Ray Hicks, the famous teller of Appalachian Jack Tales, is one of America's best-loved storytellers. In this book he shares a different kind of story, a chronicle of his family's experiences in the remote section of the North Carolina mountains where they have lived for more than 200 years.

Readers will come to know the wisdom, humor, hardships, and dignity of this remarkable clan. Based on hundreds of hours of conversations and many years of friendship, Robert Isbell's profile of Ray Hicks and his family also pays tribute to the long-standing Appalachian traditions of music-making and storytelling.