The hidden truths of my life growing up in the Appalachians with no control over the outcome. Dangerous situations, from going hungry to downright death at the door to escape. Trapped in hard times going to school hungry after being kept up at an all night cock fight, to name a few. Awakening to an explosion in the night, only to see the house was on fire and running for my life not knowing if my siblings were still in the house. Families stuck together to help each other to find a way when there seemed to be none. Many fights between my mom and dad over his gambling habit and an empty refrigerator. The horrific feeling to learn your brother has been charged with murder and your thought is, no way. The amount of difficulty in my childhood left me in a love hate situation. I loved my family, but hated my childhood circumstances.

Richard Drake has skillfully woven together the various strands of the Appalachian experience into a sweeping whole. Touching upon folk traditions, health care, the environment, higher education, the role of blacks and women, and much more, Drake offers a compelling social history of a unique American region. The Appalachian region, extending from Alabama in the South up to the Allegheny highlands of Pennsylvania, has historically been characterized by its largely rural populations, rich natural resources that have fueled industry in other parts of the country, and the strong and wild, undeveloped land. The rugged geography of the region allowed Native American societies, especially the Cherokee, to flourish. Early white settlers tended to favor a self-sufficient approach to farming, contrary to the land grabbing and plantation building going on elsewhere in the South. The growth of a market economy and competition from other agricultural areas of the country sparked an economic decline of the region's rural population at least as early as 1830. The Civil War and the sometimes hostile legislation of Reconstruction made life even more difficult for rural Appalachians. Recent history of the region is marked by the corporate exploitation of resources. Regional oil, gas, and coal had attracted some industry even before the Civil War, but the postwar years saw an immense expansion of American industry, nearly all of which relied heavily on Appalachian fossil fuels, particularly coal. What was initially a boon to the region eventually brought financial disaster to many mountain people as unsafe working conditions and strip mining ravaged the land and its inhabitants. A History of Appalachia also examines pockets of urbanization in Appalachia. Chemical, textile, and other industries have encouraged the development of urban areas. At the same time, radio, television, and the internet provide residents direct links to cultures from all over the world. The author looks at the process of urbanization as it belies commonly held notions about the region's rural character.

Memory Mambo describes the life of Juani Casas, a 25-year-old Cuban-born American lesbian who manages her family's laundromat in Chicago while trying to cope with family, work, love, sex, and the weirdness of North American culture. Achy Obejas's writing is sharp and mordantly funny. She understands perfectly how the romance of exile—from a homeland as well as from heterosexuality—and the mundane reality of everyday life balance one another. Memory Mambo is ultimately very moving in its depiction of what it means to find a new and finally safe sense of home.

The Education of Little Tree has been embedded in controversy since the revelation that the autobiographical story told by Forrest Carter was a complete fabrication. The touching novel, which has entranced readers since it was first published in 1976, has since raised questions, many unanswered, about how this quaint and engaging tale of a young, orphaned boy could have been written by a man whose life was so overtly rooted in hatred. How can this story, now discovered to be fictitious, fill our hearts with so much emotion as we champion Little Tree’s childhood lessons and future successes? The Education of Little Tree tells with poignant grace the story of a boy who is adopted by his Cherokee grandmother and half-Cherokee grandfather in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee during the Great Depression. “Little Tree,” as his grandparents call him, is shown how to hunt and survive in the mountains and taught to respect nature in the Cherokee Way—taking only what is needed, leaving the rest for nature to run its course. Little Tree also learns the often callous ways of white businessmen, sharecroppers, Christians, and politicians. Each vignette, whether frightening, funny, heartwarming, or sad, teaches our protagonist about life, love, nature, work, friendship, and family. A classic of its era and an enduring book for all ages, The Education of Little Tree continues to share important lessons. Little Tree’s story allows us to reflect on the past and look toward the future. It offers us an opportunity to ask ourselves what we have learned and where it will take us.

In order to survive in the wilderness, they'll have to survive each other. After the case they just closed, it’s unsurprising FBI Special Agents Ty Grady and Zane Garrett are having trouble passing their psych evaluations. The only thing worse than a near-death experience is trying to lie to a shrink about it. And the only thing worse than that is being stuck on desk duty after failing. The two of them are soon ordered to take a vacation, before their exasperated coworkers finish what the serial killer started. Hoping to bolster their partnership—in every sense of the word—Ty invites Zane to visit his family in West Virginia, and Zane accepts. The mountains can’t be that different from Texas, right? Snakes are snakes. When they join Ty’s father and brother for a hike deep into the woods, the Grady family’s dysfunction quickly becomes the least of their worries. The weather is bad, the wildlife is bloodthirsty, and their fellow hikers are ready to break out the banjos. Zane and Ty still have each other, but whether that will make the trip—or break it—remains to be seen. *This is a limited re-release of the original series, without changes. Some aspects of the story are now dated, and an updated version will be published at a later date.* **See this title's page on RiptidePublishing.com for content warnings.**

At a time when concepts of racial and ethnic identity increasingly define how we see ourselves and others, the ancestry of Melungeons--a Central Appalachian multiracial group believed to be of Native American, African and European origins--remains controversial. Who is Melungeon, how do we know and what does that mean? In a series of interviews with individuals who claim Melungeon heritage, the author finds common threads that point to shared history, appearance and values, and explores how we decide who we are and what kind of proof we need.