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.
I'm sure you have heard of 'good and bad' bacteria. You wash your hands to get rid of germs, and have been doing so since elementary school. But take a moment and gaze not to the heavens, but at your own body. Your hands right now are covered with living organisms. Dive millimeters deep into your fingers and the types of microbial residents change completely. For each part of your body, there is a unique microbial ecosystem.
