All That's Unseen

“All That’s Unseen, by Emilee Hackney, an eighth-generation Appalachian, offers a portrait both loving and cleareyed of the region that formed her . . . [An] achingly intelligent memoir . . . Hackney disentangles the oppressive mores of her church and culture from a family and region she cannot help loving . . . As she recounts growing up in the literal shadow of the Appalachians and in the figurative shadow of the Pentecostal church, she asks: Is salvation in ministry or mountains, pulpit or place? Do I belong to one or the other? To both or neither? We finally have an Appalachian memoir worthy of its origins, by a Gen Z writer—an eighth-generation Appalachian—who is too smart, and too authentically of her place, to reinscribe stereotypes . . . To her great credit, Hackney refuses to let her story become a bootstraps narrative . . . In Hackney’s telling, there are no welfare-state villains or hard-working heroes. There are only individuals: living, breathing humans with all their nuance and complexity. When it comes to writing about rural Appalachia, Hackney’s memoir proves that an elegy is the last thing we need.” —The New York Times Book Review

“In her unflinching new memoir, All That’s Unseen, Hackney gives readers an intimate look at a way of life unfamiliar to many but more widespread than imagined by those of us whose worldview is shaped by social media and pop culture . . . All That’s Unseen is a gripping exploration of identity, class, religion and a large swath of American life that is fighting with all its might to survive.” —Atlanta Journal Constitution

“Harvard graduate Hackney debuts with a thought-provoking account of her early life in Appalachian Virginia, which was characterized by lush landscapes, financial hardship, and church . . . Hackney examines the explosive intersection of charismatic Christianity, misogyny, and young love, and offers an inspiring testament to writing one’s way out. This heartfelt missive successfully humanizes hot-button subjects.” —Publishers Weekly

“Thoughtful memoir of a forgotten corner of forgotten Appalachia. The holler in southwestern Virginia in which Hackney grew up is but a small part of ‘a place undefinable, so worn and wild, that had been stripped and scavenged and shaken and robbed, yet never conceded to the forces that tried to hold it down.’ But, she makes clear, if there’s a stubborn pride to it, then the whole region is shadowed by a sense of hopelessness. Her first book is full of both moods . . . The educational adventure she recounts includes surprising and sometimes even shocking turns, while her visits home provoke both alienation and a determination to speak up for her home and its people, victims of eternal exploitation . . . A lucid portrait and defense of a region too often caricatured but little understood.” —Kirkus

“Hackney writes as though readers are sitting at a coffee shop talking to an old friend; her irrepressible spirit and drive to make something of her life making her instantly relatable. She paints a picture of Appalachia that counters its mainstream media gloom without shying away from portraying the area’s problems, bringing a refreshing blend of realism and hope.” —Booklist

“Devastating and hopeful in turn, All That’s Unseen exquisitely captures a complex and contradictory world.” —Jeannette Walls, New York Times bestselling author of The Glass Castle

“All That’s Unseen is a searing, deeply original memoir about escaping the gravitational pull of a controlling faith and a controlling man—and discovering that leaving home is never as simple as putting miles between yourself and the mountains. Emilee Hackney traces her improbable journey from a fundamentalist Pentecostal church in the Appalachian coalfields to the halls of Harvard, and the long, difficult work of learning to trust her own mind. Told with rare courage and precision, this is a luminous, fierce, and achingly honest reckoning—a memoir about all that remains unseen until, suddenly, you can no longer look away.” —Ruth Wariner, New York Times bestselling author of The Sound of Gravel

“All That’s Unseen is a bold and brave memoir about home, family, community, and change. Emilee Hackney writes compellingly about the complexities of her Appalachian community, showing us both what is beautiful and what is broken. It is an always honest, at times heartbreaking, account of the ways people and places shape us forever. You can’t help but root for Emilee—cheer for her success, cry for her trauma, and walk with her on her journey. From the first page, I was hooked, and I could not put this book down. This book is a wonderful read for anyone who understands what it means to leave a place, see its flaws, but still feel the pull of home.” —Cassie Chambers, author of Hill Women

“There is so much to admire in Emilee Hackney’s brilliant memoir—vivid writing, the ability to tell a story well—but what sets it apart from so many depictions of Appalachia is her refusal to sentimentalize or demonize the people and its culture. Hackney vividly acknowledges instances of ignorance and small-mindedness in Appalachia, but she refuses to shirk how often the same attributes reside in Ivy-League academia. Instead, we are given a complex, in some ways transcendent, vision of how to love and honor a place and yet also realize we must leave it. All That’s Unseen is a marvel.” —Ron Rash, New York Times bestselling author of The Caretaker and Serena