Relates the fascinating history of the valley from Neolithic peoples to present-day tourists. The area was controlled by the Stoney Indians in the mid-1800's when James Sinclair and Captain John Palliser travelled the valley in search of a pass across the Rocky Mountains. In the early 1900's trapper, surveyors and gold seekers set the stage for the commercial exploitation of the 1940's and '50's when the valley became a source of lumber, coal and power for the rapidly-growing City of Calgary. Nowadays the Kananaskis Valley is the heart of Kananaskis Country, a multi-use recreation area developed for Albertans in 1977.

For many years Green traveled up and down his native Cape Fear River Valley in North Carolina, collecting the folklore of the people of the valley--noting down their speech, beliefs, customs, anecdotes, ballads, epitaphs, legends, proverbs, stories, superstitions, games, folk songs, and the like. The selections from this rich harvest of human laughter and tears represent Green at his best. Originally published in 1970. A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.

The international-bestselling winner of the National Book Award and the basis for the Academy Award–winning film directed by John Ford. Huw Morgan remembers the days when his home valley was prosperous, verdant, and beautiful—before the mines came to town. The youngest son of a respectable mining family in South Wales, he is now the only one left in the valley, and his reminiscences tell the story of a family and a town both defined and ruined by the mines. Huw’s story is both joyful and heartrending—a portrait of a place and a people existing now only in memory. Full of memorable characters, richly crafted language, and surprising humor, How Green Was My Valley is the first of four books chronicling Huw’s life, including the sequels Up into the Singing Mountain, Down Where the Moon is Small, and Green, Green My Valley Now. “The reader emerges from these tense pages strangely aglow with sharing the happiness of the characters . . . The simplicity of the language and its delicately strange flavor give the book added charm.” —Chicago Tribune

This narrative documentary portrays the life of a thirteen-year-old girl who breaks out of an abusive environment by escaping the grasp of a tyrannical stepmother who had victimized her and seven of her siblings for many years. Except for the people who made her escape possible, she was essentially on her own as she worked her way through high school. After working for a year as a private secretary in a civil service position, she was encouraged to apply for a scholarship to the University of Illinois. A second scholarship and a secretarial position at the university made it possible for her to acquire a bachelors degree in speech pathology and to graduate debt free in four years. She continued her education during a busy career and earned a masters degree in speech and language pathology from Northwestern University. By rising above what she considered to be a lost childhood, she manages to have a successful career along with marriage and a family. It appears that this author never looked down after leaving a childhood of abuse, compounded by the problems of the Great Depression. Those who encouraged her along the way are acknowledged as the angels in her life. Through these special mentors she meets movie stars and Hollywood moguls in the west and through her marriage to a naval officer she meets military and foreign dignitaries in Washington, D.C. Throughout this story, success and happiness in this family are often eclipsed by poignant periods of sadness, but only to rise again as their upbeat spirits prevail. Although the author is the central figure in this memoir, her eight siblings contribute immensely to the central theme of this story the will to survive and succeed. They beat the odds against the oft-quoted premise that growing up in violence will perpetuate violence. This story was written to provide insight into the problem of child abuse. Along with this moving commentary and narration, helpful information is provided for everyone working with children and young adults laymen and professionals alike.