About This Book:
It’s 1937 and the government is pushing to bring electricity to the mountains of southeastern Kentucky. It’s all Cora can think of; radios with news from around the world, machines that keep food cold, lightbulbs by which to read at night! Cora figures she can help spread the word by starting a school newspaper and convincing her neighbors to support the Rural Electrification Act.
But resistance to change isn’t easy to overcome, especially when it starts at home. Cora’s mother is a fierce opponent of electrification. She argues that protecting the landscape of the holler—the trees, the streams, the land that provides for their way of life—is their responsibility. But Cora just can’t let go of wanting more.
Lyrical, literary, and deeply heartfelt, this debut novel from an award-winning author-librarian speaks to family, friendship, and loss through the spirited perspective of a girl eager for an electrified existence, but most of all, the light of her mother’s love and acceptance.
Back matter includes an Author’s Note; further information on the Rural Electrification Act, the herbs and plants of Appalachia, the Pack Horse Library Project, and more; and a “Quick Questions” historical trivia section for readers.
*Review Contributed By Karen Yingling, Staff Reviewer*
I thought about this book for DAYS!
I would love to see another Depression era book from Ms. Buzzeo, especially as we approach the 100th anniversary of the stock market crash of 1929. Most of the titles set during this time were written by people who lived thorugh it, and the books are decades old, like Hunt’s No Promises in the Wind and Gates’ Blue Willow. Meltzer’s Tough Times is newer, because the author was over 80 when he wrote it! There are also few books set in Appalachia like Watts’ On Snowden Mountain is set during WWII and Vanderpool’s Navigating Early.
