Five favorite books of Appalachia

Katie Pickard Fawcett, who grew up in the hills of eastern Kentucky, is the author of a newly released novel for young readers, To Come and Go Like Magic; it's about 12 year-old Chili Mahoney, who has never been outside of her small Appalachian town.

She named her five favorite books of Appalachia for C.M. Mayo's "Madam Mayo" blog. One book on the list:

Shiloh and Other Stories by Bobbie Ann Mason

Miss Mason's Kentucky people are caught in the great flood of change that first hit the area in the 1970s. They juggle the old and the new, trying to hold onto rural traditions while coping with shopping malls, TV evangelists, and women's lib. Mason's women learn to cook strange new dishes, sign up for college courses for the first time, or take up a musical instrument. In one story a preacher's wife gets hooked on video games; in another a bus driver dreams of being a New-Wave disc jockey. The dialogue, details, and insight in this collection give a rich and authentic portrait of a place, a time, and a people.

Read about another book on the list.

Visit Katie Pickard Fawcett's blog, Kite Dreams.

--Marshal Zeringue