"Lingering questions and stereotypes continue to surround Appalachia; even the exact location and size of the region are still debated. It is not surprising, then, that the very concept of Appalachian culture is also contentious. Some see the individuals who reside there as noble northern-European descendants whose lifestyle is reminiscent of the colonial era. There are others who view the region as a land of backward mountain people who are uneducated...

"Nestled in the Appalachian mountains, Owsley County is one of the poorest counties in both Kentucky and the country. Buildings are crumbling and fields sit vacant, as tobacco farming and coal mining decline. But strong women are finding creative ways to subsist in their hollers in the hills. Cassie Chambers grew up in these hollers and, through the women who raised her, she traces her own path out of and back into the Kentucky mountains. Chambers's...