
Working It Off in Labor County
Stories
Larry D. Thacker(Author)
West Virginia University Press
Published on 28. February 2021
Book
Paperback/Softback
228 pages
978-1-949199-59-8 (ISBN)
Description
Humorous and wry stories of misfits and ordinary people in an Appalachian community struggling creatively to make sense of an often nonsensical world.
"It seems like everybody but people from here are sure about what we're about, and they make money being wrong about it." The residents of Labor County, a fictional small community in the mountains of southeastern Kentucky, may be short on cash, but they are rich in creativity and tirelessly inventive as they concoct new schemes to make ends meet, settle old scores, and work off their debts to society and, in a way, to themselves.
A zealous history professor is caught stealing from the local museum in protest of petty theft; an arsonist strikes it lucky-twice; a skilled leatherworker saddles a turkey and finds a rider; an angel aspires to be a punk rock Roller Derby princess; a grieving artist carves a miracle into a roadside rock face; and affable Uncle Archie produces a seemingly unending supply of new and bizarre items to display in his Odditorium.
More than a collection of tales, Working It Off in Labor County assembles memorable characters who recur across these seventeen linked stories, sharing in one another's struggles and stumbling upon humor and mystery, the grotesque and the divine, each in many forms.
"It seems like everybody but people from here are sure about what we're about, and they make money being wrong about it." The residents of Labor County, a fictional small community in the mountains of southeastern Kentucky, may be short on cash, but they are rich in creativity and tirelessly inventive as they concoct new schemes to make ends meet, settle old scores, and work off their debts to society and, in a way, to themselves.
A zealous history professor is caught stealing from the local museum in protest of petty theft; an arsonist strikes it lucky-twice; a skilled leatherworker saddles a turkey and finds a rider; an angel aspires to be a punk rock Roller Derby princess; a grieving artist carves a miracle into a roadside rock face; and affable Uncle Archie produces a seemingly unending supply of new and bizarre items to display in his Odditorium.
More than a collection of tales, Working It Off in Labor County assembles memorable characters who recur across these seventeen linked stories, sharing in one another's struggles and stumbling upon humor and mystery, the grotesque and the divine, each in many forms.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Morganstown
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 203 mm
Width: 127 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
275 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-949199-59-8 (9781949199598)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
02/2021
West Virginia University Press
€24.49
Available for download
Person
Larry D. Thacker is a Kentuckian writer and artist living in Johnson City, Tennessee. He is the author of the paranormal folk history Mountain Mysteries, two chapbooks, and four full poetry collections. He holds an MFA in poetry and fiction from West Virginia Wesleyan College. Visit his website at www.larrydthacker.com.
Content
Acknowledgments
Working It Off in Labor County
Hot Ticket
Day of the Dead Diner, Home of Juan D's Best BBQ
Brotherhood of the Mystic Hand
Uncle Archie's Acquisition
The Hard Thing
Riding Shotgun with Dory
Uncle Archie's Underground Reunion
The Art of Grief
Benny and the Hill's Angels
No Dumping
Hollow of the Dolls
Uncle Archie Goes One for Three
The Clown Brothers Eller
About Levi
The New Exhilarist
The Work
Working It Off in Labor County
Hot Ticket
Day of the Dead Diner, Home of Juan D's Best BBQ
Brotherhood of the Mystic Hand
Uncle Archie's Acquisition
The Hard Thing
Riding Shotgun with Dory
Uncle Archie's Underground Reunion
The Art of Grief
Benny and the Hill's Angels
No Dumping
Hollow of the Dolls
Uncle Archie Goes One for Three
The Clown Brothers Eller
About Levi
The New Exhilarist
The Work