Literature Appetizer
Ben Kusserow
A Northern Appalachian's Journey

Recently I just finished Appalachia North by Matthew Ferrence. In it, he recounts the complex relationship he still has with the land as a Northern Appalachian. Typically when I finish a book I write a Literature Appetizer to get people a taste of what they will find. Since his book is such a personal journey, I would not do it justice by recounting his life.

Many of his experiences reflect my own experience growing up in Western PA. So instead of condensing his journey, I thought I would condense mine.

The Hero’s Journey is a common literary structure where the hero of the story departs home to do a great act, and then returns victorious. My Northern Appalachian Journey is a bit different, but has a similar structure of three parts; Living in Water, Succeeding by Leaving, and The Mountains are Calling.

A Northern Appalachian's Journey

Coal

Soul Full of Coal Dust by Chris Hamby: Literature Appetizer

Soul Full of Coal Dust by Chris Hamby: Literature Appetizer

Back in 2019, I showcased a book called Ramp Hollow: the Ordeal of Appalachia. One of the key messages of that book is the people living here have had their land, their homes, their lives taken from them countless times. It is truly the spirit of Appalachia to recover from unthinkable tragedies over and over again.

In Soul Full of Coal Dust, Chris Hamby illustrates that even the lungs of miners are up for grabs. After years of working in the mines, coal miners couldn’t get the legal help they needed to survive. This story is one of a community of people, from out of state lawyers to long time coal miners, to give the miners the support they desperately need.