The Secret Wisdom of the Earth

By: Christopher Scotton

Narrated by: Robert Petkoff

Length: 13 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

After witnessing the death of his younger brother in a terrible home accident, 14-year-old Kevin and his grieving mother are sent for the summer to live with Kevin's grandfather. In this peeled-paint coal town deep in Appalachia, Kevin quickly falls in with a half-wild hollow kid named Buzzy Fink who schools him in the mysteries and magnificence of the woods. The events of this fateful summer will affect the entire town of Medgar, Kentucky.

Medgar is beset by a massive Mountaintop Removal operation that is blowing up the hills and back filling the hollows. Kevin's grandfather and others in town attempt to rally the citizens against the "company" and its powerful owner to stop the plunder of their mountain heritage. When Buzzy witnesses the brutal murder of the opposition leader, a sequence is set in play which tests Buzzy and Kevin to their absolute limits in an epic struggle for survival in the Kentucky mountains.

Redemptive and emotionally resonant, The Secret Wisdom of the Earth is narrated by an adult Kevin looking back on the summer when he sloughed the coverings of a boy and took his first faltering steps as a man among a rich cast of characters and an ambitious effort to reclaim a once great community.

©2014 Christopher Scotton (P)2014 Hachette Audio

Fantastic coming of age tale.

Great read. I couldn't stop listening. The loss and discovery in this book are tangible.

A crazy summer in Medgar Kentucky

Where does The Secret Wisdom of the Earth rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I loved listening to The Secret Wisdom of the Earth. The narrator did a wonderful job telling the story without being distracting. I love when I can tell the difference in characters speaking without it sounding like a theater production.

Who was the most memorable character of The Secret Wisdom of the Earth and why?

Definitely Pops with his wisdom, acceptance, and willingness to teach. I think Buzzy comes in a close 2nd though!

Any additional comments?

I was initially turned off by the title, thinking it sounded too much like a "listen to nature" lesson. The synopsis eased my mind though. While there are elements of nature with the novel set in the mountain-town of Medgar, I was pleased with all the humanness found in this story (although not all of the humanness is pleasing).

Fourteen year old Kevin and his mom move in with Kevin's grandfather, Pops, in his mom's hometown of Medgar, KY following the death of Kevin's 3-year old brother. While I was interested and invested right from the beginning of the novel, the pace seemed to move at a stroll. I felt like I was learning about Medgar and all its people right along with Kevin. At the time Kevin and his mom move back, Medgar has a complicated relationship with the coal mining there. They need to mine to keep jobs and people in the area, but the great lengths required to reach the coal left many uneasy about the permanent damage being done to the mountains as well as the people of Medgar. I thought much of the coal mining talk was going over my head, but I was easily able to pick up on enough to understand what was happening throughout the rest of the novel.

With themes that include grief, tolerance, acceptance, coming-of-age, and even a touch of mysticism, there is so much more to the story than the coal mining conflict. As events unfold, the pace of the novel quickens and the summer becomes one that Kevin, nor the town, will ever forget.

What an amazing read!

Would you listen to The Secret Wisdom of the Earth again? Why?

Yes! The whole story draws you into this community and the characters from the first chapter.

What did you like best about this story?

That is was believable and how loss of family, community and self can happen to anyone.

Which character – as performed by Robert Petkoff – was your favorite?

All of them! I felt like there were multiple performers, not just one!

Any additional comments?

I am thankful my friend Jack recommended this book to me, I feel it will be one I will listen to over and over.

A great first novel!!

I'm glad the book was chosen for our bookclub!I loved the narrators( Robert Petkoff) voice or should I say voices throughout, including the descriptive details this fictional book had throughout. Some writing was quite gripping. although I do think the end could have been simpler....I hope to read another of Christopher Scotton book soon and listen to Petkoff again!

Best performance ever - great story

It is not very often that a reader put as much effort and skill into a performance as this! Well done! Enjoyed the story too, but the different voices and accents brought it alive like a one man radio play

Great story

An Excellent Book
One or the best I ever heard. Unique story

The reader was amazing

Good Debt

Lots to like about this debut novel, but it did need some serious editing. It also read like this new author was trying too hard to prove his literary chops with some unnessecarily discriptive prose. Characterization and sense of place were great, and Robert Petkoff did a wonderful narration. I think his performance elevated the book to a higher level.

Heart warming

Lovely book of a 14 year olds summer in Appalachia as he struggles with a family tragedy and his wise loving grandfather. A nice focus on beauty of region and the impact of mining. I highly recommend.

Not at all what I expected

I loved this book. What a sweet story of a teenage boy learning from his grandfather. Lots of action, intrigue, mystery too. A story that roots for the underdog. A great portrait of east ky life. The good and the bad. I highly recommend it!

Great story

I really enjoyed this book. The relationship between the main characters was well worth the read. At times the story was a bit wordy, but well worth the read.