Really enjoyed this book. Great plot and engaging, believe characters. I was drawn right into the story. Would definitely recommend.

Great read. The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in.

This book was completely amazing! I never knew this part of our nation's history as I'm sure most Americans do not. But this book is culturally and historically relevant. A time in history when President Roosevelt's New Deal was implemented to pull America out of a deep economic depression and put citizens back to work. Little is known about the peoples and cultures whose lives were destroyed in the process of establishing the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. Small enclaves of Appalachian mountain people were run out of their homes and there way of life was destroyed! The voice in this story is a young woman who was named Ada Anabelle, but refers to herself by various other names people in her life labeled her. Usually she calls herself "Bee" .Bee's voice is authentic as she speaks in the Appalachian dialect as she tells her life story to her daughter and leaves nothing unsaid, even though she suffered a life of extreme poverty, abuse, hunger, and disappointment.
Belle and her isolated mountain community have had a way of life for centuries in the Appalachian mountains but this all changes when they are literally driven from their homes by the U.S. government. A shameful time in our country's history when little thought was given to these people and in fact they were referred to as ignorant, retarded, worthless and were even subjected to Eugenics.
Well worth the read as even thought the subject is heartbreaking the reader is able to see the love Bee has for her family and community and how even in the worse of circumstances she is hopeful and dreams of a better life for herself and her daughter.
#godownthemountain #netgalley #helpingbookssucceed

With the success of Hillbilly Elegy and the increasing interest in Appalachian history, Go Down the Mountain provides an intriguing take on this unique American culture. Ms. Battle depicts early twentieth-century government abuse run rampant in a historical fiction narrative that paints a sad picture of American regionalism. With undertones of class warfare and reform gone astray the reader cannot help but feel sympathy towards the disappearing "hillbilly" culture while questioning the true reality of this so-called progressive reform. Although the novel could shorten up a bit, the plot line holds the reader and maintains a level of relevance for today's evolving political landscape.

I really tried to like this book. It had many of the essential elements for a good book - a historical setting, historical events, women trying to make ends meet in a tough time, et cetera, but I just couldn't stick with it although I must have picked this book up at least twelve times over a week. Hopefully others will like it better and actually finish it.

This is the story of Appalachia as it was during the Depression, from the first person account of Bee, the candid protagonist and unlikely heroine "hillbilly". Lots of interesting information about governmental interference. with which we are all-too familiar in today's world, but a foreign concept in the 30's in the US. It is a fast read and totally entertaining. I would recommend this for a fun summer entertainment.

There were a few major problems with this book for me. First off, it was one of those books I never really came to care about the characters.

I don't feel the story matched the description. It was said to be a tale inspired by families in the 1930s forced to move to form the Shenandoah National park. While Bee and her family did have to move, the majority of the book was about her going to an insane asylum, breaking out and getting pregnant.

The first chapter implies that a mother is writing this story for her three year old daughter but it seems unbelievable a mother would share this many sordid details with her daughter.

The grammatical style really bothered me. I know they should have a regional accent from Appalachia however it feels like little research was done into what that would actually sound like. Instead their "accent" seems to be made up with mostly just poor grammer, fake and hillbilly stereotypical. Accent was also not steady throughout, it would come and go.