Why not go?
I lift up my eyes unto the hills- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. Pslams 121:1-2
Come, let us sing for Joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvations. Psalm 95:1
My family and I live in a place of gently rolling forested hills. I have to drive to see mountains. But not too far down Interstate 77, we soon meet up with the ups and downs and twists and curves of Appalachia. A drive up a steep hill can quickly turn into a vista of a sun-warmed valley.
I-77’s elevation changes from about 2,800 feet in Virginia to about 1,500, in North Carolina. Much of that altitude change happens in a 6.2-mile stretch. These are old places, with small towns crouching between road and hillside. My family and I travel to Florida, but many people take time to visit see eastern Tennessee and Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a place of history and beauty.
But what if you were born in Appalachia or the Great Smoky Mountains? What if these places were more than a way to vacation, more than a postcard or Instagram post? What if these ancient mountains were home?
Two new memoirs will help you to connect with the mountains and valleys, and with the burdens and joys of the people who breath the mountain air each day. Both book titles mention the desire “to find” something in the mountains. Do mountains hide the world from us, or us from the world? Can we find a way, can we rejoice with the mountains?
“Finding Family and a Way Forward in the Appalachian Mountains”
JENA’S REVIEW
Hill Women: Finding Family and a Way Forward in the Appalachian Mountains by Cassie Chambers
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I highly recommend this book, the author’s loving tribute to her mother, aunt, and grandmother and other women. The pages of this story honor the hills of Kentucky and the strong, proud women who made the mountains their home. I was surprised that the author is a young woman. Life in the hollers hasn’t changed much.
The mountains of Eastern Kentucky can protect and also trap people. For Author Cassie Chambers, the mountains gave her life and love. The book is part memoir and part celebration. Cassie was loved by women who valued education. Her mother left Cow Creek holler and ventured to Berea, Kentucky to become the first person in her family to graduate from high school and college. The author was the recipient of her family’s loving encouragement to work hard and get an education. Ms. Chambers graduated from Yale and Harvard Law School. She chose to return to Appalachia and provide legal services to women.
The end of the book features some political discussion, which the author handles in a balanced way. She truly does want to help and honor the people of Appalachia, as there are many problems facing the region.
Is the author a hillbilly? Yes, if that means she is hardworking, creative and someone who embraces the culture of the mountain people. Funny, warm, uplifting, this book and its word picture enables us to visit and learn more about the Appalachian world of Eastern Kentucky.
Thank you to Cassie Chambers, NetGalley, Ballantine Books/Random House, for the advanced digital review copy of this book. This is my honest review.
“Facing Loss, Finding Peace, and Learning the True Meaning of Home”
JENA’S REVIEW
Great Blue Hills of God by Kreis Beall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
In the beautiful Smoky Mountains, lived a woman named Kreis Beall. The mountains and valleys are breath-taking, inspiring, and the timeless guardians of souls and natural wisdom. The rocks, hills, and creeks didn’t stand a chance against Kreis Beall, the ultimate force of nature.
Kreis Beall has created a memoir that is overflowing with an abundance of dreams, desires, and accomplishments. Ms. Beall is a tsunami of life. I am amazed I had never heard of her before, or the luxury farm resort, Blackberry Farm, she established in the Smoky Mountains near Knoxville, Tennessee. (Note- the “farm” is exactly how I hope heaven is- beautiful surroundings, perfect hospitality, gourmet food, all the activities you could dream of.)
Ms. Beall was born and raised in Tennessee. She married Sandy, and he was the CEO and she was the COO of their lives. They founded a popular restaurant chain, created Blackberry Farm, and over the course of their marriage, built or bought and decorated and entertained in over 40 homes. They had it all. They really did- they had so much- wealth, family, friends, entertaining, and creative businesses. It would take a 1,000 of me to get done what the author accomplished in a day.
So- the perfect life? Well, the subtitle of the book is “A story of facing loss, finding peace, and learning the true meaning of home.” She suffered some major and devastating blows and she is honest and unsparing in the sharing of these incredibly sad and painful happenings.
I’m not sure she is a woman who can ever truly find peace, but just as she can remodel and redecorate a home and make it glossy-magazine Instagram perfect, she can also turn her talents inward to re-center herself. God Bless you, Ms. Beall. She includes devotional-type moments in the book that speak to her love of God, family and home. This is an interesting, if somewhat unsettling, read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Convergent Books for a digital review copy. This is my honest review.
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About the Author
