Shew Bird Mountain
By Brenda Kay Ledford
Reviewed by Sabrina Williams
Brenda Kay Ledford's latest book of poetry, Shew Bird Mountain, eases
the reader back to a time of simplicity. Each poem centers around her
life in the Smoky Mountains, introducing such characters as Granddaddy
Bob, Ma Minnie, and Ma Ledford. Theirs are slow country
lifestyles--doing the wash, baking bread, and plowing fields. Flour
sack aprons are daily wear and one pair of mail-ordered Sears &
Roebuck shoes must last all year.
So many themes run through Ledford's poetry that tell the story of
North Carolina mountain life. Old timers carrying on despite doctor's
predictions, stubbornly dipping snuff, children running barefoot
through the woods, and the satisfaction of a day's hard labor are just
a few. Ledford's rustic history has yielded to progress, and her poems
speak of a vanishing culture. This is why her poetry is so valuable, as
it preserves the image of a lost way of life for generations to come.
As a native of North Carolina, I can vouch that mountain life has
always been revered in the area, but it is becoming less so. Younger
generations have escaped the nostalgia of rural life, and through
Ledford's poems can possibly recapture some of that magic. As a home
schooling mother, I consider this book to be a valuable resource for
teaching my children about the region. For readers who want to be
whisked back to a time where the entire world revolved around family,
Shew Bird Mountain is a great place to start.
Shew Bird Mountain is a North Carolina Society of Historians award
winner, receiving the 2007 Paul Green Multimedia Award.