J. D. Vance Is a Fake Hillbilly

Discover the Point of View of a Real Mountaineer

For far too many decades, the residents of the Appalachian Mountains have faced the ridicule, prejudice, and misunderstanding from those outside the region.

With this book, author Frank Kilgore, a lifetime resident of Virginia's coalfield counties and descendant of generations of hard-working mountaineers, sheds light on the grit, tenacity, and multiculturalism found among the hills and "hollers" of this beautiful region.

Come see the Appalachian Mountains and those who call this wild and wonderful land home through the eyes of one who not only knows the land and her people, but who knows how to share the best of our mountain culture and calls out the worst of those who would disparage others for personal or political gain.

About the Author

Frank Kilgore resides in Russell County, Virginia, and graduated from Clinch Valley College (now the University of Virginia's College at Wise), where he designed and completed the nation's first Appalachian Studies college major. He is the descendant of a dozen or so Patriots that fought at the Battle of King's Mountain, and the son, grandson, nephew, and cousin of dozens of coal miners.

The author has been a country trial lawyer for nearly forty years, an Appalachian conservationist, historian, author, and he's the proud founder of the Appalachian College of Pharmacy located in Buchanan County, Virginia.

Frank has also designed and helped build over seventy miles of hiking and biking trails in what is known as Far Southwest Virginia and mentored over a hundred at-risk young mountaineers along the way.

In addition to this book, Frank is the author of The Clinch River: A World-class Treasure, a science textbook highlighting the natural resources and conservation activities within the watershed. Soon thereafter he researched and edited The Virginia Headwaters of the Big Sandy River: A Story of Revitalization and Nature's Resilience, a textbook focusing on a neighboring watershed. Both books were donated to high school students as part of a place-based science studies project within their watersheds.

Frank's book Far Southwest Virginia: A Postcard Journey, co-authored with Katharine Shearer, came out in 2004. An expanded and redesigned edition titled Far Southwest Virginia: A Postcard and Photographic Journey, was published in 2014.

When he has time and takes a notion, Frank publishes a new edition of Mountain Peeks Magazine.