would like to ask my people if they understand the idea of democracy. Although many think they would enjoy the ability to dismiss our president, to do so, you must actually vote.

            West Virginia had the second lowest voter turnout in 2008 with only 49.9% of our eligible voters filling out a ballot. The only state with a lower turnout was Hawaii. I simply do not understand how more than half of our population can simply be so lazy when we pretend to be so concerned with the outcome of our state. I’m not asking for democrats or republicans to change their views, I just wish that our people would become more involved with the politics that change their lives.

                                              

-L

Coal

        What comes to mind when you hear West Virginia? Is it the mountains, hillbillies, or pepperoni rolls?  When I hear West Virginia, I think of coal and how much we depend on it.  Almost everyone in West Virginia has ties to the mine either directly or indirectly.  For some families it’s their income; for others, it’s the way they get energy. So if everyone is attached to mining, then why do we shut down the mines? Coal has been a large part of Appalachia for a long time.  We shouldn’t expand the coal mining industry, but we shouldn’t shrink it.  Our nation depends on coal, and in my opinion an alternate energy source will never take over and eliminate coal.  So this upcoming election means nothing to the coal industry. Voting democrat or republican -- I don’t think it matters. They just have to fight over something to entertain themselves.

-L

Graduation in Appalachia

     There are numerous speculations that West Virginia, if not the whole Appalachian region, has the lowest high school graduation rating in the country. Some articles that I have examined went so far as to say that WV exaggerates on its graduation averages, stating that only around 85% of the beginning freshman class will complete the four years required for graduation. In reality, that total is closer to 75% with the main ethnicity being predominantly Asian at a 78%, followed by White at 73%, African American at 51%, and Native American at 27%. I find it somewhat difficult to determine which estimations are closer to the exact amount. I would like to believe that our supposed exaggeration is closer to the truth than their questionable 75-74%; I say this because I found that some of these percentages originated from outside the state. This leaves me wondering whether the given calculations given are indeed thorough, and not overly dramatized. Throughout this topic I kept asking myself, what could be causing such a low graduation percentage? The answer that I saw many times stated that students who dropped out came from socially or economically depressed backgrounds or areas where education is surprisingly undervalued. An expected annual $10,000 is separating graduates from non-graduates; with 25% of freshmen classes not graduating, this number becomes even more substantial. As an Appalachian state WV is surrounded by stereotypes, with many just pertain to our lack of intelligence. This statistic does not help are cause, and I am left wondering if just maybe the stereotypes themselves have a part to play in why people behave the way they do. Do people of Appalachia really not care about education, or is this a way of fuelling the stereotypes into persuading people into believing that this is actually a part of our culture? I like to think we are better than that, and with this new crack down on truancy, it will be interesting to see how the percentage changes in the next few years to come.

-K

The Pride Goes Viral

If it wasn’t already known for its football, basketball, or couch burning victory celebrations, West Virginia University would be remembered for its marching band. Affectionately nicknamed “The Pride of West Virginia,” the WVU marching band has been creating and playing halftime shows since its creation in 1906, when it first started out as an all-male ROTC military band. Today the band boasts over 350 members and still uses the fight songs “Hail West Virginia” and “Fight Mountaineers” that were originally composed for West Virginia University by former band conductor Bud Udell.

Today the Pride is nationally recognized for their 9/11 tribute show in 2011 that saluted those brave men and women who died helping others during the attacks and the servicemen who still protect the United States today.  The show, which was recorded by a band affiliate and then uploaded to YouTube, became a viral video with over 3,000,000 views (as of 8:10 am September 26, 2012)! Viewers embraced the field show on the comment box, thanking the band members for putting in so much creativity and effort into a tribute for the armed forces.

It’s encouraging to have WVU recognized for something so meaningful and heartwarming, rather than what the university is usually known for! The attention that the Pride has received is well-deserved; often falling into the shadow of the football and even basketball team, most people do not realize that the WVU marching band practices eight hours a week whether it’s in the heat, snow, rain, or shine! As a former member of a marching band, I can say that’s not an easy commitment. In fact, it can become an extremely long, annoying, and downright miserable commitment that you question every other practice during your only two minute water break.

But the hard work and long hours have paid off for the WVU Marching Band with the eyes of millions of YouTube viewers from around the world landing on them. Finally the respect and acknowledgement that was long deserved has come!

- R

Storming Heaven: A Writer’s Commentary

      It’s 7:45am on a Wednesday morning, and here I am trying to write a blog. I should write about some important issue or analyze the significance of the book we’re reading in class, Storming Heaven by Denise Giardina, which is based on the coal wars of Appalachia. Frankly, my teacher is lucky I’m even sitting up in my seat instead of slouched over my desk, drooling on the computer. Since my brain refuses to kick into gear, I’m going to rely on my instincts as a writer and discuss the book from that standpoint.

     As a class, we read another of Giardina’s pieces. It was a short memoir-esque look at Appalachia called “Appalachian Images: A Personal History” from the anthology Back Talk from Appalachia: Confronting Stereotypes. She discussed many of the same themes that occur in her novel, but she also reflected upon an old family photograph from when her grandmother was still a girl. She named all the people in the photograph. Her grandmother Flora, Flora’s brothers William Harrison, Andy, Alec, Miles, and Jesse; Flora’s sister Tabitha, and their parents Orlendo and Mary. Giardina went on to say that William Harrison died in a logging accident not long after this photo was taken.

      We were discussing “Appalachian Images” in relation to the novel Storming Heaven when one girl exclaimed, “Hey, she [Giardina] cheated! She used names from real life for her characters!” Not only that, but the logging accident that killed William Harrison in real life killed the character Orlendo in the book. I wanted to turn around and tell this girl what seasoned writers had spent two and half weeks over the summer telling me: “Write what’s at the end of your nose.” Because when you write what you know, what you see and hear and feel, it makes the writing better. The story comes to life with details and characters so real, the reader can’t help but actually experience it all – because these things actually existed. It’s not cheating; it’s a basic writing skill.

      So there’s one writer-ly comment. Here’s another: the intricacy of the relationships among the characters in her novel is astounding. Each chapter is in first person point of view of a specified character. The first part of the four part book introduces each character and a little bit of their story. As the book continues, the characters start to mix and we see how the lives of the characters interact and affect each other. It’s like the movie Six Degrees of Separation. As a writer, I greatly admire her ability to show the subtle complexities of human interaction.

      Speaking of the characters, I love them all – borrowed from the real world or not. I love them even when they are royally ticking me off (*cough*Rondal*cough*). Each is relatable in their own special way. I adore Carrie for her stubborn pride and deep-seated need to help others. (And possibly because she was a love-sick teenager around my own age and therefore extremely relatable.) Even though I am currently upset with Rondal, in my heart I still have a nagging affection for his determination to bring a better life to other miners – a life he, his brothers, and his father never received. I love CJ because he makes me think. He has such a unique view on world issues. Then there is Rosa. I haven’t come to love her yet, but I have an abundance of sympathy for the Italian immigrant forced to move to the Appalachian coal fields by her callous husband. My love for these characters is a huge reason that I’m absolutely devouring this book.

     Perhaps, though, Giardina’s potent mix of history and fiction is the most powerful aspect of Storming Heaven. This subject resonates with me because I am a native West Virginian – a born-and-bred Appalachian. This is my history. The way Giardina tells it, though, it resonates with anyone. The characters wiggle their way into the reader’s heart, and as he/she comes to love them and the places they live, the reader starts to care about the issues of the book. I didn’t live in the time when the Baldwin-Felts agents were shadily buying up all the land and abusing the miners who worked on it, but I feel indignation anyway. I want to throw some rocks through the windows of mine-owners’ Boston homes. It won’t make a difference, though, because that era has already passed. The fact that I want to, however, is a testament to Giardina’s skill as a writer.

     The compelling blend of incredible details, lovable characters, and a fascinating historical era make this book the masterpiece that it is. As a writer, I am in awe of Giardina’s talent for writing, and as a reader all I can say is “Yay! I’m almost done!” and then here all too soon, “Well, crap, now it’s over.”

-J

State or No State?

Definitely a state. Many believe that West Virginia’s secession from the state of Virginia in the midst of the Civil War was unconstitutional. They argue that since Lincoln believed no state had the legal right to leave the Union, and the Constitution requires that any new state form out of an existing state must have the existing state’s consent, West Virginia is not legal. They believe Lincoln went back on the promises he made in his inaugural speech.

Well, for all you doubters out there, I have two words for you. However, they’re not very nice, so I’ll just say this instead: Virginia v. West Virginia (1871). That is the Supreme Court case that decided Virginia’s arguments were flimsy and not well thought out. That is the Supreme Court case that decided West Virginia is a state once and for all.

So, now that West Virginia is a state, I have the right to be very angry at all the people who say “Is that anywhere near Richmond?” No. It is six hours away. Now shut up.

Perhaps the name should be changed, though. Clearly, a lot of non-mountain people (and some neighbors too; I once met a guy from Pennsylvania who didn’t know West Virginia is a state) are confused and the WEST Virginia is the same as WESTERN Virginia. I propose The State of Appalachia, since it is the only state entirely within the mountain range, although Vandalia, after the proposed fourteenth colony, is also good.

Fun fact: Did you know John Denver’s song “Country Roads” is actually about WESTERN Virginia?

-M