Allegiance: Stories by Gurney Norman

When Kinfolks: The Wilgus Stories by Gurney Norman was first published in 1977, it arguably revolutionized Appalachian Literature, a new sub-genre that was just beginning to be recognized. It demonstrated that writing that was down-to-earth, that refused to either glorify or disparage ordinary people from the Southern Mountains, could not just gain traction, but become the favorite book of many readers. When I read it, I was moved both to laughter and to tears. It resonated with me. Now, 45 years later, Gurney’s subsequent stories have finally been published. The book begins with an essay, “Allegiance” that explains his title - what Gurney is swearing allegiance to, beginning with, “I pledge allegiance to Rockhouse Creek in Letcher County [Kentucky], however far I roam.”  The book ends with an Epilogue of six essays he calls “straightforward autobiography” as opposed to the stories which he characterizes as “autobiographical fiction.” “In 1977, Gurney Norman published a slim volume tit