Reviews

The Mountain, the Miner, and the Lord, and Other Tales from a Country Law Office by Harry M. Caudill

jmandrake's review

3.0

Well-observed anecdotes from the Appalachian region, which have the feel of tall tales passed along each generation--regardless of how "true" the original events were, they become larger than life in the telling. It's a good window into the culture of the region, especially in the early 20th century. I'm grateful that Caudill was able to record them. But they're harder to enjoy knowing Caudill's attraction to eugenics; while he was carefully crafting warm tales about interesting Appalachian characters, he was also championing their eradication through literal interbreeding with "smart" Northerners. Gag. Wish I had another author to recommend for clear-eyed Appalachian accounts, but I'll keep looking.