{"product_id":"spirits-of-just-men-mountaineers-liquor-bosses-and-lawmen-in-the-moonshine-capital-of-the-world-paperback-softback-9780252078088","title":"Spirits of Just Men; Mountaineers, Liquor Bosses, and Lawmen in the Moonshine Capital of the World (Paperback \/ softback) 9780252078088","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eSpirits of Just Men\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eMountaineers, Liquor Bosses, and Lawmen in the Moonshine Capital of the World\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eCharles D. Thompson Jr. (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9780252078088\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003ePaperback \/ softback, published 20 April 2011\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e304 pages, 29 black \u0026amp; white photographs, 1 map\u003cbr\u003e23.4 x 18.7 x 2.6 cm, 0.388 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\"Thompson brings the area to life, offering a portrait of a place that the government forgot, a blue-collar town run amok with barefoot children and well-armed men. . . . A meticulous, exhaustive history of moonshining, poverty and Blue Ridge culture.\"--\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e \"A well-researched and well-written study and a thought-provoking portrait of 1930s Appalachia.\"--\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e \"An exceptionally passionate, sensitive, and complex analysis of Great Depression-era life in rural Virginia.\"--\u003ci\u003eThe Journal of Southern History\u003c\/i\u003e \"An informative and entertaining account of one of Appalachia's most enduring symbols, the moonshiner.\"--\u003ci\u003eVirginia Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e \"This fascinating book convincingly argues the importance of national policy in creating and sustaining what has been perceived as a regional phenomenon. Thompson refutes easy stereotypes and instead gives us a well written and well researched account of what Edith Wharton called 'the hard considerations of the poor.'\"--Ron Rash, author of \u003ci\u003eSerena: A Novel\u003c\/i\u003e \"A fabulous and thorough collection of stories, facts, drama, character portraits, and court proceedings, including a chronicle of the Great Moonshine Conspiracy Trial of 1935. . . . It reads smoothly and cleanly, like a tightly woven novel. And it’s about far more than bootlegging, as \u003ci\u003eMoby-Dick\u003c\/i\u003e is about far more than whaling.”--\u003ci\u003eGarden \u0026amp; Gun\u003c\/i\u003e \"This informative, engaging work wonderfully reveals the culture and colorful history of a region with intimate ties to the illegal production and distribution of alcohol during 'Prohibition.'\"--\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e \"Thompson's book is eye-opening not only about the illicit liquor trade but also about the big stage on which moonshining occurred. He paints a rich picture of life in Virginia's mountains in the 1930s. . . . Moonshining has been written about before. But it's unlikely any previous treatment compares to Thompson's in doing justice both to the business and its setting in a certain American time and place.\"--\u003ci\u003eWashington Independent Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \"Thompson tells an important and colorful story.\"--\u003ci\u003eWest Virginia History\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \"Worthy of the attention of both scholars and an interested public.\"--\u003ci\u003eThe Historian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \"\u003ci\u003eSpirits of Just Men\u003c\/i\u003e is an example of microhistory at its best.\"--\u003ci\u003eH-Net Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \"A wonderful book! Nobody has ever brought more passionate interest, love, and real connection to a subject than Thompson, whose roots run deep in Franklin County. His examination of the economics of 'blockading'--or moonshining---is fascinating. And his evocation of the lost community of Endicott, its people, and its whole way of life is very moving. A native of southwest Virginia myself, I sat right down and read this book straight through, like a novel, with little shocks of recognition and pleasure all the way.\"--Lee Smith, author of \u003ci\u003eMrs. Darcy and the Blue-Eyed Stranger\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \"A fascinating narrative of how mountain farmers responded to the challenges of making a living during hard times. Charles D. Thompson Jr. animates his rich and vivid story of the moonshine business in the 1930s with memorable characters and unique voices.\"--Patricia D. Beaver, coeditor of \u003ci\u003eTales from Sacred Wind: Coming of Age in Appalachia\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \"In \u003ci\u003eSpirits of Just Men,\u003c\/i\u003e Charles D. Thompson Jr. takes us from a documentary of moonshining in a mountain community to a history of the nation. All in all an excellent read. We are grateful to him.\"--Will D. Campbell, author of \u003ci\u003eBrother to a Dragonfly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003ci\u003eSpirits of Just Men\u003c\/i\u003e tells the story of moonshine in 1930s America, as seen through the remarkable location of Franklin County, Virginia, a place that many still refer to as the \"moonshine capital of the world.\" Charles D. Thompson Jr. chronicles the Great Moonshine Conspiracy Trial of 1935, which made national news and exposed the far-reaching and pervasive tendrils of Appalachia's local moonshine economy. Thompson, whose ancestors were involved in the area's moonshine trade and trial as well as local law enforcement, uses the event as a stepping-off point to explore Blue Ridge Mountain culture, economy, and political engagement in the 1930s. Drawing from extensive oral histories and local archival material, he illustrates how the moonshine trade was a rational and savvy choice for struggling farmers and community members during the Great Depression.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eLocal characters come alive through this richly colorful narrative, including the stories of Miss Ora Harrison, a key witness for the defense and an Episcopalian missionary to the region, and Elder Goode Hash, an itinerant Primitive Baptist preacher and juror in a related murder trial. Considering the complex interactions of religion, economics, local history, Appalachian culture, and immigration, Thompson's sensitive analysis examines the people and processes involved in turning a basic agricultural commodity into such a sought-after and essentially American spirit.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"University of Illinois Press","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52520711291160,"sku":"9780252078088","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/spirits-of-just-men-mountaineers-liquor-bosses-and-lawmen-in-the-moonshine-capital-of-the-world-paperback-softback-9780252078088","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}