"The first lick from Mr. Peterkin laid my back open. I writhed, I wrestled; but blow after blow descended, each harder than the preceding one. I shrieked, I screamed, I pleaded, I prayed, but here no mercy shown me. Mr. Peterkin having fully gratified and quenched his spleen, turned to Mr. Jones and said 'Now is yer turn; you can beat her as much as you please, only jist leave a bit o'life in her, is all I cares for.' " In the pages of this putative autobiography the author poses as a slave for the purpose of bringing attention to the injustice of slavery. The actual author Mattie Griffith, passing as a black, wanted her book to horrify and shame the nation.

Identifying herself as Ann, a former servant woman, she recalls her protected youth and good education as a nearly-white child. She tells that at twelve she was sold to a brutal master named Peterkin. On his Kentucky plantation she witnessed and experienced the cruelty of slave life. After his death one of his daughters took Ann to the city as her servant. Ann found new friendships there and fell in love with Henry, a slave who killed himself after being cheated out of his self-purchase. After being sold to an elderly Bostonian who emancipated her, Ann finishes her story as a schoolteacher for black children.

Pseudo-slave narratives like Griffith's appeared over the course of the abolitionist movement, and this is the only one now in print.

Born in Kentucky, Griffith was by inheritance the owner of six slaves. As a young woman she went north because she loathed the "peculiar institution." Living in poverty in Philadelphia, Griffith wrote Autobiography of a Female Slave to help finance her effort to emancipate her slaves and resettle them in free territory. She professed a keen knowledge of a slave's daily life and the brutal incidents a slave experienced. From this material she created her fictional story.

The novel failed commercially, although it was hailed within the abolitionist movement. The American Anti-Slavery Society soon afterward gave Griffith the funds to return to Kentucky in order to free and resettle her slaves.

Mattie Griffith (c.1826Ð 1906) has disappeared from American literary history. She remained a lifelong activist, first for abolition, and then for women's suffrage and for temperance. Joe Lockard is a doctoral candidate at the University of California, Berkeley.

Light Paperback (1 lb or less)

Maryland

Autobiography of a Female Slave

b0310e43-190d-4040-8fbf-d0eb92f5a2ef-0

Andrea Boeshar

Love Finds You in Miracle, Kentucky

"Anything can happen when you live in Miracle…" After her life in Chicago falls apart, Meg Jorgenson arrives in the small town of Miracle, Kentucky, with plans to start over. She moves in with a grandmother she barely knows and takes a teaching position at the local elementary school. Meg soon garners the interest of Miracle’s eligible bachelors, but it’s eight-year-old Cammy Bayer who instantly wins her heart. Cammy has spent most of her young life in a wheelchair, but she firmly believes that God will miraculously allow her to walk again someday. Although Meg admires the girl’s optimism, she pities Cammy for believing something so impossible.

Vance Bayer has always made Cammy his first priority. Though delighted by the attention his daughter receives from her pretty new teacher, the shy widower is embarrassed by Cammy’s not-so-subtle attempts to play matchmaker.

Both Meg and Vance want the best for Cammy, but will they see eye-to-eye when it comes to an experimental surgery that might grant Cammy the use of her legs? Will they open their minds to the miracle of healing and their hearts to the miracle of love?

Love Finds You™ is a series of full-length romance novels that give readers a peek into the flavor of local life across the United States. The novels are uniquely named after actual American towns with quirky, interesting names that inspire romance and are just plain fun! This means that each fictional story draws on the compelling history or unique character of a real place.

Our fresh, original love stories will feature everything from romance kindled in small towns, to old loves lost and found on the high plains, to new loves discovered at exciting vacation getaways.

Texas

Anything can happen when you live in a place called Miracle. Meg Jorgenson wants a fresh start, miles away from the city and a failed relationship. She takes a teaching position in the tiny town of Miracle, Kentucky, and vows to steer clear of smooth-talking men. Before long, Meg is smitten, but it's eight-year-old Cammy Bayer who wins her heart. The young girl has spent much of her life in a wheelchair but firmly believes that God will heal her someday. Cammy's widowed father, Vance, has devoted his life to caring for his young daughter, and he is delighted by the attention she receives from her new teacher. But will Meg and Vance see eye-to-eye when it comes to an experimental procedure that might grant Cammy the use of her legs? Will they open their minds to the miracle of healing and their hearts to the miracle of love?

Love Finds You in Miracle, Kentucky

c2dbfa92-d9f3-4b2f-a76d-b81d1cec35ed-1

Hardcover (1 to 2 lbs)

Massachusetts

The True Story of How One Woman Outwitted the Night Riders

Silent Brigade

06fcfcbb-020d-4e3b-a956-e9c3510a1e4e-1

#tourettesyndrome #comingofage #illness #kentucky #orphan #womanhood #appalachia #oprahsbookclub   A New York Times notable book.


A New York Times Notable Book and the March 2001 selection of Oprah's Book Club® ! Icy Sparks is the sad, funny and transcendent tale of a young girl growing up in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky during the 1950’s. Gwyn Hyman Rubio’s beautifully written first novel revolves around Icy Sparks, an unforgettable heroine in the tradition of Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird or Will Treed in Cold Sassy Tree. At the age of ten, Icy, a bright, curious child orphaned as a baby but raised by adoring grandparents, begins to have strange experiences. Try as she might, her "secrets"—verbal croaks, groans, and physical spasms—keep afflicting her. As an adult, she will find out she has Tourette’s Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder, but for years her behavior is the source of mystery, confusion, and deep humiliation. Narrated by a grown up Icy, the book chronicles a difficult, but ultimately hilarious and heartwarming journey, from her first spasms to her self-acceptance as a young woman. Curious about life beyond the hills, talented, and energetic, Icy learns to cut through all barriers—physical, mental, and spiritual—in order to find community and acceptance. Along her journey, Icy faces the jeers of her classmates as well as the malevolence of her often-ignorant teachers—including Mrs. Stilton, one of the most evil fourth grade teachers ever created by a writer. Called willful by her teachers and "Frog Child" by her schoolmates, she is exiled from the schoolroom and sent to a children’s asylum where it is hoped that the roots of her mysterious behavior can be discovered. Here Icy learns about difference—her own and those who are even more scarred than she. Yet, it isn’t until Icy returns home that she really begins to flower, especially through her friendship with the eccentric and obese Miss Emily, who knows first-hand how it feels to be an outcast in this tightly knit Appalachian community. Under Miss Emily’s tutelage, Icy learns about life’s struggles and rewards, survives her first comical and heartbreaking misadventure with romance, discovers the healing power of her voice when she sings, and ultimately—takes her first steps back into the world. Gwyn Hyman Rubio’s Icy Sparks is a fresh, original, and completely redeeming novel about learning to overcome others’ ignorance and celebrate the differences that make each of us unique.

Icy Sparks

ad767c7e-10d7-4717-bee4-a50377ba44cc-1

Kentucky

A Year in the Vanishing Wilderness --- Radical Strip Mining and the Devastation of Appalachia

A groundbreaking work of literary nonfiction that exposes how radical strip mining is destroying one of America's most precious natural resources and the communities that depend on it. The mountains of Appalachia are home to one of the great forests of the world-they predate the Ice Age and scientists refer to them as the "rainforests" of North America for their remarkable density and species diversity. These mountains also hold the mother lode of American coal, and the coalmining industry has long been the economic backbone for families in a region hard-pressed for other job opportunities. But recently, a new type of mining has been introduced-"radical strip mining," aka "mountaintop removal"-in which a team employing no more than ten men and some heavy machinery literally blast off the top of a mountain, dump it in the valley below, and scoop out the coal. Erik Reece chronicles the year he spent witnessing the systematic decimation of a single mountain, aptly named "Lost Mountain." A native Kentuckian and the son of a coal worker, Reece makes it clear that strip mining is neither a local concern nor a radical contention, but a mainstream crisis that encompasses every hot-button issue-from corporate hubris and government neglect, to class conflict and poisoned groundwater, to irrevocable species extinction and landscape destruction. Published excerpts of Lost Mountainare already driving headlines and legislative action in Kentucky. In Erik Reece, the mountains of Kentucky have found an eloquent and powerful spokesman in the tradition of Edward Abbey, Rachel Carson, Aldo Leopold, and Henry David Thoreau. Like the work of those writers before him, Lost Mountainwill stand as a landmark defense of a natural treasure-and a core part of our national identity-on the verge of extinction, and as the introduction of a mighty new literary voice.

Lost Mountain

d2301414-4413-45cc-9d2c-be107dcd38a5-1

#hardcover #action #litfic #regional #kentucky #gritlit

Light Hardcover (1 lb or less)

A new collection of stories by the acclaimed author of Kentucky Straight, whom Tobias Wolff has deemed one of the best writers of short fiction in his--or any--generation.

Out of the Woods

888ccdd7-9531-4d46-8cec-a6d3f089c7cd-1

Excellent condition. Mild wear. See photos. 

Michigan

Nothing seems to change in Eden Hill, Kentucky, and that's just fine with Virgil T. Osgood. He's been content to raise his family and run the only service station in town. But when a new station is set to open right across the road from Virgil's pumps, he suddenly faces obstacles in his career, his marriage, and his self-worth that he's never even dreamed of.Cornelius Alexander wants his new Zipco station to succeed and help establish a strong foundation for his growing family. As long as he follows the Zipco guide, he's sure to be a success--and prove his father wrong.Reverend Caudill wants to be a conduit for grace in his town, but that grace is challenged by the changes sweeping through in the early 1960s. For the sake of this small town, Virgil and Cornelius must learn to get along, but how do you love your neighbor when his very presence threatens to upend everything you hold dear?

Eden Hill

af6d4a16-a539-4c4b-a088-1683c349e96b-1

Gwyn Hyman Rubio

Heavy Paperback (2 to 4 lbs)

Ohio

#paperback #fiction #tourettesyndrome #comingofage #illness #kentucky #orphan #womanhood 

#paperback #fiction #historicalfiction #historical #adventurestories #romance #library #Kentucky #packhorselibraryservice #Appalachians 

New Jersey

A Novel

"Cussy Mary Carter is the last of her kind, her skin the color of a blue damselfly in these dusty hills. But that doesn't mean she's got nothing to offer. As a member of the Pack Horse Library Project, Cussy delivers books to the hill folk of Troublesome, hoping to spread learning in these desperate times. But not everyone is so keen on Cussy's family or the Library Project, and the hardscrabble Kentuckians are quick to blame a Blue for any trouble in their small town. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a story of raw courage, fierce strength, and one woman's determination to bring a little bit of hope to the darkly hollers"--

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

48b7bd42-173a-4d98-b142-ce1fb22ceac2-1

#paperback #shakers #kentucky #love #marriage #faith

New York

The Believers

Jerry Bledsoe

1988 edition. Pages show tanning and some staining. All pages intact and none stuck together. Still a very readable book. See photos.

Virginia

A True Story of Southern Family Pride, Madness, and Multiple Murder

In this unrelenting real-life drama of three wealthy families connected by marriage and murder, Bledsoe recounts the shocking events, obsessive love, and bitter custody battles that led toward the bloody climax that took nine lives. Reissued to coincide with Bledsoe's new hardcover Blood Games (11/91).

Bitter Blood

73d600b2-721b-40ac-9459-878f78986cf6-1

#paperback #fiction #tourettesyndrome #comingofage #illness #kentucky #orphan #womanhood in excellent condition with no missing or torn pages. No highlighted or underlined passages in the book. No damage to the spine or covers. 

Colorado

Illinois

#paperback #elmoreleonard #raylangivens #justified #harlan #kentucky #crimefiction

Paperback (1 to 2 lbs)

Stories

The unrivaled master of crime's first collection of noir stories. . . . “If you thought you knew all the places Elmore Leonard could take you, think again.”--Mike Lupica

In more than 30 books spanning half a century, Elmore Leonard has captured the imagination of millions as few writers can. A literary icon praised by the New York Times Book Review as “the greatest crime writer of our time, perhaps ever, ” he has influenced many contemporary writers and is known for both the quality and accessibility of his writing.

In this first collection of short pieces, including two novella-length works, since his western anthology Tonto Woman, Leonard demonstrates the superb characterization, dead-on dialogue, vivid atmosphere, and driving plotting that have made him a household name.

When the Women Come Out to Dance

abcd5c47-1bd2-44cf-903b-f17ad03d1785

Jean Ferris

California

In 1839, visitors from miles around come to Kentucky to tour Mammoth Cave. But sixteen-year-old Charlotte, the maid at Mammoth Cave Hotel, doesn't understand its appeal. As a slave, she is already trapped, and she doesn't see the point in risking being trapped underground as well. Still, she's curious when Stephen Bishop, another slave who is the cave's expert guide and chief explorer, makes some big discoveries underground, and she's interested in Stephen himself, with his quick mind and kind ways. Then Charlotte makes a discovery of her own: runaway slaves sometimes come to the hotel seeking refuge. As she helps them, she wonders if she should run away. Stephen, on the other hand, feels that he belongs with the cave and that he is free enough when he is underground. When an opportunity presents itself, Charlotte must decide whether she should stay with Stephen or risk everything for her own chance at freedom. In this compelling novel, two young people explore what sorts of freedom they can find, even as slaves.

Underground

e4fdb8f1-9cc1-41aa-a6fc-5b8db6f803b7-0

#paperback #fiction #comingofage #illness #kentucky #orphan #tourettesyndrome #womanhood 

Images of America: Women in Lexington is a celebration of Kentucky women at work, in the home, at play, in society, and as part of the larger fabric of women's equality. Women in Lexington were active during World War II: they fought for women's rights, experienced changes within the family, and took advantage of or created new opportunities in the workplace. The 200 vintage photographs featured in this volume were drawn from collections housed in the archive of the University of Kentucky. With nearly 2 million photographs, the collections offer unparalleled coverage of the cultural, social, agricultural, and industrial changes that have shaped Lexington and Central Kentucky.

Women in Lexington

8bcf328d-d877-46f9-9b52-29260fd557b9-1

#paperback #fiction #comingofage #illness #kentucky #orphan #tourettesyndrome #womanhood 📚 

Charles Raymond

Tennessee

Encounters with the Kentucky Wildman

The Bluegrass state of Kentucky has a long history of strange creatures, UFO activity and paranormal events. Bigfoot encounters have led the way among these mysterious and creepy phenomena. It's a safe estimate that Kentucky ranks among the top five states in the nation with reported Bigfoot encounters.In this first edition of The Bluegrass Bigfoot, Charlie Raymond, the founder of the Kentucky Bigfoot Research Organization will share some of his research, beliefs, hypotheses, personal anecdotal experiences and fascinating eye-witness encounters. The encounters in this text are actual testimonies used with the witnesses' permission, some never, ever shared until now!

Bluegrass Bigfoot

ec0e0ff5-1405-4511-bc00-c8f7b62e55f1-0

The Little Shepherd Of Kingdom Come

#historicalfiction #historical #library #romance #kentucky #1930s #bluepeople #bookish For similar 🔖Bookmark Journey 📚 titles, click #bookmarkjourneyhistoricalfiction

 For similar 🔖Bookmark Journey 📚 titles, click #bookmarkjourneyfiction 

Light shelf wear to cover and page edge (see pictures).

A Woman's Journey

Linda Sue Preston was born on a feather bed in the upper room of her Grandma Emmy's log house in the hills of eastern Kentucky. More than fifty years later, Linda Scott DeRosier has come to believe that you can take a woman out of Appalachia but you can't take Appalachia out of the woman. DeRosier's humorous and poignant memoir is the story of an educated and cultured woman who came of age in Appalachia. She remains unabashedly honest about and proud of her mountain heritage. Now a college professor, decades and notions removed from the creeks and hollows, DeRosier knows that her roots run deep in her memory and language and in her approach to the world. DeRosier describes an Appalachia of complexity and beauty rarely seen by outsiders. Hers was a close-knit world; she says she was probably eleven or twelve years old before she ever spoke to a stranger. She lovingly remembers the unscheduled, day-long visits to friends and family, when visitors cheerfully joined in the day's chores of stringing beans or bedding out sweet potatoes. No advance planning was needed for such trips. Residents of Two-Mile Creek were like family, and everyone was "delighted to see each other wherever, whenever, and for however long." Creeker is a story of relationships, the challenges and consequences of choice, and the impact of the past on the present. It also recalls one woman's struggle to make and keep a sense of self while remaining loyal to the people and traditions that sustained her along life's way. Told with wit, candor, and zest, this is Linda Scott DeRosier's answer to the question familiar in Appalachia--"Who are your people?"

Browse by categories

Save this search

Martha Griffith Browne

Autobiography of a Female Slave

Andrea Boeshar

Love Finds You in Miracle, Kentucky

Ron Elliott

Silent Brigade

Gwyn Hyman Rubio

Icy Sparks

Erik Reece; John J. Cox (Photographer); Wendell Berry (Foreword by)

Lost Mountain

Chris Offutt

Out of the Woods

Bill Higgs

Eden Hill

Gwyn Hyman Rubio

Icy Sparks

Gwyn Hyman Rubio

Icy Sparks

Kim Michele Richardson

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

Janice Holt Giles

The Believers

Jerry Bledsoe

Bitter Blood

Gwyn Hyman Rubio

Icy Sparks

Gwyn Hyman Rubio

Icy Sparks

Elmore Leonard

When the Women Come Out to Dance

Gwyn Hyman Rubio

Icy Sparks

Jean Ferris

Underground

Gwyn Hyman Rubio

Icy Sparks

Deirdre A. Scaggs

Women in Lexington

Gwyn Hyman Rubio

Icy Sparks

Charles Raymond

Bluegrass Bigfoot

John Fox Jr.

The Little Shepherd Of Kingdom Come

Kim Michele Richardson

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

Linda Scott DeRosier

Creeker