A review by mindfullibrarian
Rural Voices: 15 Authors Challenge Assumptions about Small-Town America by Nora Shalaway Carpenter

4.0

I’m a rural girl born and bred with a few very brief blips living in larger towns over the course of my 40 years ....... meaning this book was written for my heart. As with any diverse collection such as this, there will be winners and losers for every reader, but I was impressed that there was only one story I didn’t care to read in its entirety (skimmed) and despite one story that traumatized me, overall it is a super solid collection.

The back matter with paragraphs written by the authors about their own rural experiences are must-reads. I hope HS teachers pick this up and choose a few stories to have their students experience - there’s some really powerful stuff here.