Local author writes of life in Appalachia

William Allen "Bill" Strunk has released his most recent book, "Jasmine." The author retired from Maryville City Schools five years ago and began his writing career soon after.

"Since I retired and started writing, all my books have been about Appalachia," Strunk said on a recent visit to The Daily Times. "My roots are in Appalachia. I was born in a company-owned mining town, Stearns, Ky. After my father was killed in a mining accident, my mother moved the family to the Fourth and Gill community, in Knoxville. It's a pretty rough area."

Strunk grew up there, graduating from Fulton High School. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee and a Master of Arts degree from Union College.

The author never forgot his Appalachian heritage or the summers spent at his grandparents' house in Kentucky. "My roots have always been there and they'll never be severed," he said.

His books -- including "Real and Forever Home," "The Gardener's Grandson," "Good-Hearted Man" and "Jasmine" -- all deal with the issues faced by people in Appalachia, including poverty, lack of education, lack of health care and lack of employment opportunities. He hopes his books will bring awareness of these difficulties.

"In 1964, Lyndon Johnson declared war on poverty and he launched that campaign in Appalachia," Strunk said. "I think we can all say that 44 years later, poverty has won that war. People in Appalachia don't have a voice. They're isolated, and out of sight, out of mind. They're very reserved by nature. They won't protest and they won't ask for help. There's a lot of pride and stubbornness in those people, they will not ask for help. So maybe if we can draw just a tiny bit of attention -- of course, mine is just a whisper in the world -- maybe we can get some people thinking about it and might help somewhere down the line."

"Jasmine" is a novel about a young man, the son of a wealthy doctor, who accepts a teaching position in Winfield County in rural Southeastern Kentucky to avoid the draft in Vietnam. Chase finds his calling as an educator there -- and finds the love of his life, a beautiful woman named Jasmine.

Their love story takes several drastic turns. When Chase discovers that Jasmine's "sister" is actually her daughter, he tries to end the relationship but their love is strong enough to overcome that obstacle. Also, Jasmine's father, the local moonshiner and a very violent man, opposes the courtship and forces Jasmine to put an end to it. After he is murdered, Chase and Jasmine eventually find their way back to each other, marrying and starting a family of their own. Before their marriage, however, Jasmine reveals the identity of her child's father -- her father. Strunk handles the topic with great care and sensitivity.

"Jasmine" (AuthorHouse, 219 pages, soft cover) may be found at authorhouse.com, amazon.com or at Hastings Books, Music Video, Foothills Plaza Drive, Maryville.

"People are different in Appalachia," Strunk said. "They're hard to get to know, reserved, but once you get to know them, you've got a friend for life."

Linda Albert is Women's Times editor and a staff writer for The Daily Times. Her column runs every Sunday in the Women's Times section. You may contact her at 981-1168 or e-mail linda.albert@thedailytimes.com.