In 1927, when aviator Charles A. Lindbergh flew his famous monoplane in a triumphant tour of the United States, the Spirit of St. Louis touched down in Wheeling, West Virginia, for his visit to the Linsly School. There, Lindbergh laid a wreath at the foot of the Aviator—a statue erected by Sallie Maxwell Bennett bearing the likeness of her son, Louis Bennett Jr., West Virginia's only First World War flying ace. Though largely unknown today, Bennett was an airpower innovator whose tragically short combat career would have an enduring impact on American flight and on war memorials both at home and abroad. In Balloon Ace: The Life of an Early Airpower Visionary, historian Charles Dusch reconstructs Louis Bennett Jr.'s lost legacy. Advocating for a national aviation reserve years before the writings of "Billy" Mitchell, Bennett created a state aerial militia in 1917, complete with supporting airbases and an airplane factory. When the US Army refused to accept his unit, a frustrated Bennett joined the Royal Air Force to fight on the Western Front, destroying nine German balloons and three aircraft in a matter of days before he himself was shot down. In the second act of Bennett's story, Dusch traces Sallie Bennett's quest to clandestinely recover her son's body. Posing as a journalist, Sallie traveled to Europe searching the cemeteries on the Western Front and later commissioned twelve memorials to Bennett, including a chapel in France, the RAF window in Westminster Abbey, and the Aviator at Linsly. Moved by the vast destruction of the continent, she would eventually cross political boundaries to bring much-needed publicity to other mothers' demands for the US government to repatriate their own fallen loved ones.

Which Side Are You On? tells the story of the classic union song that was written in 1931 by Florence Reece in a rain of bullets. It has been sung by people fighting for their rights all over the world. Florence's husband Sam was a coal miner in Kentucky. Many of the coal mines were owned by big companies, who kept wages low and spent as little money on safety as possible. Miners lived in company houses on company land and were paid in scrip, good only at the company store. The company owned the miners sure as sunrise.That's why they had to have a union. Miners went on strike until they could get better pay, safer working conditions, and health care. The company hired thugs to attack union organizers like Sam Reece.George Ella Lyon tells this hair-raising story through the eyes of one of Florence's daughters, a dry-witted, pig-tailed gal whose vantage point is from under the bed with her six brothers and sisters. The thugs' bullets hit the thin doors and windows of the company house and the kids lying low wonder whether they're going to make it out of this alive; wonder exactly if this strike will make their lives better or end them, but their mother keeps scribbling and singing. "We need a song," she tells her kids. That's not at all what they think they need. Graphic novelist Christopher Cardinale brings Florence's triumphant story to life in true rip-roaring union style.

General of the Armies John J. Pershing (1860–1948) had a long and decorated military career but is most famous for leading the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I. He published a memoir, My Experiences in the World War, and has been the subject of several biographies, but the literature regarding this towering figure and his enormous role in the First World War deserves to be expanded to include a collection of his wartime correspondence. Carefully edited by John T. Greenwood, volume 4 of John J. Pershing and the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I, 1917–1919 covers the period March 21–May 19, 1918, when General Pershing faced continuing controversies with the British and French political and military leaders who desperately sought American manpower to replace their mounting losses. Pershing's plans to build the AEF were disrupted after the long-anticipated German grand offensive struck the British front on the Somme on March 21, 1918, followed by a second German offensive on April 9. The German push radically transformed the Allied situation, changing the entire strategic orientation in the west within weeks. Under pressure to ensure the survival of the Allied coalition, and in discussion with Secretary of War Newton D. Baker and Gen. Tasker Bliss, Pershing set aside his plans for an independent American army under U.S. command and offered his available forces, whether fully trained or not, to Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau and Gen. Ferdinand Foch. In meetings on May 18 and 19 with Foch and Gen. Philippe Pétain, respectively, Pershing once again stressed his plans for an American sector, and the two French generals agreed to the formation of such an army on the front once the present emergency had passed.Pershing's letters during this period convey a long and arduous struggle to build an American army at the front. Together, these volumes of wartime correspondence provide new insight into the work of a legendary soldier and the historic events in which he participated.

Terrence Malick is the most enigmatic film director currently working. Since the early seventies, his work has won top prizes at film festivals worldwide and brought him wide recognition as the cinematic equivalent of a poet. His life is shrouded in mystery, leaving audiences with rumors, few established facts, and virtual silence from the filmmaker himself following his last published interview in 1979. This has done nothing to dim the luminous quality of his films, from Badlands (1973) and Days of Heaven (1978), to later works such as The Thin Red Line (1998), The Tree of Life (2011), and A Hidden Life (2019).The Magic Hours: The Life and Films of Terrence Malick is the first true biography of this visionary filmmaker. Through interviews and in-depth research, John Bleasdale reveals the autobiographical grounding of many of Malick's greatest films as well as the development of an experimental form of filmmaking that constantly expands the language of cinema. It is the essential account for anyone wishing to understand Malick and his work.

Certain cocktails carry societal connotations and cultural meaning. Some drinks are regional symbols such as the mint julep, which is inextricably tied to the Kentucky Derby. Classic drinks like the old fashioned or the Manhattan tend to denote a more sophisticated or refined palate, whereas wine coolers and tropical cocktails are often associated with new or inexperienced drinkers. Enter the whiskey sour. A cocktail from the sour family, the iconic drink is usually made with bourbon whiskey, lemon juice, and sugar. While its ingredients seem strikingly similar to an old fashioned, the whiskey sour's reputation is far less revered, and in certain circles, maligned for its sweetness.The Whiskey Sour elevates the reputation of the classic cocktail by exploring its rich history— starting in the 1600s with punch, the predecessor to sours, and bringing the reader through to the twentieth century when the whiskey sour was well-established. Seasoned mixologists and new cocktail enthusiasts will be educated about the development of the traditional recipe and encouraged to make their own creations by incorporating modern riffs, syrup additions, and fun enhancements. Part historical narrative, part recipe book, this friendly and approachable guide challenges the stigma surrounding the cocktail as a drink for unrefined tastes and illustrates the elegant, romantic, and complex facets of the whiskey sour—a perfectly sweet, tart, and balanced cocktail.

The Holliman sisters have voices like angels. In 1972, when their father, Garland, hears the girls' beautiful harmonies, he decides to start a family gospel group with his wife Big Jean and four teenage children: the twins, Jeannie and Junior, and their younger sisters, Debbie and Patty. The Gospelettes become a popular act, traveling throughout Kentucky and the surrounding states spreading the gospel in song. But as society outgrows their way of life, changes are encroaching even on their small town and the sheltered Holliman children.The Evolution of the Gospelettes follows the family and their transformation from old-time gospel singers in the 1970s to performers on a televangelist program in the 1980s to founding members of a megachurch in the 1990s. As the new millennium approaches, Jeannie, whose beliefs have evolved and irreversibly departed from her family's, fears what will happen the more entrenched they become in fundamentalist thinking and finds herself in a fight to save the people she loves from self-destruction.This debut novel is a compelling exploration of family ties and rifts, faith and doubt, and holiness and hypocrisy in a changing world.

In 1972, Reggie Warford was a sinewy, lightning-fast, sharp-shooting leftie who was in high demand by such renowned coaches as Bobby Knight at Indiana and Digger Phelps at Notre Drame. When the prolific player was signed by Joe B. Hall at the University Kentucky, he would ultimately become an inspirational scoring force on the team and the first Black basketball player to graduate from the university—instrumental in helping to break the color barriers for generations of students who followed. Scott Brown tells the remarkable story of this trailblazing player and the barriers he broke at Kentucky. Despite a heart condition and health issues that plagued him and eventually claimed his life, his body and spirit exuded a commitment to the game he loved: basketball.From growing up during the Civil Rights era, relating his courage in remaining seated during the singing of "My Old Kentucky Home" (a protest that led to the eventual rewrite of the lyrics), recollections of his seminal games, including the contest against Indiana during which Bobby Knight hit Joe B. Hall, and the Final Four match against UCLA, this is a wide-ranging look at Warford's life and career. The sports legend speaks honestly regarding his college coaching career that was torpedoed by agendas and dubious claims, his life experiences with Muhammad Ali, Larry Bird, and the Harlem Globetrotters, to working with youth at a juvenile detention center and winning a libel suit before the US Supreme Court.Throughout the highs and lows of his life, Warford's mantra "it was all worth it" exudes hope, optimism, and an unwavering determination. More than just a biography, this is an incredible story of inspiration, strength, resilience, and resolve—a testament to a world-class athlete, coach, teacher, mentor, and basketball legend.

The hills of the Appalachia region hold secrets—dark, deep, varied, and mysterious. These secrets are often told in the form of eerie, thrilling, and creepy folk tales that reveal strange sightings, curious oddities, and commonly serve as cautionary tales for eager and curious ears. These spine-tingling stories have been told and retold by family members, neighbors, and "hillfolk" for generations. Haint Country: Dark Folktales from the Hills and Hollers is a collection of weird, otherworldly, and supernatural phenomenon in Eastern Kentucky—tales that have been recorded and documented for the first time. Collected and adapted by Matthew Sparks and Olivia Sizemore, the anthology explores stories of ghosts or "haints," strange creatures or "boogers," haunted locations or "stained earth," uncanny happenings or "high strangeness," and humorous Appalachian ghost stories. Contemporary yarns of black panthers, demons, and sightings of ghostly coal miners are narrated in the first person, reflecting the style and dialect of the collected oral history. Though comprised of a mixture of claimed accounts and fabricated lore, the locations and people woven throughout are very real. Complemented with evocative watercolor illustrations by Olivia Sizemore (who was inspired by the work of Stephen Gammell) and a compendium that provides additional context, Haint Country is a thrilling and bone-chilling excursion to the spooky corner of Appalachia.

On Christmas Eve in 1859, sixty-five prominent armed white men rode into the small Kentucky town of Berea and forced the townspeople to close its integrated one-room schoolhouse. The mob perceived the school as a threat to white supremacy and the racial order. Abolitionist John Gregg Fee established the school for the expressed purpose of providing education to anyone eager to learn, regardless of their race—a notion that horrified those convinced of the sanctity of white supremacy. The mob succeeded in evicting thirty-six community members, including Fee's family, but Fee and the others returned to Berea in 1864 and reestablished the school as Berea College—an institution committed to providing education to Appalachia's most vulnerable populations. In Lessons from the Foothills, Gretchen Dykstra profiles modern Berea College, considered the moral compass of the commonwealth, and its rich and beloved history. This book is the first to focus solely on the principles and practices that guide the college: the eight Great Commitments, which individually and holistically provide clear aspirations for the college and its community. Like the institution itself, Dykstra's portrait is structured around these principles; each chapter functions as a deep dive into the history, practice, and significance of each Great Commitment, from providing opportunity for the most marginalized, to its high academic standards, to its commitment to the entire region. One of the Great Commitments states that the college will "provide an educational opportunity for students of all races, primarily from Appalachia, who have great promise and limited economic resources." The college has fulfilled this commitment by eliminating tuition—one of the primary barriers between people living below the poverty line and a college education—and providing jobs for students to assist with living expenses. Including interviews with a range of members from the Berea community, alumni, students, faculty, and staff, Lessons from the Foothills is an engaging and illuminating profile of a unique and historic institution and its enduring commitment to nurture and support academic excellence and service among its students.

Louis "Pete" Rogers Browning, the original "Louisville Slugger" for whom the famous baseball bat was named, was one of the greatest baseball players of the nineteenth century. Yet his prowess and talent were often overshadowed by his drunken exploits and endless eccentricities—on and off the field. Over his thirteen-year career he won three batting titles, finished in the top three nine times, and was one of the greatest hitters of the premodern era. To this day, his.341 lifetime batting average remains in the MLB's top five for right-handed hitters. He acquired other nicknames such as the Gladiator and Prince of Bourbon, and when Browning was "stolen" from Louisville by Pittsburgh recruiters, the team became known as the Pittsburgh Pirates. He attributed his great abilities to many quirky and colorful habits. He drank tabasco sauce and washed his eyes with buttermilk, claiming that both improved his ability to hit. He named his bats after biblical characters and meticulously took care of them until they exhausted the number of hits he believed each possessed. Browning bolstered his wild claims with entertaining storytelling and unconventional behavior, such as standing on one foot in the field and refusing to slide to base. The newspapers reported on and embellished Browning's own idiosyncrasies, making him a legend.Tim Newby addresses the myths surrounding the larger-than-life figure, uncovers the thin line between fact and fiction, and presents an extensive account of Browning—the man, and the record-setting ball player.

I could dream in poetry, could summon words for spiritual experience, could name God in twelve ways and in ten times and places in history. Award-winning writer Karen Salyer McElmurray details her life's journey across continents and decades in a poetic collection that is equal parts essay-as-memoir, memoir-as-Künstlerroman, and travelogue-as-meditation. It is about the deserts of India. A hospital ward in Maryland. The blue seas of Greece. A greenhouse in Virginia. It is about the spirit houses of Thailand. The mountains of eastern Kentucky. The depths of the Grand Canyon. A creative writing classroom in Georgia. An attic in a generations-old house. It is about coming to terms with both memory and the power of writing itself. At turns lyrical, poignant, and alluring, McElmurray probes her personal history from the stance of different places, perspectives, and vulnerabilities as she tenderly and fiercely searches for acceptance and a place to call home.

When people think of Kentucky, three things usually come to mind: bourbon, Colonel Sanders's secret chicken recipe, and the glamorous Kentucky Derby. Add college basketball to that list, and you have yourself a superfecta. Looking beyond these time-honored traditions, however, visitors will find in Kentucky a diverse patchwork of faces and places, each as unique as the state's geography. Kentucky, Y'all: A Celebration of the People and Culture of the Bluegrass State is an entertaining and informative compilation of the state's favorite oddities, cultural quirks, traditions, and rites of passage. Authors and proud Kentuckians Blair Thomas Hess and Cameron M. Ludwick share the best stories from their experiences as writers, travelers, and residents in this ode to the Commonwealth. From the iconic to the obscure, the book reveals vital knowledge that every Kentuckian—whether by birth, residence, or simply in mind and heart—should know. What is beer cheese? Who was Bill Monroe? Where can you get a hemp hot dog? Readers are introduced to the brilliant minds behind the Louisville Slugger, the Bowie Knife, and pioneering work in genetics. The book also includes a handy list of dos and don'ts of tailgating, a Kentucky sayings glossary, and bucket lists of things to do, drink, read, and eat.Featuring hand-drawn illustrations that represent life, fashion, and entertainment in the Commonwealth, Kentucky, Y'all is an insightful and exuberant guide to the Bluegrass State—for Kentucky natives and visitors alike.

"The flood came at night, forcefully and quickly, destroying so many lives in its wake. Unfortunately, I'm afraid it will happen again and again." — Carter SickelsIn late July 2022, a catastrophic flash flood claimed the lives of more than forty people and devastated homes and communities in Central Appalachia. The forty-fifth annual Appalachian Writers' Workshop at Hindman Settlement School in eastern Kentucky was in progress when surging floodwater forced the participants and staff to rush to higher ground. The school lost classrooms, housing, and gathering areas, as well as valuable equipment, and irreplaceable artifacts such as historical books and documents, photographs, and handmade musical instruments from the school archives were damaged. As the floodwaters receded throughout the region, countless lives were forever changed.In this visceral and powerful anthology, well-known and emerging Appalachian writers create an authentic space for processing and healing as they document and share the depth of the flood's devastation. Through words and images, Troublesome Rising reveals the writers' fears, desperation, sadness, and anger while detailing and examining the disaster's causes, the need for solutions, and how flooding has historically impacted the Appalachian community and culture. In a shared, varied, and resounding voice, this compelling collection not only serves as a historical document and an in-depth investigation of the event, but also as a celebration of Appalachian strength, determination, and resilience.

In sports, not all the long shots who succeed are athletes. In 1984, Tom Hammond, a forty-year-old sportscaster who had primarily worked in Kentucky and the Southeast, got an unlikely opportunity to appear on the NBC Sports telecast of the inaugural Breeders' Cup. Assigned to report from the stall area on what was supposed to be a single broadcast, Hammond performed so well that an NBC executive offered him a chance to call NFL games on the spot. That broadcast launched Hammond's thirty-four-year career with NBC Sports and his rise to the top levels of American television sportscasting. Along with cowriter Mark Story, Hammond pulls back the curtain on how a Kentucky native who started out reading horse racing results on Lexington radio went on to broadcast from thirteen Olympic Games.While covering Thoroughbred racing for NBC, Hammond broadcast sixteen Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes races and eleven runnings of the Belmont Stakes, including American Pharoah's historic 2015 Triple Crown victory. Hammond offers glimpses into his time as the play-by-play voice for Notre Dame football, calling NBA and NFL games, and his long-running stint announcing Southeastern Conference men's basketball for the league's syndicated TV package. Races, Games, and Olympic Dreams is an intimate and gripping look at Hammond's experiences, including his coverage of Olympic track and field, figure skating, speed skating, ice dancing, diving, and basketball events. Hammond worked with broadcasting luminaries such as Dick Enberg, Bob Costas, Cris Collinsworth, and Bill Walton, and encountered world-class athletes like Allyson Felix, Michael Jordan, Sarah Hughes, and Peyton Manning. Although his career has spanned the nation and the world, Hammond's roots have always remained firmly planted in the Bluegrass State.

An emotive soprano, heartrending melodies about unrequited love, and a draped-over-the-piano persona made Helen Morgan (1902–1941) the original torch singer, but she was so much more. The versatile actress appeared on Broadway, in film, and on radio. In a number of stage revues, she danced, sang, and excelled in sketch comedy. She played Julie in Kern and Hammerstein's Broadway musical Show Boat (1927) and also starred in the duo's Sweet Adeline in 1929. That same year, Morgan appeared in Rouben Mamoulian's classic film Applause. When the Great Depression made theater roles scarce, she headed the CBS radio program Broadway Melodies and worked in the emerging medium of television. Yet Morgan's life was one of extremes. She earned a million dollars throughout her career but remained in constant debt. She was one of the most universally beloved people in her profession, but a stable romantic relationship eluded her until the very end of her life. She was a protofeminist who aided women facing unplanned pregnancies, yet she also sought respite in a man whose financial support would allow her to retire from the stage. Through it all, she battled alcoholism; brandy would eventually extinguish her flame in 1941. Helen Morgan: The Original Torch Singer and Ziegfeld's Last Star is the first biography of the gifted performer since 1974. Author Christopher Connelly utilizes interviews, newspaper articles, and family scrapbooks to present an honest and unflinching look at Morgan's life. Connelly's meticulous research addresses Morgan's troubled childhood, including her mother's six marriages, and the trauma of her stepfather's arrest and conviction for manslaughter in 1913. Also revealed are details regarding her early career in vaudeville and silent film, insights into the speakeasy and supper-club culture that served as a backdrop to Morgan's career, and accounts of her outstanding accomplishments, philanthropic actions, and enduring popularity. This gripping narrative presents the brief but brilliant life of a complex, talented, and iconic entertainer.

In a span of minutes, the lives of four members of Brickton Community College change forever when an active shooter enters the campus and opens fire. Running on adrenaline and fear, the group—a crew of students and their teacher—subdues the perpetrator in a violent frenzy that leads to the man's death. Reeling from the shock of their collective actions, the group is thrown into turmoil when they realize that the person they have killed is someone they all knew. Narrated in alternating voices and set against the backdrop of an economically depressed Appalachian town, Laura Leigh Morris's The Stone Catchers explores the immeasurable pain and loss felt by the survivors of a school shooting. Forced to process the horror of the event, mourn, and to reconcile themselves to their newfound recognition as local heroes, the survivors grapple with the losses suffered by their community and their own actions. In the process they come face to face with the unquantifiable cost gun violence takes on not only the survivors, but the families, friends, and futures of a community fractured by tragedy.