Come Go with Me: Old-Timer Stories from the Southern Mountains

Oral historian Thomas, having transcribed hundreds of interviews conducted mostly in the 1970s, presents 94 reminiscences as a well-organized sampling of a vanished way of life. Subjects include the purely factual (e.g., how to make headcheese), family stories reaching back to the Civil War and tall tales about hunting incidents and such. Small, seemingly engraved drawings by Kubinyi ( Who'd Believe John Colter? ), chiefly of objects mentioned in a story, like meat hanging in a smokehouse, or a pot for making lye soap, appear throughout. Though this is a fascinating collection to dip into, Thomas is no Studs Terkel, and his brief introduction and very occasional notes fail to provide much historical background. As over 70 interviewees appear, it is also difficult to get a sense of them as individuals, but older children will still find their reports a useful and often amusing resource for learning about the history and folk heritage of the Appalachian, Ozark and Ouachita mountains. All ages. (Apr.)