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At the time it was first published in 1962, it framed such an urgent appeal to the American conscience that it actually prompted the creation of the Appalachian Regional Commission, an agency that has pumped millions of dollars into Appalachia.
Caudill's study begins in the violence of the Indian wars and ends in the economic despair of the 1950s and 1960s. Two hundred years ago, the Cumberland Plateau was a land of great promise. Its deep, twisting valleys contained rich bottomlands. The surrounding mountains were teeming with game and covered with valuable timber. The people who came into this land scratched out a living by farming, hunting, and making all the things they need-including whiskey.
The quality of life in Appalachia declined during the Civil War and Appalachia remained "in a bad way" for the next century. By the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, Appalachia had become an island of poverty in a national sea of plenty and prosperity. Caudill's book alerted the mainstream world to our problems and their causes. Since then the ARC has provided millions of dollars to strengthen the brick and mortar infrastructure of Appalachia and to help us recover from a century of economic problems that had greatly undermined our quality of life.
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By James Denny (Catonsville, Maryland)
Harry Caudill's "Night Comes to the Cumberlands" was written in the early 1960's. Over his life, Harry Caudill wrote many books, both fiction and non-fiction but this is his masterpiece. This enduring historical work on southern Appalachia still sells well and is the work for which he is best known.
With the benefit of 45 years of hindsight, "Night Comes to the Cumberlands" was prescient in its vision. Harry Caudill was a man of this land and knew its history, its people, its economy, its culture and its spirit. Writing for a 300-year span of time, he does not spare the rough, the crude, the greedy and the mean. He uses an historical approach combining the historical with the economic, the politicial, the sociological, the psychological and the anthropological. There is much anecdotal information that only a native like Caudill himself could have gathered from family, friends and the hills themselves.
A fine lawyer by profession, he was even better as a storyteller. If instead, he were a doctor, he would have been exceptional at diagnosis. Where some fault can be found with "Night Comes to the Cumberland" is in the prescriptive. Caudill knew as much about the problems of this part of Appalachia as anyone and could accurately describe its symptoms. However, in terms of corrective measures, his prescriptions for cure fall largely off the mark.
Solutions to the chronic, severe and long-standing problems in this region of the country are not easy and not fast. The coal counties in southern Appalachians are still losing population. Mountain top removal and valley fills, a type of coal mining just starting when Caudill completed his book are destroying tens of thousands of acres of southern hardwood forest. The landscape is permanently altered and will never recover after this type of mining has taken place.
Caudill is sometimes faulted by some critics for a reliance on certain stereotypes. However, the gentle reader of the 21st century should recall that Caudill was writing almost 50 years ago. His use of sterotypes was typical of the time. However, there is little evidence to suggest that Caudill was a prejudicical man. Instead, he had considerable evidence and experience that supported his characterization of mountain people and aspects of mountain culture that today come across as heavy-handed.
"Night Comes to the Cumberlands" is a great and enduring work. It is a touchstone work for any serious student or historian interested in this region of the country.
By Scott Redding (Florence, Kentucky)
For anyone who wants to learn the history of Appalachia (i.e. Eastern Kentucky) as well as the history of coal mining in this part of the country, this book is a must. After reading this book I have spent a great deal of time reading other books on coal mining in this part of the country as well as visiting old coal towns and old coal mines. This experience, as well as discussions I have had with many locals who lived through this time, have convinced me that most of what is in this book is an accurate depiction.
There have been two criticisms of this book that I think one must respond too. Some in the academic community seem to dismiss the book because of the lack of documentation (foot notes etc.). They seem to feel that book was not well researched and that most of the book is simply the opinions of the author. I believe this is an unfair criticism. Caudill spent his entire life in this region. The book consists of his own life experiences, observations and conversations with those in this region. I don't think he needed to research the ideas in this book because he lived them. First hand experience is often times the best source for anything. Later generations intent on writing on this topic, folks who were not there and who did not live through this time in this region of the country, should probably be expected to do more research on their own before writing on these topics.
Others believe Caudill perpetuated the stereotypes of Appalachians. In defense of these critics, to some extent he does perpetuate the stereotypes of mountain folk by his harsh comments towards them, especially later in the book, and his primary focus on the negative attributes of people in this region, particularly in regards to their dependence on public assistance. However, if you take the work as a whole, it is apparent that Caudill loves this region, loves these people, and really focused on the negative aspects of many of these people because he wanted to show what had happened to a once proud and self-sufficient people. I also never got the impression that Caudill thought all people in the mountains were lazy, unmotivated and simply waiting for a hand out. Caudill also goes to great lengths to explain how many of these folks acquired these attributes and how Eastern Kentucky became a "welfare state". He did not like what many of these people had become, but he certainly presented a sympathetic view on how they got there.
Overall, I thought this was a great book. I wish it was required reading for schools because I think we owe so much to the folks who struggled in the coal mines so that we could lead a better life. It is a part of history that should not be forgotten.
By P. Dulaney (South Carolina)
This is an excellent book. Gives a lot of great detailed information on the history of that era.
By Teaberry (West Virginia)
Harry Caudill's account of Eastern Kentucky's "untamed children" takes the award for the modern era's grossest stereotypes, excepting perhaps the SNL skit, "Appalachian Emergency Room." Yes, this coal country history is rife with the most insulting characterizations of mountain people. Caudill extends beyond the ubiquitous moonshiners and feuders by asserting that this area was settled by "embittered outcasts and rejects from the shores of Europe" who were lawless and, of course, fiercely independent (13). Then between 1870 and 1960, the region became plagued with inbreds, idiots, people lacking any artistic creativity and, God forbid, appreciation for Shakespeare or other expressions of "real culture," women who procreated out of wedlock to obtain government money, and wastrels incapable of pulling themselves out of the squalor that befell them upon King Coal's collapse.
This book is a depressing account of a depressed area scarred and wounded by industrialization and allegedly locked in the past by despondent people, corrupt corporations, and a negligent government. Caudill chronicles the regional cycles of boom and bust from the 1870s to the 1960s and seeks to explain the causes of the vast poverty surrounding him when he wrote this book in 1963. His most prominent and unfortunate explanation is the heritage of the mountain people, who, as mentioned before, were supposedly Britain's social outcasts. In Caudill's eyes, they only became more barbaric and unruly as they lived in the Eastern Kentucky wilderness and mingled with Native Americans. Their progeny later responded to post-Civil War political animosity with feuding and violence. This constant warring chased off the virile men that it didn't kill, so women began marrying their cousins as a result of the decreasing gene pool. Their "mentally inferior" children were the ones who entered into the mines. Once these "fantastically inbred" mountaineers were integrated into coal mining communities and culture, they then became subject to the vagaries of industry (84). As the coal boom collapsed into the Great Depression, the mountaineers-turned-miners became shiftless and despondent and began relying heavily on government handouts. During a later coal collapse, they also began seeking government-sponsored relief by manipulating local leaders through votes. Caudill's insulting explanation does not solely blame mountain people, for he also denounces coal operators and local politicians, but not nearly to the same extent. In fact, he is sometimes sympathetic to the capitalist designs of industrialists, even when he admits that they abused their workers and stripped the land of all of its value.
No references are included in this work, so the information Caudill presents is dubious at best. Some of his assertions are naïve, like his insistence that miners and coal operators were, almost without exception, friendly toward each other until the Great Depression. Other claims are completely outlandish. He insists that many mountain people, "literally starved for compliments and for some outward show of appreciation," readily sold their mineral rights after being wooed by slick-tongued mineral buyers (73). Caudill also argues that during WWII, coal companies struggled with labor shortages. Many able-bodied men had either gone to fight or had left the region seeking higher paying jobs in industrial cities, leaving in their wake those who did not qualify for military service due to health reasons. He cites malnutrition as a key problem, a valid assumption considering that the war followed twelve years of extreme economic depression. However, Caudill again resorts to a common misconception about mountain people when he interjects, "Illiteracy and low mentality - the latter induced in part, perhaps, by generations of inbreeding - also caused the rejection of hundreds of others" from military service (226). Comments such as these make me doubt even further the veracity of his arguments or the extent of his research.
I was warned that Night Comes to the Cumberlands perpetuated stereotypes, but I wanted to read it because of the influence it exerted on America's perception of Appalachia. According to regional historian John Alexander Williams, this book was a non-fiction bestseller. It was massively influential and initiated the idea for what became the Appalachian Regional Commission. I do not regret that Caudill called attention to Eastern Kentucky. Indeed, the land and people were suffering and their plight warranted national action. Even now I stand amazed at how little attention is paid to Central Appalachia in regards to the destruction of mountains, streams, and peoples' homes and health because of mining. But I ultimately fault Caudill for failing to acknowledge the diversity, intelligence, and industry of the people who chose to remain in Eastern Kentucky. Widespread activism that called attention to strip mining and black lung did not emerge in the region until a few years after this book was published, but one can certainly assume that the seeds of discontent had been sewn by 1963. What of the teachers, doctors, miners, and other proud men and women who pushed their youth to achieve, felt empowered by their local churches and community groups, or served as Union leaders prior to the 1960s? Their inclusion would have changed this book from a "biography of a depressed area" to a more inspiring call for social and environmental justice. Caudill's intentions were good, but he missed the opportunity to change the way that the region was viewed. Needless to say, I only recommend reading this book in order to understand how different eras have perceived Appalachia. Anybody seeking an introduction to the region should look elsewhere.
By Todd A. Fiedler (Independence, MO United States)
I was on vacation spending the week at our family's river cottage and this book, dusty and long-forgotten, set upon the shelf. After spending an idle week reading this book, I feel like I have a better understanding of the history and human forces that shaped this region of the United States. This book is a rare treasure that offers an eye-opening historical perspective which is easily accessible and well-written. While the publication date is over 40 years ago, if you are at all interested in the story of the Cumberland area, about the path towards industrialization brought about by coal, and the tragedy that befell a once proudly individualist and free people, you should read this book. You won't be disappointed. Be warned though, it's not a book for historical revisionists and it uses language in use during the time it was published, so check any political correctness before you open it.
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