Scotland National Library selects books on Appalachia by Betty Dotson-Lewis for International Collection

Scotland National Library selects West Virginia Writer, Betty Dotson-Lewis (B. L. Dotson-Lewis), books on Appalachia due to their connection to Scottish and Scots-Irish Culture and History

Books selected by Scotland National Library for International Collection  “Appalachia: Spirit Triumphant” 
“Sago Mine Disaster (Featured Story): Appalachian Coalfield Stories”  
“The Sunny Side of Appalachia: Bluegrass from the Grassroots”

Images from Appalachia

Letter from Author:

Hi Y’all,

My name is Betty Dotson-Lewis.  I am a writer from Summersville, West Virginia (Appalachia). My grandfather was William Basil Young of Southwest Virginia and of Scottish descent.   I grew up in the Appalachian coalfields surrounded by the best people in the world with popular Scottish surnames such as; Smith, Brown, Wilson, McDaniel, McKenzie, Burnett, Ritchie, McQueen, Kincaid, McMillan, Akins and on and on.  These are the people in my books.

So, I wanted you to know that we, the descendants of the Scottish and Scots-Irish, are still here, in these secluded hollows and windswept ridges of the Appalachian Mountains where our tough and resilient ancestors first settled.  Appalachia is where you can get close to your Scottish roots on this side of the Atlantic and acquainted with your kin. 

Our Scottish and Scots-Irish ancestors fled to America because of political and religious persecution. These settlers who made that long, hard journey across the ocean in the 1700s, often sick or starving, brought little or no material baggage, but they did bring their cultural baggage, which included the many ballads, stories, and instrumental tunes from their own heritage. Fiddle tunes with bows dusted in kitchen flour fill the air on any given Sunday after church when clans gather. They brought with them their severe and stubborn reputation and their brand of Protestantism which has served as the foundation for our Baptist and Methodist faiths today.  They brought a talent for making corn whiskey (moonshine) to go along with their distaste for government.

Most landed in Philadelphia where they intended to settle but soon they discovered the good farm land was already taken, and they disliked the British Colonial government as much as the one they had left behind. Thus, the immigrants left Philly and headed west and south settling in the Appalachian Mountains  becoming some of the first white setters in that region. The green valleys and highlands not only provided a remote haven and a barrier to the outside world, but reminded the Scotch and Scots-Irish of their homes in the Old World.

Take care,
Betty Dotson-Lewis  (B. L. Dotson-Lewis, WV Writer)
lewis_betty@hotmail.com

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About my books:

My books are devoted to documenting and understanding Appalachian culture and values and passing down the heritage. Readers will be fascinated by numerous first-person interviews with the Scots-Irish settlers and other immigrants who have struggled through coal mine tragedies, union wars, floods, family feuds, industrialization and de-industrialization to help form the modern Appalachia. There are prescriptions for reform, celebrations of things that are worth preserving in the modern world.  A unique portrait of mountain people is painted in their own words. 

Journey into our world of Appalachia- A place both physical and spiritual

Books may be ordered from:
 (www.) Amazon, Barnesandnoble, WV Book Co. in Charleston, WV,  www.buybooksontheweb.com, booksamillion.com, Tamarack in Beckley, West Virginia, etc.

Selected works by this author:

1 . Appalachia: Spirit Triumphant A book filled with numerous first-person interviews; those individuals who lived and worked in the southern Appalachian coalfields. All of the events that have formed Appalachia today read more by B. L. Dotson-Lewis ~ 0-7414-1874-6 ©2004 Price: $18.95   Average Rating:   2 . Sago Mine Disaster (Featured Story): Appalachian Coalfield Stories My goal as a resident of the Appalachian coalfields and as a writer is to capture the spirit of these people, their pride, work ethics, strong religious convictions, traditions and love for these mountains. read more by B. L. Dotson-Lewis ~ 0-7414-3478-4 ©2007 Price: $16.95   3 . The Sunny Side of Appalachia: Bluegrass from the Grassroots There is no short description available for this title. read more by B. L. Dotson-Lewis ~ 0-7414-4845-9 ©2008 Price: $15.95

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co-author of “The Girl From Stretchneck Holler, Inside Appalachia” by Betty Dotson-Lewis and Kathleen Colley Slusher (novel - fiction) --- not included in Scotland National Library selection

http://www.amazon.com/Stretchneck-Holler-Inside-Appalachia-ebook/dp/B007UIYD8A -- print copy also available