What to Read Next: Appalachia Edition

Historian Elizabeth Catte isn’t happy with the nation’s stereotypical lens of Appalachia — and she’s here to set the record straight. Rich, complex and meticulously researched, Catte provides the world with a thoughtful account of her hometown.  

A profound story of a mother and son living in poverty, Barbara Kingsolver takes readers into the heart of the Appalachian Mountains with a Dickens twist. If you love Kingsolver’s depictions of Appalachia, check out Flight Behavior and Prodigal Summer.

The book that inspired the critically acclaimed movie, Deliverance reintroduces readers to humanity’s first predator: nature. When a weekend trip goes awry, local men must lean on their wits to brave the wilderness. A story of survival, masculinity and morality, Deliverance is an unforgiving look into the dark side of Appalachia.  

The Discover Pick that launched her career, Shiner is Amy Jo Burns’ remarkable debut that follows a young girl’s path through identity, defiance and family. A story of isolation in a rural town, this is a powerful look into West Virginia. 

A story about fathers and sons, community and religion, A Land More Kind Than Home is both a profound coming-of-age story and a gripping domestic thriller. 

A debut that shines a light on the untold stories of Native people enduring WWII’s lasting impacts at home, Even as We Breathe is a poignant story of a boy dreaming of leaving his small Appalachian hometown.

In this posthumously published collection of stories, Breece D’J Pancake wrote about Appalachia with such care. Pancake’s collection has become a favorite among writers, with Jon Michaud of The New Yorker writing, “stylistically, Pancake was fully formed, an uncanny hybrid of dirty realism and Southern gothic.”

Donna Everhart (The Saints of Swallow Hill) brings the tumultuous natural phenomena of the American South to life in The Road to Bittersweet. For another deep dive into Everhart’s vivid depictions of Appalachia, grab a copy of The Moonshiner’s Daughter next. 

The standout novel of the 90s, Cold Mountain broke all kinds of records. It’s the profoundly moving story of a soldier returning home to his love after the Civil War. A simple premise with deep emotional resonance that elevates it into the upper echelon of literature.

There is no writer like Pulitzer Prize-winning author Cormac McCarthy, and his take on Appalachia is evocative, dark and dreary. Outer Dark tells the story of a woman having her brother’s baby, and the disconcerting setting surrounding them. For another glimpse into McCarthy’s view of Appalachia, read The Orchard Keeper.

This is an immersive mystery centered on a park ranger who finds bear carcasses on the land he’s supposed to protect. This is a sharp and compelling thriller where the natural world becomes a terrifying character of its own. 

The book that inspired the movie, Serena by acclaimed author Ron Rash (The Caretaker) is a Southern gothic tale following a pair of newlyweds in 1930s North Carolina. When ambition gives way to corruption and love leads to murder, this tumultuous pair careens toward destruction in the Appalachian Mountains. 

It wouldn’t be a true Appalachian list without mention of folk magic. Wildwood Whispers is a magical story of a woman’s brush with the otherworldly when she travels to the mountains to grieve her best friend. If you’ve ever been alone in the woods and felt like you were being watched, read this one.  

In a small town, when an enigmatic stranger suddenly arrives, things will never be the same. Such was the case for Sadie Blue, a teenage girl with a baby on the way and no hope for a life of her own. This is a tender, powerful novel of home, family and hope.  

This is a thorough history of Appalachia from its first settlers to pioneers and modern-day citizens. Steven Stroll delves into the past to get to the root of why our country sees Appalachia as a backward region, and what we can do to better understand the land and its people.