Description
Book SynopsisBetween the world wars, America embraced an image of the Ozarks as a remote land of hills and hollers. The popular imagination stereotyped Ozarkers as ridge runners, hillbillies, and pioneersa cast of colorful throwbacks hostile to change. But the real Ozarks reflected a more complex reality. Brooks Blevins tells the cultural history of the Ozarks as a regional variation of an American story. As he shows, the experiences of the Ozarkers have not diverged from the currents of mainstream life as sharply or consistently as the mythmakers would have it. If much of the region seemed to trail behind by a generation, the time lag was rooted more in poverty and geographic barriers than a conscious rejection of the modern world and its progressive spirit. In fact, the minority who clung to the old days seemed exotic largely because their anachronistic ways clashed against the backdrop of the evolving region around them. Blevins explores how these people's disproportionate influence affected the
Trade Review"This book is superbly executed -- a fun, informative, and essential read for any scholar interested in the Ozark region, its states, and rural America." --
Journal of Southern History "While taking on such a complex history in 253 pages is daunting, for sure, Brooks Blevins has delivered once again. This volume, and the other two in the series, will long stand as the starting point for any serious study of the Ozarks region. Indeed, with the completion of this monumental effort, Blevins can justifiably claim the title once proudly held by Vance Randolph as 'Mr. Ozarks.'" --
Missouri Historical Review "Blevins writes history in a way that is compelling and readable, and this work is no exception. . . . Blevins has once again managed to deliver an important, intriguing, and relevant work about the history of the Ozark region." --
Arkansas ReviewTable of ContentsTitle PageCopyrightContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Change and Continuity2. Living off the Land3. Industry and Image4. Ozarks Society5. Exposing the Ozarks6. Putting on a Show7. Farm to FactoryConclusionNotesIndexBack cover
