Finished Fr 5/19/23
This is a hardback that I ordered from Amazon while I was reading 'KINFLICKS' which wa also written by Lisa Alther.
The author is from Kingsport, Tennessee and has a family connection to some of the 'feudists'.
I spent only a couple of days skimming/ reading this book because it was packed with various names of people that were 'possibly' involved in the feud. So much of what happened is not accurate because the participants were completely biased.
'HILLBULLIES'- violent families and clans of Tennessee, West Virginia, & Kentucky.
Theory: Herding cultures are more violent than non-herding cultures. These people must be tough or their herds will be stolen.
The Hatfield/ McCoy Feud lasted approximately from 1860 to the 1880's.
All the 'facts' of the book are based on secondary sources and myths. This isn't a bad thing, because I don't think there will ever be a completely reckoning of the various events. I noticed that some people commenting on the book had connections to either the Hatfields or McCoys and their sources seemed to reflect this bias.
Melungeons- A 'race' from this area of the country that was made up of poor whites, free blacks, 'free men of color', and native Americans.
The writing was good, but I much prefer Alther's novel, 'KINFLICKS'. However, I would definitely read more by this author.
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