Welcome to Litsy!

#12booksof2022 - January @Andrew65
This was a pick from @mrsmarch list for #auldlangspine !

This was fantastic! Great pick for my second #newyearwhodis read from @mrsmarch @monalyisha

Very excited for these from @mrsmarch #Newyearwhodis @monalyisha

My October books so far. I‘m mere pages from the close of Hill Women and it‘s already one of the best, most affecting books I have ever read. I‘ll be pushing copies in to people‘s hands for years to come. I read it (+5) for 4 hours yesterday (+40) and now I‘m posting about it (+1). #TeamSlaughter

I felt every emotion while reading this. Please, if you‘re at all interested in Appalachia, do yourself a favor and read this. Please. I promise it‘s not all how it is portrayed.

My mister treated me to some new books today ☺️💖

Continuing on my Appalachia trend, this is Chambers memoir about growing up in the area and her family. She highlights the strong women in her life and the opportunities they gave her to gain more education and experiences than they had. Chambers writes about the positives of the area, as well as the problems. She has moved back to Ky in order to make a difference in the lives of low-income women.
This book is everything Hillbilly Elegy is not 👇

This was a beautiful story about Appalachia that exposed me to a different area of the country and the people that live there. It's helpful to put down our sterotypes and what we think we know about a people and listen to their words. This won't get the same love as Educated by Tara Westover but it was similar, Education is a powerful tool for getting out of poverty and ensuring the next generation has opportunities.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. One of my favorites so far this year

Current audiobook. My family‘s from the mountains so it‘s nice to hear someone talk about the strengths as well as the struggles.

Narrated by the author, as many of my favorite #nonfiction #audiobooks are. This one is a companion to or even replacement read for Hillbilly Elegy. I'm in southern Ohio, still considered Appalachia, but not as rural as Eastern Kentucky, which is where the author is from. However, I can definitely relate to the high rates of poverty in the community+attitudes of hill people. Chambers does an excellent job of portraying the positive attributes⬇️

I thought this book was wonderful! Coming from a long line of hillbillies myself (albeit the Missouri Ozarks variety), I recognize many of the socioeconomic and educational barriers the author discusses. While many folks in eastern KY may have bleak outcomes, the author is careful to emphasize the qualities of these communities that are beautiful and honorable. Some may be put off by her brief discussion of politics at the end but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Thoughtful memoir that opens a window on a part of the country I know nothing about. I found this read poignant and hopeful.

This is the authors story of growing up in Eastern Kentucky. Her grandparents were very poor, her mother the first to graduate high school. I can relate to the pride and strength of these women. The author is a lawyer for Legal Aid, helping those who can't afford representation. The only part I didn't care for was her venturing into political topics. She does give a real picture of the life these women live.

This book speaks truth. I found these paragraphs to be profound.
#Appalachia

This book is one of my favorites for the year. It‘s warm, thoughtful and inspiring. I see the comparisons to Hillbilly Elegy (this is better) and Educated. It‘s the same style of book- a memoir but also about the larger context. She outlines the strengths and accepting the faults of Hill people with a focus on the experiences of women especially.

Definitely recommending to everyone (and my book club)

So....I rarely pan books, but this one was almost a DNF. I thought it would be about a variety of Appalachian women. It‘s really her own memoir (and she‘s in her 30s), with stories of her mom, grandma, aunt, and cousin. She brags about her accomplishments, but I would rather have read a bio of her mom—the first in her family to finish high school and college, with the support of mom and sister (not her dad). See my Goodreads review for more info.

HILL WOMEN was a delightful read that was both enlightening and entertaining. The writing was both passionate and immersing. It‘s a well-delivered portrait of the culture of the poorest county in the country https://www.bluestockingreviews.com/post/hill-women

#ARC #NetGalley a memoir in three parts. Part 1 Cassie Chambers childhood as a young girl raised in the hills of Eastern Kentucky by a spirited mother and two strong proud women of Appalachia, her aunt and granny. Part 2, Cassie as an Ivy League bound student and law student & her difficulties fitting in with the New England preppy student body. Part 3, Cassie returns to rural Kentucky to work for a nonprofit legal aid society. Gripping but dry.

It was so-so until the author got to the part about her Legal Aid advocacy for poor women in Kentucky, and the book filled with fire and passion. I liked the parts about the tough women in her family, and she touches on social issues in Appalachia, but I feel the book tried to cover too much. It was sweet, and I am full of admiration for the author for coming home and pitching in instead of dissing the place from afar. #arc

Not quite what I was expecting based on the blog. But this was a good memoir about growing up in Appalachia with an emphasis on her strong female relatives. I recommend this as a strong alternative to Hillbilly Elegy (this one focuses on Eastern KY, too).

#Edelweiss