My Mountain Granny

The story of Evelyn Howell Beck in the mountain town of Whittier, NC

from the introduction:
Coming to the mountains as a young college student, the land fascinated me. I had expected the place to be suspended in time, but I soon found the mountains changed drastically from what I had imagined. I had expected the country store, but instead, I found Wal-Mart. I became curious and wondered what old Appalachia was really like. My desire was to know the mountain people, not as popular culture portrayed them, but for who they really were. On December 10, 1998, my adventure began, for the moment I met Evelyn Howell Beck, I knew she was special. I had found a mountain woman who had lived Appalachia's history. At first, it was awkward. I had grown up with MTV and she with square dances. In fact, we had nothing in common except that we were fascinated with each other. Neither of us made sense of this unique friendship until, one day, Evelyn summed it up, "I guess I'm just your Mountain Granny."

softcover, 114 pages
B&W photos, ©2009