A Long Row to Hoe: The Life of a Kentucky Riverboy

by Billy C. Clark

Book Overview

Clark's autobiography of his astonishing primitive river bank childhood in Catlettsburg, Kentucky at the junction of the Big Sandy and Ohio Rivers. Clark was a member of a sprawling, ragged family.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1931672040
• ISBN13: 9781931672047
• Release Date: March 1991
• Publisher: Jesse Stuart Foundation
• Length: 285 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.3" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Long Row to Hoe

Clark is from the same town in eastern Kentucky that my Mother is. I spent a lot of time out there as a child so it made this book that much more enjoyable. Clark talks about his childhood growing up in eastern Kentucky, being a "river rat", hunting, fishing and trapping to make money, chicken fights, corrupt greedy landlords, whiskey bootleggers, dogs, the constant threat of floods, fiddle playing, the very folkish pagan like characters that inhabited the hills and communed with the "spirits", all this and lots more. This is a great read. Clark is second only to Jesse Stuart as far as recording an authentic real voice of eastern Kentucky.

Wonderful Book about Kentucky

I have liked this book ever since I read it more than twenty-five years ago. It is slightly bitter in tone, but there were reasons for that. People should treat one another better. Town people are not any better than "river rats", and from my point of view I would rather raise a river rat than a town brat.Clark went on to graduate from the University of Kentucky, and become a prolific writer. ("Sourwood" Tales is one of the best which I read even before "A Long Row to Hoe"), and literature professor. He is, in my opinion, among the best of the living Kentucky writers.

Apalachian writing at its finest!

This book is written so well I have read it many times. It is set in the depression era and brings you to that time with laughter and tears. Billy C. CLark describes small town living along the Big Sandy River which was once the cities life. I think people of all ages would love this heart felt book.