Appalachian Homilies

“Mountain Spirits abide in Roberta Herrin’s jewel of a collection of essays. From gathering wild cherries to sewing feed sack dresses to taking a deep walk in the woods, her essays resonate with the character, traditions, and often hard-won harmony of Appalachia. Many of the titles themselves tell a story. Appalachian Homilies offers a mix of insightful and thoughtful essays about mountain folk and their stories, including lessons we could learn a thing or two from in our time.”


—Michael Braswell, author of The Memory of Grace





“These engaging and beautifully crafted essays offer both an insider’s and outsider’s perspective of Southern Appalachia. Roberta Herrin bears witness to her experience growing up in the mountains of east Tennessee in ‘The Husk of Wildness,’ ‘The Mountain Farmer and Milton,’ and ‘Gold Is Not All.’ Her voice is reverent, authentic, and clear. The other, equally compelling essays challenge blinkered notions of Appalachian ‘otherness,’ past and present. Natives and recent arrivals to the region will enjoy this book.”


—Anthony Cavender, professor emeritus of anthropology, East Tennessee State University





“Though Roberta Herrin’s essays in Appalachian Homilies encapsulate themes of previous editions of Now and Then, they provide a fresh opportunity to reflect on the past, ponder the present, and consider the future. Readers will be inspired to delve further into the marvels of Appalachia and perhaps be motivated to compose their own essays of new findings.”


—Sheila Quinn Oliver, co-author of Appalachian Children’s Literature: An Annotated Bibliography





“Appalachian Homilies should be required reading for all fans of Hillbilly Elegy and Demon Copperhead—as an antidote to the tired stereotypes those bestsellers rehash. Roberta Herrin’s essays embody the qualities of many true born and bred Appalachian people: a quiet erudition, a deep spirituality, a penchant for humor and humility, and an abiding love for our beautiful, wounded mountains.”


—Lisa Alther, author of Kinflicks





“Several years ago, Roberta Herrin was contacted by a Los Angeles reporter who was doing a story on cock fighting in Cocke County, Tennessee. His angle was ‘Cocke County is the last little pocket of sin in the United States.’ We all carry unconscious prejudices about Southern Appalachia, prejudices which Herrin dispels beautifully in an utterly non-pedantic way. I encourage you to read this book to understand Southern Appalachia in a way that is more honest than the stereotypes we picked up watching The Beverly Hillbillies.”


—Jeffrey Gold, professor emeritus of philosophy, East Tennessee State University