"God knew that it would take brave and sturdy people to survive in these beautiful but rugged hills. So He sent us His very strongest men and women." So begins the heartwarming story of Verna Mae and her father, Isom B. ""Kitteneye"" Slone, an extradordinay personal family history set in the hills around Caney Creek in Knott County, Kentucky.

"This first work of fiction by Verna Mae Slone, firmly grounded in her own background, is set in the 1920s and 1930s in a closeknit community in eastern Kentucky, where family roots run deep. At its center stands as strong and resilient a heroine as any in American literature. Verna Mae Slone, a native of Knott County, Kentucky, is the author of several books, including the bestselling memoir, What My Heart Wants to Tell.

"This first work of fiction by Verna Mae Slone, firmly grounded in her own background, is set in the 1920s and 1930s in a closeknit community in eastern Kentucky, where family roots run deep. At its center stands as strong and resilient a heroine as any in American literature. Verna Mae Slone, a native of Knott County, Kentucky, is the author of several books, including the bestselling memoir, What My Heart Wants to Tell.

"An intriguing mix of family history, lore, mountain culture, and folkways, skillfully bound together with an all-but-transparent thread of fiction." —Library JournalWhen Rennie Slone''s mother dies in childbirth, the twelve-year-old girl is unexpectedly thrust into adulthood. She must keep house for her father, an itinerant preacher who finds little time for family, and raise her newborn sister—a task that becomes Rennie''s lifelong passion. Against all odds, she is determined that Sarah Ellen will have the education she herself has had to give up.This first work of fiction by Verna Mae Slone, firmly grounded in her own background, is set in the 1920s and 1930s in a closeknit community in eastern Kentucky, where family roots run deep. At its center stands as strong and resilient a heroine as any in American literature.The story of Rennie''s struggles and Sarah Ellen''s growth into womanhood form a richly textured picture of the simple, sturdy mountain people—their labor to wrest a living from the land, their neighborly care for one another, their shared joys, their quarrels with the outside world, and their distinctive dialect. We see the people of Lonesome Holler raising and preserving food, gathering for bean stringings, molasses stir-offs, play parties, and pie socials, pitching in to clear a neighbor''s land, assisting at a difficult birth, and helping to bury the dead.Verna Mae Slone, a native of Knott County, Kentucky, is the author of several books, including the bestselling memoir, What My Heart Wants to Tell."Slone''s style, which includes dialogue written in dialect, is lively. Readers drawn to regional tales will enjoy learning about Lonesome Holler." —Publishers Weekly

In these two classic memoirs, the beloved Appalachian author shares a rare and vibrant look at the life and culture of her rural Kentucky home.A free-form combination of glossary and memoir, How We Talked is a timeless piece of literature that uses native expressions to depict everyday life in Caney Creek, Kentucky. In addition to phrases and their meanings, the book contains sections on the customs and wisdom of Slone''s community, a collection of children''s rhymes, and stories and superstitions unique to Appalachia.Originally published in 1979, Common Folks documents Slone''s way of life in Pippa Passes, Kentucky, and expands on such diverse topics as family pets, coal mining, education, and marriage. Slone''s firsthand account of this unique heritage draws readers into her hill-circled community and allows them to experience a lifestyle that is nearly forgotten.Whether Slone is writing about the particulars of Appalachian folk medicine or the universal experiences of family life, her deep insight and eye for evocative detail make for compelling reading. Published together for the first time, How We Talked and Common Folks celebrate the spirit of an acclaimed Appalachian writer.

"God knew that it would take brave and sturdy people to survive in these beautiful but rugged hills. So He sent us His very strongest men and women." So begins the heartwarming story of Verna Mae and her father, Isom B. ""Kitteneye"" Slone, an extradordinay personal family history set in the hills around Caney Creek in Knott County, Kentucky.

"This first work of fiction by Verna Mae Slone, firmly grounded in her own background, is set in the 1920s and 1930s in a closeknit community in eastern Kentucky, where family roots run deep. At its center stands as strong and resilient a heroine as any in American literature. Verna Mae Slone, a native of Knott County, Kentucky, is the author of several books, including the bestselling memoir, What My Heart Wants to Tell.

"This first work of fiction by Verna Mae Slone, firmly grounded in her own background, is set in the 1920s and 1930s in a closeknit community in eastern Kentucky, where family roots run deep. At its center stands as strong and resilient a heroine as any in American literature. Verna Mae Slone, a native of Knott County, Kentucky, is the author of several books, including the bestselling memoir, What My Heart Wants to Tell.

"An intriguing mix of family history, lore, mountain culture, and folkways, skillfully bound together with an all-but-transparent thread of fiction." —Library JournalWhen Rennie Slone''s mother dies in childbirth, the twelve-year-old girl is unexpectedly thrust into adulthood. She must keep house for her father, an itinerant preacher who finds little time for family, and raise her newborn sister—a task that becomes Rennie''s lifelong passion. Against all odds, she is determined that Sarah Ellen will have the education she herself has had to give up.This first work of fiction by Verna Mae Slone, firmly grounded in her own background, is set in the 1920s and 1930s in a closeknit community in eastern Kentucky, where family roots run deep. At its center stands as strong and resilient a heroine as any in American literature.The story of Rennie''s struggles and Sarah Ellen''s growth into womanhood form a richly textured picture of the simple, sturdy mountain people—their labor to wrest a living from the land, their neighborly care for one another, their shared joys, their quarrels with the outside world, and their distinctive dialect. We see the people of Lonesome Holler raising and preserving food, gathering for bean stringings, molasses stir-offs, play parties, and pie socials, pitching in to clear a neighbor''s land, assisting at a difficult birth, and helping to bury the dead.Verna Mae Slone, a native of Knott County, Kentucky, is the author of several books, including the bestselling memoir, What My Heart Wants to Tell."Slone''s style, which includes dialogue written in dialect, is lively. Readers drawn to regional tales will enjoy learning about Lonesome Holler." —Publishers Weekly

In these two classic memoirs, the beloved Appalachian author shares a rare and vibrant look at the life and culture of her rural Kentucky home.A free-form combination of glossary and memoir, How We Talked is a timeless piece of literature that uses native expressions to depict everyday life in Caney Creek, Kentucky. In addition to phrases and their meanings, the book contains sections on the customs and wisdom of Slone''s community, a collection of children''s rhymes, and stories and superstitions unique to Appalachia.Originally published in 1979, Common Folks documents Slone''s way of life in Pippa Passes, Kentucky, and expands on such diverse topics as family pets, coal mining, education, and marriage. Slone''s firsthand account of this unique heritage draws readers into her hill-circled community and allows them to experience a lifestyle that is nearly forgotten.Whether Slone is writing about the particulars of Appalachian folk medicine or the universal experiences of family life, her deep insight and eye for evocative detail make for compelling reading. Published together for the first time, How We Talked and Common Folks celebrate the spirit of an acclaimed Appalachian writer.