The book is a social, cultural and economic
study of African Americans from the Kentucky-Tennessee Upper
Cumberland region. It relies on both historical documentation
and oral traditions, examining life patterns that span the
post-bellum period through the modern civil rights era.
The book pays special attention to three
distinct African-American communities - Coe Ridge in Kentucky,
Free Hill and Gravel Hill in Tennessee.
According to the authors, "The region's black
population, no matter how small, is significant. How they lived
in general, interacted particularly with the white majority, and
accepted some change while retaining much of their cultural
heritage, tells much about the resolve of a people."
|
