The book “Appalachia North” by Matthew Ferrence takes a look at what it means to be from Appalachia and not realize it. He grew up in a part of Pennsylvania that’s part of Appalachia according to the Appalachian Regional Commission, but no one there acknowledged that fact.
Matthew Ferrence describes “Appalachia North” as a geological, cultural and as a personal journey. It’s a memoir.
In the book, he talks about how it wasn’t until when he was a graduate student at West Virginia University that he realized he was Appalachian. His book explores why his family and friends never identified with the region. Ferrence also describes his diagnosis with a brain tumor, which becomes an analogy for the exploration into his roots.
Appalachia North is available through WVU Press. This interview is part of a series of discussions with authors from the region.