Appalachia North: A Memoir
Appalachia North: A Memoir by Matthew Ferrence, published by West Virginia University Press on January 26, 2019, offers a comprehensive exploration of the cultural position of northern Appalachia. This first edition spans 296 pages and delves into the complexities of identity within a region that straddles the line between “regular” America and Appalachia. Ferrence reflects on his own experiences, including a significant personal health challenge, while examining the geographical nuances of his birthplace in western Pennsylvania.
Readers will find Appalachia North to be a thoughtful investigation into the labels and perceptions surrounding the Appalachian region. Ferrence’s narrative intertwines personal memoir with an exploration of geology and place, prompting a deeper understanding of how both individuals and regions can navigate their identities. The book addresses themes of recovery and growth, inviting readers to consider the broader implications of cultural and geographical classifications.
Official synopsis Publisher
Appalachia North is the first book-length treatment of the cultural position of northern Appalachia—roughly the portion of the official Appalachian Regional Commission zone that lies above the Mason-Dixon line. For Matthew Ferrence this region fits into a tight space of not-quite: not quite “regular” America and yet not quite Appalachia.
Ferrence’s sense of geographic ambiguity is compounded when he learns that his birthplace in western Pennsylvania is technically not a mountain but, instead, a dissected plateau shaped by the slow, deep cuts of erosion. That discovery is followed by the diagnosis of a brain tumor, setting Ferrence on a journey that is part memoir, part exploration of geology and place. Appalachia North is an investigation of how the labels of Appalachia have been drawn and written, and also a reckoning with how a body always in recovery can, like a region viewed always as a site of extraction, find new territories of growth.
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