*This book was received as an Advanced Reader's Copy from NetGalley.

The Foxfire books are always a treat. Born from the oral histories of Appalachia, they collect the folklife narratives that people in the area can offer. This book follows that trend, focusing on the women of Appalachia.

While you may have someone in mind when you think of a woman from Appalachia, you'd only be half right. The women of Appalachia are varied and from different backgrounds, although they share commonalities, a sense of spirit, community, and hard work. The narratives in this book include crafters, Black Americans, a transplant from Italy, someone from Latinx heritage, and much more. And their stories span decades (the book moves up through the birth dates of these women).

I thought the book was interesting because of the variety of people that it interviewed. These interviews were conducted at different points in time as well, so that while one might talk about texting, another may have never known what that was (nor the interviewer at the time). As mentioned before, they all had a large sense of community and helping each other out; many came from poorer backgrounds and quite a few had such large families! It really makes you think about perspective; coming from a smaller, non-Appalachian family myself I had a very different upbringing from these women.

Because these are interviews, it does tend to have 'train of thought' narrative at times. Which honestly I have a hard time keeping focused on. But that's really a small complaint and more localized to my own reading habits, some people love that style and in that case will really enjoy this book.

Definitely a solid addition to the Foxfire library.

Review by M. Reynard 2022

I come from a long line of Appalachian women and love reading stories of actual lives of women in the region. I remember volumes of Foxfire books in homes when I was growing up. The format here is a bit story corp, a bit Federal Writers Project , and suffers a bit, I think from the outsider looking in (some women may not have been comfortable with interviews, not forthcoming or candid, etc). And, the editing and commentary seem to reflect this.

The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Women is a wonderful volume of interviews of mostly north Georgia-area women who have lived lives of deprivation and hardship, some abandoned to survive on their own, who talk openly of their strong faith in God and how life has changed over the years. Family histories include moonshiners, root doctors, indigenous peoples and crafters, who used whatever was available to survive and better their circumstances. The stories are a testament to the human spirit, determination and what can be achieved despite having all odds against you; a very encouraging read.