MOONSHINE IN VA Y'ALL - Book Release/Author Event "Spirits of Just Men"
Spirits of Just Men
Mountaineers, Liquor Bosses, and Lawmen in the Moonshine Capital of the World
by CHARLES D. THOMPSON JR.
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Just released! |
Spirits of Just Men tells the story of moonshine in 1930s America, as seen through the remarkable location of Franklin County, Virginia, a place that many still refer to as the "moonshine capital of the world."
Charles D. Thompson Jr. chronicles the Great Moonshine Conspiracy Trial of 1935, which made national news and exposed the far-reaching and pervasive tendrils of Appalachia's local moonshine economy. Thompson, whose ancestors were involved in the area's moonshine trade and trial as well as local law enforcement, draws from extensive oral histories and local archival material and illustrates how the moonshine trade was a rational and savvy choice for struggling farmers and community members during the Great Depression. Considering the complex interactions of religion, economics, local history, Appalachian culture, and immigration, Thompson's sensitive analysis examines the people and processes involved in turning a basic agricultural commodity into such a sought-after and essentially American spirit.
"A meticulous, exhaustive history of moonshining, poverty, and Blue Ridge
culture."
--Kirkus Reviews
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A native son of Franklin County, Virginia, author and Filmmaker CHARLES D. THOMPSON JR. is the curriculum and education director at the Center for Documentary Studies and a lecturer of cultural anthropology at Duke University. His other books include German Baptist Brethren: Faith, Farming, and Change in the Virginia Blue Ridge, and his latest Film is Brother Towns/Pueblos Hermanos. Email the author: Charles Thompson [cdthomps@duke.edu] or reach him by telephone: 919-660-3657
MEET THE AUTHOR
Franklin County Virginia Historical Society will have an Author Reading featuring Charles D Thompson JR on Saturday June 19th 3:30PM here in Rocky Mount. Franklin County Historical Society is just 3 walkable blocks from The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast.
Get your booked signed, ask questions about this incredible event in Franklin County History and learn more about the REAL AMERICANA. These Blue Ridge Mountains are a melting pot of heritage and culture. Come out and see for yourself!
Online orders: www.press.uillinois.edu $23.95 280 pages 29 B&W photos and 1 map
Phone orders: (800) 621-2736
SUBJECTS
Appalachian Studies / American Cultural History / Folklore
VIRGINIA IS FOR MOONSHINE CAPITAL OF THE WORLD LOVERS
The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast, in Rocky Mount Virginia - in Franklin County VA (The "Wettest County in the World") 19 miles South of Roanoke, 250 Miles South of DC or West of Norfolk VA, just 15 miles to The Blue Ridge Parkway. ook your room online at any time and save $10 here
