Crapalachia

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Synopsis
When Scott McClanahan was fourteen he went to live with his Grandma Ruby and his Uncle Nathan, who suffered from cerebral palsy.

Crapalachia is a portrait of these formative years, coming-of-age in rural West Virginia.

Peopled by colorful characters and their quirky stories, Crapalachia interweaves oral folklore and area history, providing an ambitious and powerful snapshot of overlooked Americana.

Copyright:
2013

Book Details

Book Quality:
Publisher Quality
ISBN-13:
9781937512125
Related ISBNs:
9781937512033
Publisher:
Two Dollar Radio
Date of Addition:
Copyrighted By:
Scott McClanahan
Adult content:
No
Language:
English
Has Image Descriptions:
No
Categories:
History, Nonfiction, Biographies and Memoirs, Social Studies
Submitted By:
Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:
This is a copyrighted book.

Reviews

2 out of 5

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Don't believe all the hype in the book's synopsis. Sure, Scott McClanahan is a good writer, and his style can make you feel like you're right there in the story, and his storytelling reminds you of people you used to know and situations we've all found ourselves in. But for all that, Crapalachia falls squarely into the category of "memoirs of ordinary people." His family is full of quirky people, like all our families are, and he has some weird friends, like we all did as teenagers. But then he has to go and blow it all by admitting, in the "Acknowledgements And Notes" section, that he made much of it up. And then he tells you exactly WHICH parts he made up, and it turns out that the reality wasn't even as interesting as the way he wrote it in the body of the book. Why make things up if you're just going to cop to it at the end? The stuff he makes up isn't always that believable anyway, or all that surprising: see the Hallmark Channel-esque story of Uncle Nathan and his nurse Rhonda, or Scott's childhood friend Bill and his eventual revenge on a mean schoolteacher. This would have gotten three stars from me if the author didn't spoil it in the end, leaving me disappointed and annoyed.