Kinfolk

Although Kinfolk is primarily about the Flanery family of Floyd County, Kentucky, it also offers an insightful look at a way of life unique to Appalachian America. Kinfolk is certain to make you laugh, cry, and marvel at the bond that unites this intriguing family. It describes in great detail what it was like to farm steep hillsides and mountaintops without the aid of mechanized equipment; it illustrates the sport of foxhunting as was performed by mountain men during the middle of the twentieth century; it provides a historical look at significant gun battles between feuding families; but perhaps most importantly, it provides a genealogical chart showing how the Flanery/Flannery family is related to the Dinguses, the Salisburys, the Halberts, the Crisps, the Hicks, the Stephenses and just about every other family in southeastern Kentucky.

The author has meshed prose, poetry, and pictures into an informational and entertaining book chronicling his family's history. It is a must read for anyone who is related to the Flanerys or who is from Floyd County, Kentucky. It is also recommended to anyone who is interested in learning what it was like growing up in that part of Appalachia before the advent of four-lane highways and modern communication systems.