In the 1940s, Appalachia had its fair share of snake handlers, faith healers, and gypsies. World War II was being fought, and Drema Hall Berkheimer was being raised by her grandparents. In Running on Red Dog Road, she shares what life was like during that time.
Drema’s childhood in 1940’s Appalachia was anything but dull. Her father was killed while working in the coal mines, so her mother had to go off to work. But where did that leave Drema? With her devout Pentecostal grandparents. The road they lived on was made of red dog, the residue from burned coal dumps which are composed of waste products incidental to coal mining.
Back in 1940, I hadn’t even been thought about yet. The things that filled my childhood were quite different than what filled Drema’s. Her grandpa was a preacher. Baptisms, revivals, and strict rules that anyone would have trouble keeping filled her life. Sins such as stealing and lying were, of course, frowned upon, but also considered to be wrong were things like dancing and wearing feathers. Her grandparents might have strict, but they were a huge part of Drema’s life, and she loved them.
Snake handlers were all around. Her grandmother wouldn’t speak badly about them; she was even friends with some. She did say that she didn’t think God would hold it against her if she chose not to handle snakes though.
gypsy caravan, wikimedia commons
Without cell phones, iPads, satellite television, and computers, whatever did the kids do to pass the time? They played outside with their friends. Games like red rover, Ring Around the Rosie, and hide-and-seek filled part of their playtime. Fun was also found in sneaking off to spend time with the gypsies and going to the Oddities of the World freak show.
Her grandmother slathered her with Vicks for just about any hurt: bee sting, sore throat, skinned knee. But there were some things that this salve couldn’t cure. Drema’s brother lost his hearing after a bout with spinal meningitis.
World War II added excitement as well as uneasiness to daily life. When a blackout came, they turned off all the lights so the Japanese bombers couldn’t see them.
apple stack cake, therevivalist
Most of the food Drema grew up eating would be frowned upon now by doctors and dieticians. Apple pies fried in lard and sprinkled with sugar were a favorite for dessert. And this book taught me the origin of the Appalachian stack cake. My daddy loved stack cakes, and his favorite had apples or applesauce between each layer.
This book is rich in history that I never read about in any of my schoolbooks. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about life in the 1940s. Homeschooling parents would also find this book to be great for teaching their children.
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. If you would like a copy of your own, I have provided an Amazon link below.
Amazon Link: Running on Red Dog Road
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Favorite Sentences:
The odor of stamped-out cigarettes and unrepented sins soured the air.
Like a tribe worshiping a false idol, we sat bowed around the big Philco radio in the front room, leaning forward not to miss a single word Rochester said about Jack Benny and his cheapskate ways.
Haunted by his deafness and his dreams, my brother lived in between what he called the living and the deaf, never feeling at ease in either world.
“Here, they cook cats and chase each other with butcher knives—and the whole lot of them think they’re normal.”
Like the last square of Hershey’s chocolate on your tongue, some things are meant to be savored.
New Words Learned:
antimacassars – small coverings, usually ornamental, placed on the backs and arms of upholstered furniture to prevent wear or soiling
atwitter – excited; nervous; aflutter; twittering
calliope – a musical instrument consisting of a set of harsh-sounding steam whistles that are activated by a keyboard
chambray – a smooth light fabric of cotton, linen, etc, with white weft and a coloured warp
concertina – a musical instrument resembling an accordion but having buttonlike keys, hexagonal bellows and ends, and a more limited range
gussets – inset pieces of material used esp to strengthen or enlarge a garment
kitty-cornered – in a diagonal or oblique position or on a diagonal or oblique line. Cater-cornered is another way to say the same thing. Maybe it was because of the region of Kentucky I grew up in, but I have always heard it said as “catty-cornered.”
ipana – the name of a popular toothpaste product manufactured by Bristol-Myers Company. The wintergreen flavored toothpaste (0.243% sodium fluoride was its active ingredient) reached its peak market penetration during the 1950s in North America. Marketing of Ipana used a Disney-created mascot named Bucky Beaver in the 1950s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipana
johnny-jump-ups – popular violas. They are often grown as an annual, especially in northern parts of the country.
lobelia – any herbaceous or woody plant of the genus Lobelia, having long clusters of blue, red, yellow, or white flowers.
lothario – a man who obsessively seduces and deceives women
peplum – a short full flounce or an extension of a garment below the waist, covering the hips
piccalilli – a pickle of mixed vegetables, esp onions, cauliflower, and cucumber, in a mustard sauce
quietus – something that produces a cessation of activity : something that quiets or represses
ramps – a wild onion that grow during the spring in Eastern Canada and the U.S. They’re sometimes referred to as wild leeks, and taste like a balanced mixture of garlic and onion.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/24/what-are-ramps_n_7128438.html
silicosis – a disease of the lungs caused by the inhaling of siliceous particles
www.dremahallberkheimer.com
About the Author:
Drema Hall Berkheimer was born in a coal camp in Appalachia, the child of a West Virginia coal miner who was killed in the mines, a Rosie the Riveter mother, and devout Pentecostal grandparents. Her tales of hobnobbing with gypsies, moonshiners, snake handlers, hobos, and faith healers, are published in numerous online and print journals. Excerpts from her memoir, Running On Red Dog Road and Other Perils of an Appalachian Childhood, won first place Nonfiction and First Honorable Mention Nonfiction in the 2010 West Virginia Writers competition. She is a member of West Virginia Writers, Salon Quatre, and The Writer’s Garret. A longtime resident of Dallas, she lives with her husband and a neurotic cat that takes after her. Her husband is mostly normal.
