What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia

By: Elizabeth Catte

Narrated by: Jo Anna Perrin

In 2016, headlines declared Appalachia ground zero for America's "forgotten tribe" of white working-class voters. Journalists flocked to the region to extract sympathetic profiles of families devastated by poverty, abandoned by establishment politics, and eager to consume cheap campaign promises.

What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia is a frank assessment of America's recent fascination with the people and problems of the region. The audiobook analyzes trends in contemporary writing on Appalachia, presents a brief history of Appalachia with an eye toward unpacking Appalachian stereotypes, and provides examples of writing, art, and policy created by Appalachians as opposed to for Appalachians.

The audiobook offers a much-needed insider's perspective on the region.

©2018 Elizabeth Catte (P)2018 Tantor

Wish it was longer

I wish this book was longer, and the near-robotic delivery of the narrator took some getting used to, but a very interesting book nonetheless. Definitely recommended.

Antidote to JD Vance pablum/ nicely read

Writing the review mostly as a counter vote to the ones claiming the reading is bad. It's not bad. I'm picky and I found Perrin's reading (just glanced up to find her name) clear, listenable, just fine. De gustibus and all, but she didn't bug me in the least. Wonderful book.

Great Content, Lousy Reader

I struggled multiple times with the reader for this book - there's lots of unnecessary pauses that sometimes punctuate the middle of sentences unnecessarily, and it was very stiff, even in places that the words indicated should be more emphatic or emotional. the content is great, giving a history of progressive movements founded in Appalachia (including the real origin of the word "redneck") as well as how multiple adminstrative and legislative moves have worked to keep Appalachia (and its residents) poor. I recommend the book, if not the audio, to anyone looking to further their understanding of Appalachia from its oversimplified appearance in the media.

The civil war fed by coal companies

Puts the battleground of Appalachia and coal in context, giving full respect to the hard proud people and their attempts to right the wrongs by their employers and politicians. Coal companies own 90% the resources and consequently, all of the wealth.

The narrator is beyond horrible.

The narration is really horrible. It’s like a bad AI rendering of a person. The content is interesting but it’s a real struggle to listen to this

Let Appalachian people read their own stories

This book has a great deal of integrity. The author and her research are authentic. I learned quite a lot about the Appalachia I have adopted. But when a book is about authenticity, why is the reader not from Appalachia? I could recommend many people who are trained actors who still sound like they’re from around here, as Appalachian people say.

Why is every culture diverse...except Appalachians?

I listened to this after listening to Hillbilly Elegy. Which should be titled MY Hillbilly Elegy as it centers on ONE family and ONE families outcomes...but I digress.

The history part of this book was great and as a researcher myself I appreciated it. Problem is it takes one persons narrative (I.e., Elegy) and made it one cultures narrative. Everyone has a story and many things have influenced their stories. That doesn’t make everyone have the same story...

As the saying goes (and we hill-folk have lots of them) all poodles are dogs, but that doesn’t mean all dogs are poodles!

Excellent and refreshing point of view on Appalachia

Highly suggest to anyone who wants to learn the real history and current prospect of Appalachia.

Good to know the whole story of Appalachia

It was good to learn a different perspective on the people of Appalachia. My grandmother was from rural Eastern Kentucky and Hillbilly Elegy opened up my mind to the world she grow up in. Although, I by no means ever saw it as a poor white only issue, so I appreciated the full story presented in this book.

Important alternative to Hillbilly Elegy

People outside of Appalachia have a very p*ss poor understanding of what life is like there, the fact that it is a microcosm of America’s problems but also with a unique culture all its own that’s more than just folksy wisdom and coal miners. This book is real folksy wisdom.