“Hard times during the Depression and family sacrifices are treated with honesty and humor” in this YA book by the author of River of Earth (School Library Journal).
Sporty Creek is a series of short stories set in the Kentucky hills. Narrated by a young boy (a cousin of the narrator of Still’s classic novel River of Earth), the book tells the story of his family during the Great Depression. With work in the coal mines sporadic, they move from place to place, trying to earn a living the best they can. The story is told with gentleness and humor.
“What James Still has done is to look at the people of the mountains and just a ‘bunch of houses in a hollow’ and see a universe unto itself.” —Lexington Herald-Leader
“Tells of the tough living that many people in that region experienced and the humor and love that kept life rich.” —Appalachian Quarterly
“A testament to people of courage and humor with a zest for living.” —Language Arts
“Vintage James Still.” —Paintsville Herald
“Still’s novel is an appealing mixture of earthiness and poetry . . . We are filled with admiration for robust people who have time to laugh and enjoy life, even in hard times.” —Publishers Weekly
“James Still is a Kentucky writer I profoundly admire. He is capable of such delicacy and at the same time such power, and he’s a man who has really mastered the art, the craftsmanship.” —Wendell Berry
