I am interested in history, especially the history surrounding the places and timeframes that my ancestors might have lived in or passed through during their migration. Therefore, I thought Travels with Foxfire : Stories of People, Passions, and Practices from Southern Appalachia by Foxfire Fund Inc would be of interest to me. I was disappointed in the amount of information passed along. While I appreciate the effort of collecting and preserving oral history from those who live in the Appalachia area, it just wasn't deep enough. I could just dabble my toes in the stories before they were splashing on to the next.
Full Disclosure: I was allowed to read a copy of this book for free as a member of NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I was not influenced to give a positive review.

No matter what your personal interests, you are sure to find someone here that you would like to read about. Find out how people used to live and some still do. Some fun recipes are included. Great for anyone interested in history of the area, crafting, and those who love to read interviews with interesting people.

This series is amazing. We have the entire set and am looking forward to adding this book to our collection. Amazing stories about the Appalachian area! Super non fiction read. Thanks to NetGalley for the free download and to the author and publisher. Keep these books coming!

What can I say. Fantastic book about Foxfire culture and the DIY / Self Sufficiency Movement. Highly recommend.

My daughter read the Foxfire books when she was in school. Seeing a new title in the series was a pleasant surprise. The stories and information in the book are consistent with the earlier books, giving you a look into a different way of life. A great book for anyone and everyone. My grandchildren have now been introduced to the Foxfire library and have asked for earlier titles at their library. So, the book has achieved it's purpose, maintaining interest in a life style most do not ever see while piquing the interest of young people to learn. Thank you.

This book is about the people, practices, and passions of the Southern Appalachia. The stories come from both North and South Carolina, Tennessee to Kentucky. I have personally lived in Tennessee and Kentucky and have had the joy of traveling through some of the areas in this book as well as having encountered the people, practices, and places in this book. I very much enjoyed this book. The book is written in essay form but the information in each essay is awesome. This brought some memories and reminded me of some forgotten memories.



I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com and chose to leave this review.

Another comprehensive set of interesting stories about the "old ways and old days" following the Foxfire tradition. The photographs take you closer into the stories, all distilled from one-on-one interviews with Appalachian natives. If you ever wanted to brush up on regional history or learn how to do things you never thought you'd need to know, read this book.

'Travels With Foxfire' is a lovely addition to the Foxfire series of books. I've been reading the Foxfire books over and over since the very first editions came out in the early seventies. Since I lived my early years not that far from the Appalachian Mountains, it was like going home reading these stories.
'Travels With Foxfire' spends most of the book recounting the lives of different people that had and still have made a difference in this region's history. This is so important since without this effort, much of this history could be lost.

Reading the story of Dori Sanders was like sitting down and reminiscing with an old neighbor. I can't wait to try some of her her recipes.Learning about the history of Southern Appalachian music was fun too.
If you love to read about the history and culture of people and places, this is the book for you. And after you are finished with this book, go back to the first Foxfire books and get those as well. You will not only have a great time reading, but will be also helping to preserve the oral history and culture of our country.

I was thrilled to see another addition to the Foxfire series. I had read many of them years ago. This one is a fine addition to that family. It's charming, educational and a real gem. After all, where else can you learn about privologists, NASCAR and hunting ginseng? This book is how I imagine sitting down with a group of Appalachian Elders must be.
A lovely look into an often overlooked culture in days gone by.

I grew up reading my mom's Foxfire books, it was the thing to read if you were into naturalism/survivalism and lived in the south. We did not quite live in Appalachia, but we lived on the edge and visited it quite a bit to see family, so reading these stories about the people from this region keeping a way of life alive was nostalgic. The original books were more instruction with stories scattered about, Travels with Foxfire is more the opposite, so while it was very much so a walk down memory lane, I found myself missing the original series. If you want to learn more about the people that live in Appalachia or that was your favorite part of the OG series, definitely give this book a read, and definitely give the old series a read, it is a treasure!

This charming book celebrates the people and culture of Southern Appalachia in so many aspects from moonshiners to collectors. Written mostly by a retired journalist these short profiles are a delight, even for those not familiar with the earlier Foxfire books.

Although I knew of the Foxfire Fund, I have never read any of their earlier publications. However, I love reading oral histories, and as an craftsperson who loves all sorts of traditional handcrafts such as basketmaking, spinning and knitting and jewelry making, I am always interested in reading about people who continue traditions that have been handed down through generations.

I enjoyed reading each of the stories in this book, but overall, I found the entire book somewhat disappointing because it felt too much as if each was barely skimming the surface of each person’s story. I have recently been watching the Netflix television show “Queer Eye,” and in an odd way, this has given me an insight into what seems to be missing from Travels with Foxfire.

I had heard quite a bit about the rebooted television show, and how the new series was consistently quite moving. Now that I have watched quite a few episodes, I understand why. The five stars of the show are gay men, who spend a week with a person who has been nominated to receive a makeover, by a friend or loved one. The makeover includes advice and support regarding fashion, hair and skin care, cooking, home improvement and “culture,” all provided within a one week period.

The show is filmed over the course of the week, and edited into a 45 minute episode. Obviously, viewers are only seeing a very small percentage of the interactions between the show’s stars and their nominee during that week, but what has become apparent is how much these men really strive to understand and respect the person they have met that week, and how each experience is truly emotionally valuable for both the person receiving the makeover, and for the stars of the show. They strive to understand the reasons each person has become someone in need of a makeover, and their work is always focused on helping resolve those underlying issues, not just making external, cosmetic changes.

And that focus is what I felt was missing from Foxfire. Each of the chapters introduced the reader to an intriguing person, but I felt as if I really only understood the most superficial elements of that person by the end of their chapter. I think I would have enjoyed it more if there had been fewer people highlighted in the book, and a more in-depth examination was made of each of the subjects so that I felt as if I knew each of them better by the end of their chapter.

I received an advanced reading copy from Foxfire Fund via NetGalley. Thanks!

Another lovely installment in the Foxfire series, full of information and personal stories surrounding life in the Appalachians, including foodways and recipes, music, politics, farming, building, and much more. The Foxfire books are gems, appealing to general readers and useful for scholars of oral history and folkways.

“Travels with Foxfire” is the latest in the series that had its beginning back in 1966 when the high school English class at the Rabun Gap-Nacoochee school in northeast Georgia began a magazine about the mountain ways and culture of southern Appalachia. This latest book, written by Phil Hudgins with assistance from Foxfire student Jessica Phillips, follows the author as he travels southern Appalachia interviewing colorful characters. The more than 30 interviews include such topics as; farming, logging, hunting, stock car racing, moonshining,outhouses, drive-in theatres, food and various forms of the music of the region. Cooking enthusiasts will enjoy the numerous recipes reprinted from southern Appalachian cookbooks.

I discovered the original Foxfire series when I was a teenager working in a library putting books away. I'd always sneak a few minutes of reading in when I had one the series on my cart, and I worked my way through several of those books during my time at that library. I was thrilled to see a new entry available and immediately requested it. I found a somewhat different format than what I remembered, but was still thoroughly engaged by the storytelling. The book reads like a memoir, but broadens to include fascinating stories of ordinary men and women who lived truly interesting lives.

The key to the charm of these stories is that the people interviewed (or remembered in some cases) didn't/don't think of themselves as extraordinary. They were just living their lives, which is so different from the staged "fame" we see today on social media. The men who souped up cars to run moonshine and ran races in cornfields to pass the time and test their speed did it because they needed fast cars to outrun the law, and they enjoyed racing each other. Who knew that NASCAR had it roots in these early days of running moonshine?


For anyone who wants to understand the South, there's no better source than a book like this one that tells the stories in the words of the people. Recommended.

'They thrived by making do, and when change came, they drew on their basic wit and common sense to adapt rather than simply surrender to it.'

I’ve never had the pleasure of reading Foxifire books, but when I saw this for grabs on Netgalley, I had to read it. I am fascinated by all things Appalachia, it’s such a shame that their culture is changing so much, as all things must. What better way to preserve the history and stories than in a collection of interviews? Several of the people have since passed away but not without leaving an indelible impression. Stories of bootlegging, hunting, water dowsing, and ‘where the music dwells.’ I have a particular fondness for the section on arts and herbs in the story of Eve Miranda, Medicine Woman. It’s an art form understating herbs, plants, root knowledge and all its healing properties. What a wonderful inheritance to pass down the family line, and there is something endearing about a woman who shares the knowledge she has gathered. I would read a book just about her. Following her tale is the Hayes Boys story, the gatherers of wild ginseng. Maybe not everyone finds plants to be adventurous but they can be!

There is humor in the interview with “Privologist” Mary Frazier Long. Having grown up in Southern Appalachia she lived in a time where she had to use the outhouses. The funniest tidbit to me is, ‘You knew not to go see certain people at certain times, ” Long recalled “because that’s when they were in the outhouse. You could look out and see when they were going.” I think the majority of us have grown up with indoor plumbing, so it is a curious thing to imagine.

Music too is deeply rooted in the heart of Appalachia. I admittedly never knew so many songs were taken from classic ballads and folk songs from the Appalachian Mountains and made popular by artists like Bob Dylan and Paul Simon. I did, however, love to sing a song with my cousin by The Kingston Trio titled “Tom Dooley” and knew it was a ballad based on the murder of Laura Foster. Why were we singing it in the 90’s? Likely found the record in my grandmother’s stash. Gospel, Bluegrass, there is a heavy influence coming from the Appalachian Mountains most people don’t realize.

Yes, many of the folks in the interviews are now elders, the remaining witnesses of a time that is slipping from our fingers. A rich source of history, folklore, and knowledge that isn’t easily obtained. They are the sort of folks you’d love to spend an evening with as they regale you with tales from their lives. Some of that living has been hard scrabble or dangerous. If you’re curious about mountain living, this is for you.

It’s an enjoyable collection, which has made me curious about the Foxfire books as it became a way of sharing food recipes, traditions, and life on the mountains. It’s a wonderful way to preserve history and reminisce, with the start of the collection aptly titled “The Way It Was.”

Publication Date: August 18, 2018

Knopf Doubleday Publishing

Anchor

This book was well written and very fun to read. The characters were great and I enjoyed the world building. The author does a great job at introducing the characters and moving the plot along. There were a few things that I didn't like, but it wasn't enough to really sway me one way or the other. It's definitely a story that I can get lost in and both feel for the characters. It is definitely a go-to novel that I highly recommend to anyone who loves a great read. Definitely a highly recommended read that I think everyone will enjoy.

If you are a fan of Foxfire you may enjoy this one. I have collected the Foxfire books since the early 70's and have enjoyed reading and re-reading them over the years. Great how-to books! This one isn't quite what the earlier ones were, but Appalachia has changed over the years, nothing stays the same. Much of the older culture is gone now, along with it's people. Still, even with all of the changes, it's interesting to read about the changes and learn how somethings have stayed the same.

This book is a collection of interviews with people who live in the Appalachia region. Most of these people were in their 60s or 70s, though some were younger. We're given a short biography of their life plus some stories they shared about a certain topic. The speaker often assumed that the reader was already familiar with what they were talking about. For example, the Southern Gospel performers never really explained what that type of music was, they just debated if its popularity was waning and told some funny stories from their performances. This book is more for people who want to reminisce about "You remember when...?" than for people interested in learning details about how people used to live.

The book included some people with odd hobbies, successful authors (including cookbook authors), hunters, herbal gatherers, artists, singers/writers, and people who had been involved in moonshine production, stock car racing, drive-in movie theaters, and water dowsing. Overall, the stories were interesting and amusing, but I'd hoped for something a bit more informative as well.

This is a great collection of memories from those who live in Appalachia. It includes music, folklore, famous folks, and, of course, food (with recipes!). It also includes some great pictures to illustrate the stories. Having grown up in the region, I already knew some of this, but there was a lot of new information that I'd never heard of before....and let's just settle the NASCAR debate here....it started in Wilkesboro. ;) ;)