The BCFOL publishes books of regional interests. The Foothills Voices books are products of the Library’s writer-in residence program: local authors with stories to tell.
The 4-volume collection of Vietnam Voices publishes stories from local veterans.
The launch of Vietnam Voices 4 will be Friday, June 7.
The complete list of publications is below. The books may be purchased at the Library’s Bookmark Cafe or the BCFOL quarterly book sale.
Vietnam Voices: Stories of Tennesseans Who Served in Vietnam, 1965-1975 (volume 4)
In this fourth and final volume in the Vietnam Voices series, the editors have taken a somewhat different tact in presenting the experiences of those who served in Vietnam. While the first three volumes contained transcripts of the interviews conducted with veterans who had served in-country, this volume presents a variety of different material about Vietnam and those who serve there.
Vietnam Voices: Stories of Tennesseans Who Served in Vietnam, 1965-1975 (volume 3)
This third volume of Vietnam Voices continues the quest of the Blount County Public Library to record and archive the memories of those who served in the military in Vietnam during that conflict a half-century ago.
Vietnam Voices : Stories of Tennesseans Who Served in Vietnam, 1965-1975 (volume 2)
Vietnam Voices, volume 2, follows the same paths through the towns, villages, and jungles that we forged in Vietnam Voices, volume 1. We leave aside the strategy, the grand plans, and the politics to listen to those who were actually there. These are the people who made war, and in some cases peace, on the ground.
Vietnam Voices: Stories of East Tennesseans Who Served in Vietnam, 1965-1975 (volume 1)
Thirteen Veterans currently living in East Tennessee share their stories of the divisive 10-year Vietnam conflict. The editors conducted interviews—available at Blount County Public Library—in 2019 and hope to continue building upon this collection. This book features illustrations from the Vietnam Combat Artists Program.
Maryville in 1920: From Pistol Creek to the Palace Theater, 2020
By Brennan LeQuire.
What was it like to walk through downtown Maryville, Tennessee, in 1920? What buildings would have lined the streets? What sights, sounds, and smells would have caught the attention of the pedestrian? What neighbors and business people would have been on the sidewalk or in the buildings? LeQuire brings representative highlights of 1920 Maryville to life with information drawn from books, newspapers, maps, interviews, and library files.
ISBN: 979-8669101619 ►View at Amazon
Foothills Voices: Echoes of Southern Appalachia (vol. 2), 2019
Edited by Jim Stovall.
The voices in this volume echo with a pitch, tone, and diversity that reflects the Appalachian region itself. Their stories deal with life and death, hard work, and aspects of Appalachian life from intimate family stories to global issues as they played out in these hills and valleys. They reflect a region whose vibrancy and depth has, at times, been stereotyped inaccurately and unfairly.
ISBN: 978-1799143161 ►View at Amazon
Foothills Voices: Echoes of Southern Appalachia (vol. 1), 2017
Edited by Brennan LeQuire, Nancy McEntee, and Jennifer W. Spirko.
Twelve East Tennessee writers share stories from their own experiences, their families and their communities. In this collection are true accounts of Revolutionary War-era ancestors, Native Americans, civil rights pioneers, coal miners, mill workers, teachers, soldiers, orphans, feuding mountaineers and even a murderer. These writers reveal the rich and varied heritage of Southern Appalachia while giving voice to stories that transcend regional limitations.
ISBN: 978-1546607564 ►View at Amazon
Loyal Mountaineers: The Civil War Memoirs of Will McTeer, 2019
By William Anderson McTeer.
Will McTeer grew up in the mountains of East Tennessee, a state that reluctantly seceded from the Union and joined the Confederacy. He might have easily cast his lot with the Confederacy, but he did not. In 1862, he made his way past Confederate patrols to Cumberland Gap, joining what became the Third Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry, risking ostracism and uncertainty. McTeer gives us an exciting but modest account of his reasoning and actions.
ISBN: 978-1075408144 ►View at Amazon
Ole Bert: Sage of the Smokies, 2019
By H.C. “Woody” Brinegar. Edited by James Glen Stovall.
Described as “more Thoreau than Thoreau himself,” Bert’s travels took him across the country, settling for short spells in Washington, Oklahoma, Kansas, California, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., and other locales, but he always returned to the mountains he loved. Originally penned by Woody Brinegar in 1982, this volume was first published as a home-made production to distribute to Bert’s old friends. It collects sketches of events from his boyhood in the late 1800s until his death in 1970.
ISBN: 978-1797585383 ►View at Amazon
The One I Knew Best of All, 2019
By Frances Burnett. Edited by James Stovall.
This remarkable and often-overlooked autobiographical novel is by the author of Little Lord Fauntleroy and The Secret Garden. In 1865, Frances Burnett moved with her family from affluent big-city life in Manchester, England to near-frontier conditions in East Tennessee, where she began her writing career. The story, told from a child’s point of view, describes the emotions of the “Small Person” (herself) who encounters relatives, friends, and adults. She meets the realities of death and loss and the joys of achievement and friendship.
Tenth Watch: Maryville College at the Millenium, 2019
By Gerald W. Gibson.
Dr. Gibson became President of Maryville College in 1993, a period of declining enrollments and buildings in disrepair. Tenth Watch is his story of how the College climbed back into the ranks of American’s premier small colleges with strong leadership and committed constituents.
ISBN: 978-1708650520 ►View at Amazon