In the Heart of the Hills

By Dwight Harshbarger

A Novel in Stories. From the air raid drills in 1942 to the arrival of the Interstate in the mid 1950s, a boy Freddie Lemley, shows us the American experience through the prism of his small West... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0972168753
• ISBN13: 9780972168755
• Release Date: August 2005
• Publisher: Martin and Lawrence Press
• Length: 309 Pages
• Weight: 0.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 1.0" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

I found my heart in the Heart of the Hills

If you were born in the pre depression or depression years you will find In the Heart of the Hills brings back wonderful memories and if you were not born in this era, you will obtain an excellent view of what it was like to be raised during these great years. I reccomend this book for all ages.

Excellent Kettle Stories

I loved "In the Heart of the Hills." It is a collection of stand-alone chapters that combine to tell a sometime funny, sometimes sad, sometimes courageous, always graphic, completely ordinary, and deeply poignant story about Freddie, a boy growing up and finally grown in a small West Virginia town in the forties and ensuing decades. In fact, Freddie is still living. I know him. Many readers will know him too, in their friends, in their memories, in themselves. If you enjoy reminiscing about our small-town or rural lives, or if you want a vivid glimpse of important times gone by, or if you want lessons about parts of our national character, or if you simply enjoy well-told stories, you will love this book too.

A Look into the Past

In the Heart of the Hills is an amusing yet thoughtful journey into small town America during the post-war years as seen through the eyes of a boy growing up. Young Freddy Lemley's reflections of events expose the emotions, prejudices, political moods, and the inevitability of change in his West Virginia hometown. Yet as the stories unfold, Freddy often describes events like Albert Camus' "stranger," as a passive observer of life rather than a participant. Dwight Harshbarger captures the emotional elements however in the characters who pass through Freddy's life, most notably his good friend William White and many of the colorful townspeople. His "short story" approach to the life and times of this community is easy reading and makes it easy to pick up and put down without losing the thread. The short stories throughout the book are reminiscent of how we all remember our childhood, brief snapshots of our significant memories and events. Dwight is a storyteller and his stories reflect how the character of Freddy, and perhaps Dwight himself, developed through his small town West Virginia experiences. We all live with memories we cherish and others we wish we never had but they are all indelibly part of us. I really enjoyed this book!