Originally posted by pdwiles:
[qb] If you've read Far Appalachia by Noah Adams, post and tell me what you thought about it. [/qb]
by Noah Adams
In traveling the New River from North Carolina to West Virginia, Noah Adams found a part of America that sometimes stands still in time, and other times seems to go backward. Part of his journey relates to an earlier epic of his own life spent in Appalachia. Whatever the reasons, he paints a picture of the rivers path that is both nostalgic and distant. Coal mining was a big industry in much of this section of the country, but much of it is gone now. Towns, mines, have almost completely disappeared, while others are ugly blots on the landscape. And still, the New River cuts its way through mountains, creating gorges, south to north, in the same way it has done for millennia. Bridges cross it. People live beside it. And a new industry -- whitewater rafting, kayaking, and other touristy pursuits -- has encroached on its waters. As Adams traveled the river, he met professional guides, herbalists, and others who make their livings on the river. Many, perhaps most of them love the river. Each knows some of its history, and their stories often only whet our appetites. Readers of travels in America would enjoy this book. However, someone who once lived in North Carolina, Virginia, or West Virginia, having some knowledge of both history and geography of those areas, will be reminded of their time there and stories they may have heard. It might even make some of those who moved away want to go back. Even if only for a vist.
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