On Thursday, November 6, Hazel Cole Kendle read from Cole Family Christmas, an illustrated book she co-authored with her granddaughter-in-law Jennifer Liu Bryan.  At age 88, Mrs. Kendle is a first-time author and the youngest and last surviving member of the nine Cole children, upon whose experience the book is based.

More than fifty people attended the public reading held in the Appalachian Center Gallery to listen to Hazel read from two chapters of the book and to hear the story of how the book came to be.  Hazel told audience members that the book originally began as a family project before being published nationally.  She said she received the story from her older sister Ruble who would share stories about the family’s best Christmas ever.  “I thought it was fascinating when my sister told that story,” Hazel said.  Having heard the story, the family decided that it should be recorded and shared with all family members.  “We only planned to do a little pamphlet to hand out at our family reunion,” Hazel said, “but it sort of grew. It just got bigger.”

The result of that family project, Cole Family Christmas, is a delightful story set in 1920 in the heart of the Appalachian coalfields in Benham, Kentucky, located in Harlan County, described by Hazel as having once been “a Cadillac mining town.”  The story is about a humble, coal-mining family with nine children, who tightly embrace the importance of listening and respect as they struggle to make ends meet in the harsh climes of the Kentucky mountains and who learn that love and togetherness far surpass material things.  Speaking of the book’s themes, Dr. William H. Turner, National Endowment for the Humanities Chair of Appalachian Studies at Berea College and former Harlan County resident, said “the book breathes life into Loyal Jones’ Appalachian Values: family centeredness, compassion, strength, and tenderness.”  Critics have also praised the seventy-five paged illustrated book for its tightly-written prose and its attention to evocative detail.

Chad Berry, Goode Professor of Appalachian Studies and Director of the Appalachian Center at Berea College, attests to this fact.  “Reading Cole Family Christmas, I’m reminded of Truman Capote’s A Christmas Memory.  I can easily picture Benham covered in snow, I can see the town’s tree adorned in electric lights, the silver pen, the carnival glass bowl; I can even see a goat named Hilda waking up children in a bedroom.  This is a wonderful story that will endure for generations, primarily because in this Appalachian family we can all see ourselves.”
The descriptive language of the book is well complemented by the cozy illustrations provided by Jenniffer Julich, who spent some time in Benham to get a feel for both the town and its people. “She went to Benham and she’s from Canada,” Hazel said, “and I think that made her a much better illustrator by being able to go down there.”  One of the more charming illustrations Jennifer produced is that of Hilda, the family goat.  Through ReadAloud.org Hilda helps promote the story and communicates with live audiences, performing tricks on-screen and answering questions on the spot.  The authors hope Hilda will encourage more families to read together, as Hazel says her own family did.

“My mother read to us every night,” Hazel said.  “She was determined that all of her children would learn to read and enjoy reading, and we did.  Everybody today is so busy they don’t have time to read, but you should make time.”

Such early preparation no doubt aided in preparing Hazel’s sister, Maude, for her later collegiate life.  Maude Cole was a first-generation student who attended Berea College, and a portion of the book proceeds will go toward the Berea College Appalachian Fund, which supports organizations working to improve the health, education, and general welfare of people living in the Appalachian Mountains and surrounding areas.

For more information about the book, please visit http://www.colefamily-christmas.com.  Also visit http://readaloud.org to find links to partners with read aloud resources and to help Hilda in his campaign to encourage families to read aloud every day.