Donald McCaig, a Highland County, Virginia author, has a new book out, Canaan: A Novel of the Reunited States after the War. This is a sequel to his 1998 novel, Jacob's Ladder: A Story of Virginia During the War. News about his book readings and signings reminded me that he belongs in my Literary Pocahontas Compendium, because Highland County borders Pocahontas County, and because he has written eloquently about this stretch of the Alleghenies in his 1992 essay collection, An American Homeplace. I particularly admire the section of An American Homeplace in which he traces the history of his Highland County farm. It's quite informative about this part of Virginia/West Virginia, although our local historians have, inexplicably, overlooked it.
I think McCaig's best-known book is is novel with a border collie protagonist, Nop's Trials. Although McCaig seems, in An American Homeplace, to have plenty of empathy with his farming neighbors in Appalachia, he paints his villains in Nop's Trials with the standard "inbred, dirty hillbilly" brush. The moonshine-distilling, trailer-dwelling "bad guys" keep bear dogs, and hunt deer and grouse out of season. Mr. McCaig is something of a regional stereotype himself--a back-to-the-land hippie who moved here from the urban Northeast in the 1970's.
Despite his foray into the Land of the Nine-Fingered People, I admire An American Homeplace, especially for the local history, and the excellent writing about farming and land use and stewardship. Here are some Donald McCaig links I've put together.
- Donald McCaig's Bio, from the Chelsea Forum, a booking agency for literary speakers.
- Highland Trials Put Sheep Dogs Through Paces January, 2006 in Appalachian Voices.
- Donald McCaig's advice on sheepdog trials on Littlehats.net: Sheepdogging for Newbies.
- Second "Official" Sequel to GWTW. Richmond Magazine has confirmed that Virginia author Donald McCaig has been selected by the Margaret Mitchell estate to write the next authorized sequel to "Gone With the Wind." September, 2001
- Fans of historical fiction will enjoy McCaig's 'Canaan' by Ben Steelman
- reviving the WESTERN by Vick Mickunas
- American Homeplace Review, New York Times, by Christopher Lehmann-Haupt
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