Appalachian Fall, Jeff Young
Appalachian Fall, Jeff Young
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Appalachian Fall
Dispatches from Coal Country on What's Ailing America

Author: Jeff Young

Narrator: Gibson Frazier

Unabridged: 7 hr 30 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/11/2020


Synopsis

A searing, on-the-ground examination of the collapsing coal industry—and the communities left behind—in the midst of economic and environmental crisis.

Despite fueling a century of American progress, the people at the heart of coal country are being left behind, suffering from unemployment, the opioid epidemic, and environmental crises often at greater rates than anywhere else in the country. But what if Appalachia’s troubles are just a taste of what the future holds for all of us?

Appalachian Fall tells the captivating true story of coal communities on the leading edge of change. A group of local reporters known as the Ohio Valley ReSource shares the real-world impact these changes have had on what was once the heart and soul of America. Including stories like:
-The miners’ strike in Harlan County after their company suddenly went bankrupt, bouncing their paychecks
-The farmers tilling former mining ground for new cash crops like hemp
-The activists working to fight mountaintop removal and bring clean energy jobs to the region
-And the mothers mourning the loss of their children to overdose and despair

In the wake of the controversial bestseller Hillbilly Elegy, Appalachian Fall addresses what our country owes to a region that provided fuel for a century and what it risks if it stands by watching as the region, and its people, collapse.

About Jeff Young

Jeff Young is the managing editor of Ohio Valley ReSource, a regional journalism collaborative reporting on economic and social change in Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia. The ReSource includes seven public media outlets across the three states, and aims to strengthen news coverage of the area’s most important issues. Jeff previously worked for West Virginia Public Broadcasting and was a Washington correspondent for the Public Radio International program “Living on Earth.” Jeff grew up near Huntington, West Virginia, and studied journalism and biology at Marshall University and the University of Charleston. His reporting has been recognized with numerous awards, and he was named a 2012 Nieman Journalism Fellow at Harvard University. He lives in Louisville with his wife, Helen, and their daughters, Hazel and Louisa. 


Reviews

Goodreads review by Matt

If nothing else, this very readable volume offers an unfiltered portrait of the corrupted world of the heart of Appalachia. On a couple occasions, the author brings up the idea of a 'resource curse' -- the observation that regions blessed with a wealth of natural resources are ultimately worse off,......more

Goodreads review by Beth

The author not only accurately describes issues within the region without buying into stereotyping but he also gives first hand accounts! I absolutely adore this, I’m currently looking for a physical copy for my bookshelf!......more

Goodreads review by Matt

Appalachian Fall serves as a series of short stories provided by local reporters who are seeking to rebrand how most Americans think of the region of "Appalachia" (from Pennsylvania and West Virginia through northern deep south states like Georgia and Alabama). There are endless stereotypes about th......more

Goodreads review by Steve

Disclaimer: I received this book as part of GoodReads' First Reads program It's quite common for those of use who live in other regions of the country to look down on the people of Appalachia. They're a bunch of in-bread hillbillies and dumb miners, right? Well, not really. This book takes a good loo......more