As someone whose family is from Appalachia, but did not grow up there, this book was fascinating. It’s a wonderful linkage with the past, and specifically women’s’ past. This is a beautiful book that I would recommend to anyone with even a passing interest or connection to Appalachia.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Women. It showcases a diverse assortment of women and their lived experiences while painting a broader picture of Appalachian culture. Alot of our traditions and culture are being lost or replaced, and I really appreciate Foxfire's work in preserving these stories and traditions.

*I received a review copy from the publisher through Netgalley

This was a fascinating read for anyone, whether a Native Us Citizen or an immigrant like me, who wanted to learn more about the way of female life in the Appalachians. I've heard a few stories here and there from friends with family there, but this was a first read where I had a chance to hear real voices, thank you, editors, for putting together a truly inclusive book, with voices of different ages and backgrounds.

Pulling from the collection of oral history interviews in the Foxfire archives, this book focuses on the experiences of women. Although the majority of the interviews were conducted in the earlier days of the project, there are some more recent ones, encompassing a surprisingly diverse group of women, including Native Americans, an Italian war bride, and a recent immigrant. As an archivist--but also an Atlantan who travels to the mountains as a tourist--I really appreciated the honesty contained in these interviews, confirming the effect of urbanites taking over the mountain communities, building subdivisions in a new locale. I'm a longtime fan of Foxfire, and enjoyed this new compilation. #TheFoxfireBookofAppalachianWomen #NetGalley

Like all of the Foxfire series, this is a thoughtful work of collecting oral histories. The personalities and lives of each woman comes through as sharp as can be, recounting how they and their families lived in and around Rabun County, The women discuss midwifing, religion, race, poverty, farming, folk medicine, rearing children, work, homemaking, cooking, hunting, and much more. I love what Foxfire does and am so happy to have the voices of these women preserved for the future.

The stories in this book are pulled from previously published articles and interviews about and by women in Appalachia. It covers history, stories, and tales of joy and sadness, and is a reflection of a culture rapidly on the decline. Women hold their own unique place in Appalachian culture, and it is appropriate that their stories be told in a separate publication. Readers will be fascinated by stories that are to me reminiscent of those I heard from my grandmothers and my mother.
I found similar themes throughout the book. Many of the women talked about raising their own children or how they themselves grew up. The book reflects on the changes in child rearing and how constant the parents' presence was in their lives, and the lack of that in today's children’s lives.
This book is about Appalachia so, of course, it includes the mountains. These ladies were from Georgia, but one would find the same thing if they interviewed anywhere in the Appalachian range. I echo their thoughts. The mountains have been a constant in my life. Looking over my shoulder seeing their hazy blue majesty makes life’s trials and even its joys seem small. They loom large to those of us in their shadow.
Cooking and sewing were a big part of the lives of these ladies. They sewed garments that clothed their families and constantly repaired damaged clothing. They also kept the family warm and told their stories thru the artistry of quilts. Appalachian women often demonstrated their creativity in the quilts they made for their families. Made from scraps, these works of art were created and are still prized by their families today. It is a culture that wasted nothing and found emerged beauty in what most now consider trash.
Most of the women of Appalachia knew how to cook from scratch. They canned, they preserved, and they used everything from the meat they butchered. Wheat was a prized commodity; corn was the basis for their bread and sorghum for their sweetening. They bought little and what they did have to get elsewhere was usually thru bartering and swapping.
The book talks of church and caring for others in the community during hard times. It talks of children who worked and held responsibilities within the home, something that is lacking in today's world. It talks of playing on Sunday afternoon, outside where imagination was the best and biggest part of childhood. There are stories of ghosts, tales of death, and those who went away to the big cities to work.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It seeks to preserve the stories of the women of a culture rapidly disappearing. Thanks to #netgalley#FoxfireBookofAppalachianWomen for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this compendium of interviews with Appalachian women interviewed mostly in the late 70's. growing up in rural pennsylvania, i've always been fascinated with the wisdom of the area, and to have these words and stories memorialized for generations to come is so special. I appreciate all who went through putting together this labor of love for my learning pleasure.

What a great insight into the lives of the women of Appalachia. Reading real stories of women living in small mountain towns in their own words felt like a gift. The stories these women had to tell, were not actually stories, but their lives. I feel this book was history at its best, told by those that have lived and are still living it. I applaud those that went and interviewed these women and then wrote down their stories. I wish more people would do this as our pasts are becoming forgotten.

Thank you NetGalley, Kami Ahrens and University of North Carolina Press for the ARC of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Women" is a rare literary, cultural and historical gift that captures firsthand the thoughts, perspectives, challenges and triumphs of women navigating significant changes that were simultaneously societal, local, familial and personal.
With an equal focus on women from many cutural, ethnic and economic backgrounds and little-to-no editing for content, this book provides a valuable, authentic and plainspoken cross section of people to learn from.
Curated from the archives of Foxfire magazine, these narratives represent the best and most compelling of what the enduring publication offers to readers.

The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Women: Stories of Landscape and Community in the Mountain South edited by Kami Ahrens is a collection of interviews spanning from the 1960s to present time. There is a refreshing diversity to these voices spanning African American, Native American, white, and immigrant. They all express the importance of a supportive community and a strong family connection. Faith is paramount in several of the women’s lives while hard work and resilience is a constant for all. They also express a need to retain their land, their culture, and their traditional crafts. While these women share many similar traits, each woman’s personality is allowed to shine through as she gives her unique perspective on the joys, sorrows, hardships and accomplishments in her life. This collection of interviews is an invaluable resource for Appalachian and women’s studies as well as an inspiring read for all.

Editor Kami Ahrens does a superb job of presenting the riveting, humorous, and sometimes heart-breaking stories of twenty-one Appalachian women, all gathered by Foxfire students beginning in 1966 and concluding in the present day. Ahrens’s deep dive into the Foxfire archives—including books and magazines—brings these extraordinary women’s stories to the fore for the first time. The diversity of voices, the range of experiences, and the cultural changes across time presented here will shatter any preconceived notions or stereotypes about Appalachian women that the reader might bring to this volume.

When I was a bookseller in the mid-1980s, carrying all volumes of the Foxfire Series was an absolute must. This book will join previous Foxfire titles (including The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Cookery, published by UNC Press in 2019) as basic stock in bookstores, as well as in library collections.

The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Women is an essential resource for anyone researching Appalachia, and a great model for those fortunate enough to be able to conduct oral histories with their own elders.

Thanks to the University of North Carolina Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to take an early look at this book in exchange for an honest review.

I got compelled to read this when I understood that this is like a collection of stories from the words of old women themselves, who lived in small towns or mountains. Reading each story felt like talking to grandparents. Their stories always have some life in it. I can hear old people talking about their lives, whole day.

These women talk about their lives during their days and their childhood. And compare them to what living has become now. These are the real interviews of real women from small towns. There are lot of differences between these two generations but there is a lot to learn from these women and their hardships.

The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Women
Stories of Landscape and Community in the Mountain South
by Ahrens, Kami
07 Mar 2023
University of North Carolina Press
Biographies & Memoirs | History | Nonfiction (Adult)


I am reviewing a copy of The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Women through The University of North Carolina Press and Netgalley.



The year was 1966, In Rabun County, Georgia a group of high school English students created the Foxfire magazine, a literary journal that celebrated Appalachian stories, peoples, and culture. The publication was filled with poetry and prose from local students and authors and featured interviews with community members.


The oral traditions of Appalachia soon became the focal point of the magazine and, eventually, the material that generated the multivolume Foxfire book series.


Pulled from the vast Foxfire archive comes the first volume in the series focused specifically on the lives of Appalachian women. These remarkable narratives bring to light a diverse regional culture held together by the threads that are woven between women and place, and through generations. Told sometimes with humor, sometimes with sadness, but always with a gripping rawness and honesty, the stories recount women’s lived experiences from the 1960s to the present.


In this book the interviews cover work, family, and community, illuminating Cherokee, Black, and white women’s experiences; changes in Appalachian culture; and the importance of relationships in daily life. Reading each interview in this book is almost like joining these women on their porches and in their homes as they take us on a journey through their lives. Taken together, the stories speak against regional stereotypes and offer instead a sampling of the many expressions of these women’s strength.


I give The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Women five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

The classic Foxfire series' book of Appalachian Women is a lovely look at Appalachian women, in their own words. Recipes, stories, images, and their own brand of magic are shared in these pages. These women were interviewed one or more times by the Foxfire staff in locations across Appalachia. Each entry shares the woman's biographical information and location, and then is headed by a word of wisdom. These women sat down with Foxfire interviewers to record and save their heritage, mostly in the 1970's when "improvements" were coming to Appalachia, along with deforestation and environmental change. This is a lovely book, a true necessity for every Appalachian woman wanting to connect to her heritage.

I’ve been a fan of the Foxfire books for a long time and of how and why they were created. For over 55 years, teachers and editors at Foxfire have tasked Appalachian high school students with interviewing people in the region about everything from foraging to making moonshine to growing up in the mountains. They’ve gathered stories all of these years and have assembled some of the best interviews with women in this book.

I love the diversity of the women in every way. Some of the interviews are from decades ago and the women were born well over a hundred years ago. Their wisdom would be long gone without these sorts of records. Other interviews were very recent. The women range in ages, education, lifestyle and beliefs. There are Black and Cherokee women, women who ran their own companies, women who moved to the area and women born in one room houses in the heart of it.

I loved every single story and am so glad to have gotten to know them all. Highly recommended.

From the afterword—-

“We are proud to continue the Foxfire project to this day, more than fifty-five years later. Each summer, we gather local high school students for an immersive leadership program at the museum and give them the support they need to get into their community and capture the stories of Appalachia. We acknowledge that these stories certainly do not represent all women’s experiences in the region, but we hope to start filling in gaps and sharing untold stories in the coming years. Oral history is inherently biased, but we present these narratives for the lessons they share.”

The previous Foxfire books have been a treasure trove of information regarding life in the Appalachian Mountains.

This new publication focuses upon women of the Mountains The inclusion of experiences from White, Black, and Indigenous women in Appalachia weaves a tapestry of the importance of religion, family, and the struggles of everyday life their families faced.

I regret that these Foxfire studies were not conduced earlier; however, I am thankful that the lives of these women were recorded for future generations to hear. I wish I could pull up a chair on the porch and shuck corn while listening to their experiences and wisdom.

The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Women Is a much needed addition to the Foxfire series. The simple beauty and strength of each woman is unmatched as they tell their story. We have so much to learn from them. I loved the honesty, faith, and knowledge that each one had. I highly recommend this delightful book. It gets a 5 star rating from me. A copy was provided by Celebrate Lit but these are my honest words.

An absolutely fascinating suite of interviews and accounts of many and diverse women from the Appalachian region. Shrouded with assumptions and mystery, the Appalachian culture is fascinating to many and this book gives women a voice,

This book includes the interviews of various Appalachian women mostly stemming from the Northern Georgia area of the Appalachian mountains. They are doctors, indigenous, and moonshiners who tell their stories on survival during their hardships. Some of the stories were a bit hard to follow however the compassion and genuine nature of the women was not overlooked.

*This book was received as an Advanced Reader's Copy from NetGalley.

The Foxfire books are always a treat. Born from the oral histories of Appalachia, they collect the folklife narratives that people in the area can offer. This book follows that trend, focusing on the women of Appalachia.

While you may have someone in mind when you think of a woman from Appalachia, you'd only be half right. The women of Appalachia are varied and from different backgrounds, although they share commonalities, a sense of spirit, community, and hard work. The narratives in this book include crafters, Black Americans, a transplant from Italy, someone from Latinx heritage, and much more. And their stories span decades (the book moves up through the birth dates of these women).

I thought the book was interesting because of the variety of people that it interviewed. These interviews were conducted at different points in time as well, so that while one might talk about texting, another may have never known what that was (nor the interviewer at the time). As mentioned before, they all had a large sense of community and helping each other out; many came from poorer backgrounds and quite a few had such large families! It really makes you think about perspective; coming from a smaller, non-Appalachian family myself I had a very different upbringing from these women.

Because these are interviews, it does tend to have 'train of thought' narrative at times. Which honestly I have a hard time keeping focused on. But that's really a small complaint and more localized to my own reading habits, some people love that style and in that case will really enjoy this book.

Definitely a solid addition to the Foxfire library.

Review by M. Reynard 2022