[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by ATDrake

Pilgrimage to Dollywood: A Country Music Road Trip through Tennessee by Helen Morales, who holds the interesting-sounding title of Argyropoulos Professor of Hellenic Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara (apparently named for a scholar who died from eating too much watermelon), is her accessibly-written for a general audience travelogue cum current and historical cultural backgrounder on Exactly What It Says In The Title, as she goes (and takes you along with her) on a tour throughout Tennessee and its rich musical contributions throughout the decades, illustrated with black & white photos, free courtesy of the University of Chicago Press.

This is really very nifty, going through to all sorts of local shrines and special events and such dedicated to a lot of popular artists, as well the big themepark-style places (including the aforementioned Dollywood, and apparently Loretta Lynn, whom I only know from the Oscar-winning film Coal Miner's Daughter, has one of those as well). But she doesn't just visit the obvious big sites, but actually goes on a pilgrimage to Dolly Parton's childhood home and the like.

Currently free throughout April as the UCP's selected Free eBook of the Month @ the university's dedicated promo page (ADE-DRM ePub available worldwide in exchange for your valid email address).

And this has been the (late!) selected 3rd (non-repeat) free ebook thread of the day.

Because I travelogues, and especially historical and socio-cultural travelogues at that. And this one looks to be an awesomely edutaining one focusing on an interesting-looking subject I know very little about, but I've always kind of liked Dolly Parton on reputation even though I've only ever heard maybe one or two of her actual songs and some sort of campaign she did to promote literacy, because she seemed to be a very kind-hearted and charitable person with a good sense of humour about herself, so doubleplus good.

Enjoy!

Description
A star par excellence, Dolly Parton is one of country music’s most likable personalities. Even a hard-rocking punk or orchestral aesthete can’t help cracking a smile or singing along with songs like “Jolene” and “9 to 5.” More than a mere singer or actress, Parton is a true cultural phenomenon, immediately recognizable and beloved for her talent, tinkling laugh, and steel magnolia spirit. She is also the only female star to have her own themed amusement park: Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Every year thousands of fans flock to Dollywood to celebrate the icon, and Helen Morales is one of those fans.

In Pilgrimage to Dollywood, Morales sets out to discover Parton’s Tennessee. Her travels begin at the top celebrity pilgrimage site of Elvis Presley’s Graceland, then take her to Loretta Lynn’s ranch in Hurricane Mills; the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville; to Sevierville, Gatlinburg, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park; and finally to Pigeon Forge, home of the “Dolly Homecoming Parade,” featuring the star herself as grand marshall. Morales’s adventure allows her to compare the imaginary Tennessee of Parton’s lyrics with the real Tennessee where the singer grew up, looking at essential connections between country music, the land, and a way of life. It’s also a personal pilgrimage for Morales. Accompanied by her partner, Tony, and their nine-year-old daughter, Athena (who respectively prefer Mozart and Miley Cyrus), Morales, a recent transplant from England, seeks to understand America and American values through the celebrity sites and attractions of Tennessee.

This celebration of Dolly and Americana is for anyone with an old country soul who relies on music to help understand the world, and it is guaranteed to make a Dolly Parton fan of anyone who has not yet fallen for her music or charisma.

I know Loretta Lynn has a restaurant.