"Nestled in the Appalachian mountains, Owsley County is one of the poorest counties in both Kentucky and the country. Buildings are crumbling and fields sit vacant, as tobacco farming and coal mining decline. But strong women are finding creative ways to subsist in their hollers in the hills. Cassie Chambers grew up in these hollers and, through the women who raised her, she traces her own path out of and back into the Kentucky mountains. Chambers's Granny was a child bride who rose before dawn every morning to raise seven ...
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"Nestled in the Appalachian mountains, Owsley County is one of the poorest counties in both Kentucky and the country. Buildings are crumbling and fields sit vacant, as tobacco farming and coal mining decline. But strong women are finding creative ways to subsist in their hollers in the hills. Cassie Chambers grew up in these hollers and, through the women who raised her, she traces her own path out of and back into the Kentucky mountains. Chambers's Granny was a child bride who rose before dawn every morning to raise seven children. Despite her poverty, she wouldn't hesitate to give the last bite of pie or vegetables from her garden to a struggling neighbor. Her two daughters took very different paths: strong-willed Ruth--the hardest-working tobacco farmer in the county--stayed on the family farm, while spirited Wilma--the sixth child--became the first in the family to graduate from high school, then moved an hour away for college. Married at nineteen and pregnant with Cassie a few months later, Wilma beat the odds to finish school. She raised her daughter to think she could move mountains, like the ones that kept her safe but also isolated her from the larger world. Cassie would spend much of her childhood with Granny and Ruth in the hills of Owsley County, both while Wilma was in college and after. With her "hill women" values guiding her, Cassie went on to graduate from Harvard Law. But while the Ivy League gave her knowledge and opportunities, its privileged world felt far from her reality, and she moved back home to help her fellow rural Kentucky women by providing free legal services. Appalachian women face issues that are all too common: domestic violence, the opioid crisis, a world that seems more divided by the day. But they are also community leaders, keeping their towns together in the face of a system that continually fails them. With nuance and heart, Chambers uses these women's stories paired with her own journey to break down the myth of the hillbilly and illuminate a region whose poor communities, especially women, can lead it into the future"--
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Seller's Description:
Good. Minimal signs of wear. Corners and cover may show wear. May contain highlighting and or writing. May be missing dust jacket. May not include supplemental materials. May be a former library book.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. Ex-Library copy with typical library marks and stamps. First printing. Shelf and handling wear to cover and binding, with general signs of previous use. Wear and bumping to corners is consistent with age and use. Binding is tight and secure. All pages are intact and free of all marks or highlights. Book is poly bagged for further preservation. Secure packaging for safe delivery.
Cassie Chambers is a strong woman from a long line of strong Appalachian women. Hill Women is at once her memoir as well an exploration of the social strengths and challenges of life in Appalachia. Having been brought up there and also having been educated in law at Harvard, Chambers has a unique lens through which to conduct this exploration. She focuses a great deal on the females' role in this society. She reflects back on the past, but also addresses modern issues such as the opioid crisis.
I truly enjoyed the author's writing style. I felt as though I were sitting across the table from her, sharing a pot of coffee and a piece of pie as we got to know one another. I live not too far from her home county. Our church supports a mission nearby. I have met some fine educators who work to improve literacy rates in the area. Chambers' work puts faces and personalities to the statistics with which we have become too familiar. I am left to ponder what next, what now; how to honor, how to help.
I am grateful to have received a copy of Hill Women from Ballantine Books an imprint of Random House via LibraryThing in exchange for my honest opinion. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review, and received no monetary compensation.
