Appalachian Reads is a book discussion group sponsored by Blount County Public Library. Participants meet on the third Saturday of every other month from 10:30-11:30 a.m. in Dorothy Herron Room A. The first year of Appalachian Reads began July 15, 2017 and ran through May 19, 2018. Building on success, the group began its second year on July 21, 2018, and continues to meet for bi-monthly discussions.
The library will have four print copies of all titles plus R.E.A.D.S. access. If you have questions or suggestions, please contact Reference Librarian Brennan LeQuire at 865-982-0981, ext. 302.
| Date | Book | Facilitator |
|---|---|---|
| July 20 | Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam | David Sincerbox |
| Sept 21 | Prayers the Devil Answers by Sharyn McCrumb | Jim Stovall |
| November 16 | TBA | – |
| January 18 | TBA | – |
| March 21 | TBA | – |
| May 16 | TBA | – |
Discuss Prayers the Devil Answers by Sharyn McCrumb on Saturday, September 21, 2019 at 10:30 a.m. in Dorothy Herron Room A.
From the book description at Amazon:
In Depression-era Appalachia, a desperate sheriff’s widow takes on her late husband’s job and discovers that a prayer the devil answers comes at a terrible price.
The year is 1936 and society provides no safety net for newly widowed Ellie Robbins, a woman in a small mountain town who suddenly has to support her family on her own. She’s not trained to be a teacher or a nurse, the only respectable careers for a woman. So in order to care for her children, Ellie takes the only job available: that of her late husband, the sheriff.
Ellie has long proven that she can handle herself, and her role as sheriff is largely symbolic. Yet the wariness of her male subordinates and the townspeople is palpable. Soon, as dark secrets come to light, Ellie is forced to grapple with the tenuous ties she shares with a convicted killer and the small-town superstitions that have plagued her for years.
Discussion will be led by Jim Stovall, BCPL’s writer-in-residence.
Open to the public, Southern Appalachian Studies programs are sponsored and hosted by Blount County Public Library with the support of Blount County Friends of the Library.
