Foxfire Fund

A mix of new material pulled from the Foxfire interview archives from 50 years ago. I enjoyed the similes, songs, mythical Cherokee tales, and the memoirs of the influenza epidemic of 1918, which made me reflect on the resilience of southern Appalachian people and their resilience in times that are unimaginable today, in the days of flu shots. The interviewees remembered relying on neighbors—who set firewood and food on their front porches—to keep them alive.

The tales with folklorist annotations such as those by Barbara Duncan made a handful of stories much more profitable for the reader and provide much needed context for what would read just like the other odd and random musings in the book. Some of these stories, rendered verbatim in Georgia dialect, were dense and impenetrable even for me, a native Appalachian whose grandmother came from that area.

If these stories were very engaging, would they not have been published decades ago? Many are clunky and weird and difficult to understand. If I couldn't make head or tail of some of these anecdotes, I can't imagine how the average reader will respond. This new pass through the archives to glean more material for publication might have been mostly a bad idea.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book from the publisher and was encouraged to submit a review.… (mehr)

lore, historical-places-events, historical-research, history-and-culture,*****

At last! A Foxfire book I can keep for myself! We bought and used the early volumes (can't remember if it was 12 or 14) and then the kids spirited them off and what were left migrated with a grandson or two. Those were the early ones that made camping with the Revolutionary War reenactors so much easier to adapt. This one gives the history of the Foxfire movement in Southern Appalachia and the important work of preserving the old ways and how the oral histories were gathered and written down. Many of the legends, folktales, beliefs, and more are included. I love it and am glad that I get to keep it and reread.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group via NetGalley. Thank you!… (mehr)

This charming book was rather quaint and cozy to sit through. The biggest problem with a lot of old skills is that they are dying out since no one wants to learn them anymore. Take Blacksmithing for example. Long ago, blacksmithing was the only way to get metal products and it was hard work. Nowadays there aren't many people that want to devote the time and effort to learn how to blacksmith. This book of a collection of folksy wisdom and skills that they used in the Appalachian Mountains to survive and thrive. Many of them were never rich, but that wasn't what it was all about. It was about living life simply and honestly. Given the Big Box mentality that many people tend to have in the United States, I suppose this book resonated with me a bit.

So if you want to know how to make your own soap, there is a recipe in this book. If you want to know about folk art, there is a section devoted to that. The book actually made me want to visit this area for myself, though I can't imagine going all the way to Georgia or South Carolina.… (mehr)