Ronald D. Eller

Uneven Ground is a rather depressing history of Appalachia. It contains fairly impressive stories of organizations that have moved into various parts of the region -- mainly limited, though, to eastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia -- since 1945 attempting to improve the quality of life of its citizens. Unfortunately, few of them have had a substantial long-term impact. So the book becomes a sad litany of each decade's socioeconomic assistance being squandered or misappropriated, with subtle hints by the author that these may be intentionally done by those in power -- to retain the status quo. It's clear the author is no friend to the absentee-landlord timber and coal industries, but his portrayal of the service groups isn't entirely complimentary either. There's an underlying suggestion that perhaps the core Appalachian region defines prosperity differently than the rest of the country, but that's not explored with the same critical analysis all the other events get. A thorough bibliography is included. While this isn't the definitive history of Appalachia, it's a powerful read for those interested in socioeconomic issues in the US.

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LT Haiku:

Poor and backward land
seems to reject all efforts
to develop it.… (mehr)