Summary

A 1965 handbook by Jack E. Weller entitled, Yesterday’s People: Life in Contemporary Appalachia, argues that improving the Appalachian quality of life has not worked because of a lack of understanding “Appalachian identity,” which he couches in an ambivalence toward material success. Though Weller also participates in myth-making regarding the “mountaineer’s” desire for a simpler life, Catte writes that she appreciates the fact that later in his life Weller regretted Yesterday’s People. During the time of the book, Appalachians themselves were “consolidating their collective power to create political change for the good of their communities” (115).

A 1969 documentary, Before the Mountain was Moved, depicts the struggle of poor Appalachians as they struggle to protect their land from the effects of mountaintop removal. A group from Raleigh County, West Virginia are depicted discussing race relations as they travel to Charleston to ask for...