Appalachia North: A Memoir
Matthew Ferrence
By Connor Beatty,
Title, Publisher, and Original Date of Publication
Full Title: Appalachia North: A Memoir
Original Publisher: West Virginia University Press
Date of Publication (Compilation): January 26, 2019
Genre
Memoir
Setting
City: No specific city, Indiana County
State: Pennsylvania, presumably Western Pennsylvania
Short Summary
Pulling from Matthew Ferrence’s personal life experiences, the memoir discusses life in Northern Appalachia post-industry. Starting with discussing floods, pollution, and the remnants of industry that are still seen in Pennsylvania and interweaving these themes with his personal experience of being diagnosed with a brain tumor. Through this, Ferrence works to define what is considered Appalachia and critique many of the modern conceptions about the region.
Extended Summary and Significance
Appalachia North: A Memoir starts with the author discussing his childhood, moving to Arizona, and his return to Pennsylvania during rainfall. Discussing Pennsylvania’s history of not being considered Appalachian, and how from the beginning it seemed an outlier. The memoir uses these definitions and boundaries to examine both culture and how the resources available within have changed how the region and those inside it are viewed.
As the story progresses, it shifts to discuss more of the author’s brain tumor diagnosis and treatment and ties it into the bigger picture of Appalachia. Drawing comparisons of destruction with how his body will never be same after the treatment with how Appalachia will never be the same after industry. This highlights the heavy theme of identity that is discussed in many facets throughout helping the reader make their own connections to Appalachia.
This memoir works to help define “Northern Appalachia” and discuss both its similarities and differences with broader Appalachia. Through this it is widely seen as the first full-length book specifically about Northern Appalachian culture and society. Being a newer work of literature it relies heavily on both history and on the life experiences of the author in an area where industry has heavily declined. It works to both discuss stereotypes and put an often overlooked culture on the literary map.
Author Bio
Dr. Matthew Ferrence is an author and musician from Indiana County, Pennsylvania who is currently a professor for Allegheny College in Meadville. In 2020 he ran for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and is a strong advocate for Northern Appalachia, its improvement, and the continuation of the arts within it. Ferrence acts as a voice modern Northern Appalachia and its movement forward from the bygone industry.
For Further Reading
Contreras, Russell. “Memoir of “Appalachia North” Tackles Myths.” Concord Monitor, Newspapers of New England, 15 Feb. 2019, www.concordmonitor.com/2019/02/15/review-memoir-of-northern-appalachia-tackles-regional-myths-23469108/. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
Dowling, Brendan. “Matt Ferrence on How Stories Offer a Way Forward in Politics.” Public Libraries Online, 27 Aug. 2024, publiclibrariesonline.org/2024/08/ferrence/. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
Ferrence, Matthew. “About Matt.” Matt Ferrence, 9 Feb. 2019, readferrence.com/about-matt/. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
Hayes, Amanda E. Review of Appalachia North: A Memoir, by Matthew Ferrence. Appalachian Journal, vol. 47 no. 1, 2019, p. 135-136. Project MUSE, https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/apl.2019.a955101.
Littell, Margo Orlando. “Appalachia North: A Conversation with Matthew Ferrence.” Booktimist, 25 Jan. 2019, booktimist.com/2019/01/25/appalachia-north-a-conversation-with-matthew-ferrence/. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.