A Hard Journey

"A Hard Journey is the first comprehensive biography of Don West, poet, ordained Congregationalist minister, labor organizer, educator, leftist activist, and one of the most important literary and political figures in the southern Appalachians during the middle years of the twentieth century. Motivated by radical and religious convictions and driven by a vision of an open, democratic, and nonracist society, West was also a passionate advocate for the region's traditional values." "James J. Lorence's biography balances West's literary work with political and educational activities. Uncovering the ethical and religious roots of West's militant antifascism, Lorence uses previously unexamined sources to explore his early involvement in organizing miners and other workers for the Socialist and Communist Parties during the 1930s. In detailing West's participation in the Communist Party and founding role in the Highlander Folk School and other training grounds for radically cooperative, democratic ways of living, Lorence also describes West's lifelong commitment to defending mountain culture and his advocacy on behalf of exploited workers and the rural poor. In documenting West's lifetime commitment to creating a nonracist, egalitarian south, A Hard Journey confirms West's stature as a pioneering figure in twentieth-century southern radicalism."--BOOK JACKET.

Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Nonfiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.