Riveting, often heartbreaking stories that take readers through country that is figuratively and literally unmapped. These stories are set in a nameless community too small to be called a town, a place where wanting an education is a mark of ungodly arrogance and dowsing for water a legitimate occupation. Offutt has received a James Michener Grant and a Kentucky Arts Council Award.
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Riveting, often heartbreaking stories that take readers through country that is figuratively and literally unmapped. These stories are set in a nameless community too small to be called a town, a place where wanting an education is a mark of ungodly arrogance and dowsing for water a legitimate occupation. Offutt has received a James Michener Grant and a Kentucky Arts Council Award.
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Add this copy of Kentucky Straight: Stories to cart. $4.75, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Ruby rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1992 by Vintage.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Kentucky Straight: Stories to cart. $4.75, very good condition, Sold by Half Price Books Inc rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1992 by Vintage.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Kentucky Straight: Stories to cart. $4.99, good condition, Sold by Blue Vase Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Interlochen, MI, UNITED STATES, published 1992 by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.
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The item shows wear from consistent use but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact including the dust cover if applicable. Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs access code or other supplemental materials.
Add this copy of Kentucky Straight: Stories to cart. $6.22, good condition, Sold by BooksRun rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Philadelphia, PA, UNITED STATES, published 1992 by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.
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It's a preowned item in good condition and includes all the pages. It may have some general signs of wear and tear, such as markings, highlighting, slight damage to the cover, minimal wear to the binding, etc., but they will not affect the overall reading experience.
Add this copy of Kentucky Straight: Stories to cart. $7.23, good condition, Sold by GreatBookPrices rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Columbia, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1992 by Vintage.
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Good. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 192 p. Vintage Contemporaries. May show signs of wear, highlighting, writing, and previous use. This item may be a former library book with typical markings. No guarantee on products that contain supplements Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed. Twenty-five year bookseller with shipments to over fifty million happy customers.
Add this copy of Kentucky Straight: Stories to cart. $7.49, good condition, Sold by One Planet Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Columbia, MO, UNITED STATES, published 1992 by Vintage.
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Good. Ships in a BOX from Central Missouri! May not include working access code. Will not include dust jacket. Has used sticker(s) and some writing and/or highlighting. UPS shipping for most packages, (Priority Mail for AK/HI/APO/PO Boxes).
Add this copy of Kentucky Straight: Stories to cart. $8.74, fair condition, Sold by BayStateBooks rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from North Smithfield, RI, UNITED STATES, published 1992 by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.
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Fair. The book is complete and readable with all pages and cover intact. Dust jacket shrink wrap or boxed set case may be missing. Pages may have light notes highlighting or minor water exposure but nothing that affects readability. May be an ex-library copy and could include library markings or stickers.
Add this copy of Kentucky Straight: Stories to cart. $9.16, good condition, Sold by SurplusTextSeller rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Columbia, MO, UNITED STATES, published 1992 by Vintage.
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Good. Ships in a BOX from Central Missouri! May not include working access code. Will not include dust jacket. Has used sticker(s) and some writing or highlighting. UPS shipping for most packages, (Priority Mail for AK/HI/APO/PO Boxes).
Simple, unvarnished, undecorated language - clearly drawn from the lives of the people it portrays so vividly. Sounds like it might be boring - but no - one page turns into 20, or until the story closes - and then another awaits, beckons. Strong stuff.
sundancer
Feb 7, 2008
A Native Son Holds a Grudge
Chris Offut was born in eastern Kentucky and is the son of a Professor of English at Morehead State University. This book, published in 1992, was his first collection of short stories. He now lives in Iowa, but his subject matter continues to be the rural hills of eastern Kentucky. Jim Harrison, who has written a blurb on the back cover says these stories are "...set in a nameless Appalachian Community too small to be called a town, a place where wanting an education is a mark of ungodly arrogance and dowsing for water a legitimate occupation; where hunting is not a sport but a means for survival, pursued with the desperation of a grudge". The stories are masterfully written. Offut is capable at times of bringing the reader with him to the rugged beauty of Appalachia where he turns up rocks exposing the hillfolk in their native habitat. They left this reader with the nagging suspicion that the "grudge" spoken of belongs to the author himself. He sets the tone for the stories with his choice of quote on the flyleaf: this is the mirror in which pain is asleep this is the country nobody visits -Mark Strand "Another Place" In my opinion the author of "Kentucky Straight" should stay in Iowa till he gets over his mad spell. By all means read this book, but follow it soon after with a good dose of Lee Smith or Harriet Arnow to counteract the side effects.
