NIGHT COMES TO THE CUMBERLANDS A Biography of a Depressed Area

This book, first published in 1962, was a call to the rest of America about the plight of backwoods Kentucky, West Virginia, and Tennessee. Part history, anthropology, and sociology lesson, it uncovered the desperate poverty of a region that would eventually be the focus of Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty and led to the creation of the Appalachian Regional Commission. Ed Sala has a thin, reedy voice, which does have a tinge of Appalachia to it, and he’s too loud (which might be a function of the production, but it’s noticeable). But despite these traits, his reading works. He blends the folksy stories and social analysis into a coherent performance that lends credibility and authenticity to the book. R.I.G. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2012]