I'm a math and science kind of guy, and have an overwhelming hatred of history within my heart that burns like the core of the sun. Remember Ben Stein in Ferris Buehler's movie? How can ANYone enjoy history when taught like that by a pedantic idiot? I was doomed to endure teachers like that, and worse, throughout high school, and I am still scarred by the ordeal.

Well, bitch no more. THIS book, which I happily awarded 5 stars, makes history FUN and ENGAGING, weaving moonshine facts into history lessons. I absolutely loved this book. Many chapters have surprising presidential factoids; EVERY chapter ends with a recipe!

Thank you for a WONDERFUL book. I will keep this always. I'll let you know how the recipes turn out. ( )

The author writes of childhood memories, family stories and the local history of illicit whiskey making. At the end of each chapter there is a traditional food recipe from the era that features whiskey in the mix. Occasionally reverts to snippets of the history and stories that the author researched on the web. Overall an interesting read and well written. ( )

Heavy on the author's family history, and as such is also a regional history of southern Virginia. The history of moonshine isn't always the main focus, even though the author had family involved in the making and selling of moonshine which was/is generally by illicit means. This e-book, provided via the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program, could have used stronger editing to bring everything together. Still, it was interesting in a lot of places -- I enjoyed the various informative tidbits throughout. As a bonus, there are also a few food recipes that include whiskey, most of which I plan to try eventually. I would have actually liked to see more of those recipes included and more commentary on them. ( )

Enjoyable idiosyncratic romp through the history of southwestern Virginia. It weaves family and personal history together with anecdotal historical material about alcohol in Appalachia, ending each chapter with a whiskey-laced recipe. The book seemed to lack coherence and organization, since the actual content of the chapters wandered far from the titles, and there is not much about hot springs despite the title. The source citations were clumsily placed in the text when they should have been handled with footnotes Chicago-style. But the personal information was interesting, and the book is short. People who have connections to this area will like this. ( )

A combination of family history and local, even national history. Well written, well-edited, and full of interesting stories. Plus a few recipes. A fun read, and made me curious about the author's other books. ( )