Arkansas/Arkansaw Book Review - 1447 Words

Arkansas/Arkansaw: How Bear Hunters, Hillbillies, and Good Ol Boys Defined a State. Brooks Blevins. Fayetteville, AR. 2009. 242 pages What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the state of Arkansas? Chances are, that as an Arkansan the thoughts are quite different than those of someone not born or raised here. Hillbilly, redneck, barefoot, and trailer are a just few of the common first words invoked in the minds of â€Å"foreigners† by the word Arkansas. In the non-fiction work, Arkansas/Arkansaw: How Bear Hunters, Hillbillies, and Good Ol Boys Defined a State, author Brooks Blevins provides readers with his idea of how Arkansass image began, and then perpetuated over time. He provides several examples of the†¦show more content†¦He says that because, at this time, Arkansas is blocked on the east by swamps and on the west by Indian territory it became â€Å"backwater†. Unfortunately much of Arkansass reputation at this time was negative. There are a few travelers that noted the simple goodness of Arkansans at this time. Travelers such as Friedrich Gerstacker and Wash intgon Irving presented a softer side to the prominent savage-like image described by others. Gerstackers perception of Arkansans was descibed as primarily positive. He described the Arkansans he encountered as â€Å"honest and upright† and reported that Arkansas was his favorite of all the states in America. Irving said that Arkansans, â€Å"have none of that eagerness for gain, and rage for improvement, which keep our people continually on the move† (22). He had a respect for the slowed down, simple way of like Arkansans lived every day. Blevins depicts both positive and negative travel accounts and memoirs, although he believes that their impact is difficult to measure. As the book progresses through the years, Blevins begins to introduce several famous faces that call Arkansas their home, in what he calls the Heyday of the Hillbilly. He mentions everyone from musicians to actors, athletes to novelists, and intellects to political figures. For each one mention ed, Blevins describes their experience with the Arkansas image, whether they found a way to embrace it or let it bring them down. Its