15 Books About Appalachia to Read Instead of HILLBILLY ELEGY

Kendra Winchester shares on Book Riot:

Since Hillbilly Elegy came out in 2016, I’ve experienced countless people claiming to now “understand” where I come from and what Appalachian people are like. But they don’t think of my childhood watching my dad lose himself while arranging music on his piano or my grandfather tenderly nurturing plants in his ridiculously large garden. Instead, they imagine the stereotypes of J.D. Vance’s version of Appalachia, where the entire region is made up of poor rural white people consumed with violence who have no one to blame but themselves for their life circumstances.

Vance is, of course, the 2024 Republican VP candidate who once called Trump “America’s Hitler”supports total abortion bans, and says he would not have certified the results of the 2020 election.

Winchester goes on to recommend fifteen books about Appalachia that will provide a clearer view of the region and the people who live there. They include:

What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia by Elizabeth Catte. “If you’re still wondering why Hillbilly Elegy is so problematic, I’d suggest starting with What You’re Getting Wrong About Appalachia.”

Appalachian Elegy: Poetry and Place by bell hooks. “In this poetry collection, she laments how Black Appalachians are all too often left out of narratives about Appalachia.”

Any Other Place by Michael Croley. “Croley’s perspective as a Korean American informs his writing as his stories deal with many topics around race, identity, and belonging.”

When These Mountains Burn by David Joy. “When These Mountains Burn features two men deeply impacted by the opioid crisis in Appalachia.”

See also Hillbillies Need No Elegy, an excerpt from Appalachian Reckoning: A Region Responds to Hillbilly Elegy.



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Thursday Assorted Links

  1. Incorporating Leadership Skills into a Student-Centered Classroom
  2. Breaking Down Project 2025
  3. How Text-to-Speech Technology is Breaking Barriers for Math Learners
  4. How to pick the perfect book to read on a plane
  5. Alabama Department of Education Targeted In Cyberattack
  6. Jimi Hendrix Unplugged: Two Great Recordings of Hendrix Playing Acoustic Guitar
  7. Girls in Tech closes its doors after 17 years


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Monday assorted links

  1. Aaron Sorkin Is Writing Some Kind of ‘Social Network’ Sequel Because ‘I Blame Facebook For January 6’ Riot at the U.S. Capitol
  2. The Student-Led Protests Aren’t Perfect. That Doesn’t Mean They’re Not Right.
  3. Shaping the Future of Learning: The Role of AI in Education 4.0
  4. For philosophy newbs: five thinkers to follow today.
  5. Survey Finds Many Gen Zers Say School Lacks a ‘Sense of Purpose’
  6. Bukowski Reads Bukowski: Watch a 1975 Documentary Featuring Charles Bukowski at the Height of His Powers

Party Like It’s 1989…

group of people in front of stage

“Every Friday, I like to high-five myself for getting through another week on little more than caffeine, willpower, and inappropriate humor.” —Nanea Hoffman

“It’s a new soundtrack, I could dance to this beat, the lights are so bright, but they never blind me” – Taylor Swift, Welcome to New York, 1989 (Taylor’s Version)

Happy Friday, gang! We made it! I’ve got a few interesting tidbits to share with you this week:



The Eclectic Educator is a free resource for everyone passionate about education and creativity. If you enjoy the content and want to support the newsletter, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Your support helps keep the insights and inspiration coming!

Friday Assorted Links

Title: "Az 1848-49-iki magyar szabadságharcz története [With illustrations.]"

Author(s): Gracza, György [person]

British Library shelfmark: "Digital Store 9315.h.13"

Page: 272 (scanned page number - not necessarily the actual page number in the publication)

Place of publication: Budapest

Date of publication: 1894

Type of resource: Monograph

Language(s): Hungarian

Physical description: 2 köt (4°)
Source: British Library on Flickr

The 11 Most Beautiful Post Offices Around the World

I’m a Student. You Have No Idea How Much We’re Using ChatGPT

– I’m halfway through Cory Doctorow’s latest novel, Red Team Blues. It’s pretty great.

These glacier photos are breathtaking

– Matt Damon on brainstorming and collaboration

The Hero’s Journey, according to Joseph Campbell




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Safe places and dark spaces

dark library

Hey gang, here are 10 things worth sharing with you this week:

10 Things Worth Sharing

  1. Wil Wheaton spoke in Kentucky in March, and I missed it. However, he kindly posted his remarks on why “The library is a safe space.”
  2. We need more trust and vulnerability in schools.
  3. The 2023 Pulitzer Prize winners were announced this week; one of the winning fiction books is a retelling of Dickens’ “David Copperfield.”
  4. Why sing a song when you can just sing a note and do some crazy stuff?
  5. Cool use of AI: Midjourney recreates ancient battles.
  6. Would AIs make better professionals (or teachers) than humans?
  7. Testing season is in full swing, and we need easier edtech integrations to service the nonsense.
  8. The Oppenheimer trailer dropped this week, and it looks amazing… and disturbing.
  9. First, Chegg took a hit from AI, and now the popular Stack Overflow loses traffic to ChatGPT. AI is here to stay, and it is disruptive.
  10. Lastly, there is no shame in getting help when you need it.



The Eclectic Educator is a free resource for everyone passionate about education and creativity. If you enjoy the content and want to support the newsletter, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Your support helps keep the insights and inspiration coming!

Monday Assorted Links

  1. You’re just learning about GPT-3, but folks are already working on GPT-4. Here’s what it might look like (emphasis on might)
  2. The end-of-year recommended book lists are beginning to appear. I’ll have mine out closer to the end of December. Here are a few from reputable sources:
  3. Creative consumption

Today’s Quotes

Sale
Greenlights
  • Audible Audiobook
  • Matthew McConaughey (Author) – Matthew McConaughey (Narrator)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 10/20/2020 (Publication Date) – Random House Audio (Publisher)
Sale
Thinking, Fast and Slow
  • A good option for a Book Lover
  • It comes with proper packaging
  • Ideal for Gifting
  • Kahneman, Daniel (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
Sale
Fahrenheit 451
  • Hardcover Book
  • Ray Bradbury (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 176 Pages – 12/11/2024 (Publication Date) – Simon & Schuster (Publisher)

Friday Assorted Links

Sale
Learning Transformed: 8 Keys to Designing Tomorrow’s Schools, Today
  • Sheninger, Eric C. (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 260 Pages – 06/06/2017 (Publication Date) – ASCD (Publisher)
  1. Do Professors Have a Right to Mistreat Students?
  2. A Winter Break Reading List on Skills for Scholars
  3. Chicago doubled the number of social workers in schools. Is it helping?
  4. New Report from Global Google Research Project Considers the ‘Future of Education’