Appalachian song

On my last library visit, I was too dizzy to make coherent choices, so I let the books choose me. I got lucky with The Songcatcher by Sharyn McCrumb.

It starts in present day Appalachia, then travels back to 1751 where a nine-year-old boy, Malcolm McCourry, is abducted from his island home, the Isle of Islay, near Scotland. The tale chronicles McCourry's life and his descendants, moving ever closer to our time frame, while jumping forward intermittently to reveal the present day drama unfolding in yet another McCourry's life. Binding the story from beginning to end is an old Scottish ballad, "The Rowan Stave".

I didn't know (or had forgotten I knew) that George Washington had his troops inoculated against small pox. Of course, during the Revolutionary War, vaccinations were not what they are today. A scratch with a bloody needle contaminated with weakened smallpox germs had to be a scary prospect. Some got sick, some died, and some carried the contagion back home to their families. Still, a potential epidemic was avoided.

McCrumb adds interesting vignettes from the Civil War as she moves us forward in time with Malcolm's descendants. She, also, taught me about cosmic possums. I'll let you look that one up. I don't want to spoil all the fun.

The best part of the book for me was found in the Afterword when McCrumb revealed the main characters were real people she found while researching her genealogy. Yes, the amazing life of Malcolm McCourry actually happened! "The Rowan Stave", however, is not an authentic Scottish ballad, but was written for the book. I guess that would have been too perfect, altogether too much to hope for.

McCrumb corrected my outsider's pronunciation of Appalachia. I strongly believe that names should be pronounced as their owners wish. "Appalatcha" just doesn't roll easily off my tongue. I've heard and said "Appalaysha" far too long. I remember meeting a family whose surname was Taliaferro. "What a beautiful name!" I exclaimed, only to be met by puzzled stares. This family pronounced it "Toliver". Okay, their choice, but Taliaferro--Toliver? Some things are beyond my understanding.

For an interesting weekend read with a little history thrown in, try The Songcatcher.