Alex Stewart: Portrait of a Pioneer

by John Rice Irwin

Book Overview

Alex Stewart was a recipient of a National Heritage Fellowship Award in 1983 by the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington which recognized him as a living national treasure. Over a twenty year period of friendship the author developed a profound respect and great love for Alex Stewart, a truly remarkable Tennessee mountain character whose life epitomizes the pioneer development in America. The best of hundreds of hours of recorded conversations...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0887400531
• ISBN13: 9780887400537
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Schiffer Craft
• Length: 298 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Alex Stewart - a national treasure and inspiring!

This book is written in interview style with this amazing pioneer who was a jack of all trades with an incredible memory! Even children would gain insight from “listening” to Alex! John Rice Irwin is an amazing interviewer with books about quilts and Appalachian music and the musicians who played. Highly recommend his books!

Could not put it down!

This was of special interest to me since I live near the location of this book. I simply could not put it down until I read it cover to cover. A fascinating look at our early pioneer families, the hardships they endured, and the genius of their innovations. A great read.

ALEX STEWART

i recently read the book about alex stewart and i have to say that it was so good. i loved it. alex was so talented and as the book stated "he was a national treasure." i would liked to have met him. any craft the author asked him about, he responded that he could make it. what a unique human being. he was warm, endearing, and a very kind and gentle man. he told completely the life of the pioneer to john brice irwin and the book is so well written. it was a joy to read and told in detail of the hardships the people of that era had to indure. i felt by the end of the book the sadness of alex stewart's death and that i had gotten to know him well.

fascinating read for the "modern" mind

I bought this book at the Museum of Appalachia (also founded by the author) on my first visit to Tennessee. The book is almost entirely a transcript of a dialogue/interview between the author and Alex Stewart. At first, I thought this would be a strange format, but as I read on, I discovered that this would be the only way to authentically capture the mind and spirit of Alex on paper. If you're not from the South, you might find Alex's dialect charminging unusual. A few times I had to read a passage over and over again to fully understand what words Alex was saying. Here is an example where it took me a while to realize that Alex meant "Lord" when kept saying "Law":"They didn't have no men folks, but they had several children. Making liquor was the only way they had of making a living. Law, they had it hard."The author cleverly asks questions to get Alex to reveal his pioneer wisdom. More than that, though, the author's selections and chapter arrangements helped to organize the sprawling encyclopedia of Alex's mind. By the time I reached the end, I was sad to have the "conversation" over. I felt I had known Alex a bit personally, and I mourned at his passing. It was joyous reading while it lasted and my heart ached to know more of Alex.This is a fabulous book I can't recommend enough. 10 STARS.

Alex Stewart, Portrait of a Pioneer

The question/answer format of this book captures the feelings and emotions emitted by Alex Stewart. As each chapter unfolded, I gained additional insight into the "tough" life of a Appalachian family in the early 1900s. The number of skills possessed by Alex Stewart is remarkable. I agree with the author; when Alex Stewart died, an entire library of information went to the grave with him. I've ordered a copy for my 82 year old mother. She will be thrilled to read about making "lye soap", curing meat, and the many other skills discussed.

An Astounding Man!

This is an amazing tale about an amazing man. For anyone who grew up in the Appalachian Mountain region, or who has an interest in the region, this book is an absolute must read. The television and print media have gone out of their way to play up the "stupid hillbilliy" vision of these people. Alex Stewart puts that to rest, and then some. I was amazed at the many skills Alex possessed and I was deeply touched by the depth of the relationship between Alex and the author. People like Alex Stewart are disappearing rapidly, soon not to be seen again. We would all do well to learn about them and learn from them.