Background
John O'Brien was born on July 18, 1943. He was the son of Flora May Bell O'Brien and James Patrick O'Brien. He was raised in Philadelphia by an Appalachian father who fled the mountains to escape crippling poverty and family tragedy.
Morgantown, WV 26506, United States
John graduated from West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Arts.
Iowa City, IA 52242, United States
John got a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa.
Morgantown, WV 26506, United States
John graduated from West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Arts.
Iowa City, IA 52242, United States
John got a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa.
Photo of John O'Brien
(John O'Brien was raised in Philadelphia by an Appalachian...)
John O'Brien was raised in Philadelphia by an Appalachian father who fled the mountains to escape crippling poverty and family tragedy. Years later, with a wife and two kids of his own, the son moved back into those mountains in an attempt to understand both himself and the father from whom he’d become estranged. At once a poignant memoir and a tribute to America's most misunderstood region, At Home in the Heart of Appalachia describes a lush land of voluptuous summers, woodsmoke winters, and breathtaking autumns and springs. John O'Brien sees through the myths about Appalachia to its people and the mountain culture that has sustained them. And he takes to task naïve missionaries and rapacious industrialists who are the real source of much of the region's woe as well as its lingering hillbilly stereotypes. Finally, and profoundly, he comes to terms with the atavistic demons that haunt the relations between Appalachian fathers and sons.
https://www.amazon.com/Home-Heart-Appalachia-John-OBrien/dp/0385721390
2002
John O'Brien was born on July 18, 1943. He was the son of Flora May Bell O'Brien and James Patrick O'Brien. He was raised in Philadelphia by an Appalachian father who fled the mountains to escape crippling poverty and family tragedy.
John graduated from West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Arts. He also got a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa.
John O'Brien worked variously as a factory worker, teacher coordinator in Alaska, and college professor. He lived and worked in West Virginia, and many of his writings address issues pertinent to Appalachia.
He lived and worked in West Virginia, and many of his writings address issues pertinent to Appalachia.
O'Brien's memoir, At Home in the Heart of Appalachia, is at once a portrait of a region and a personal tale of his difficult relationship with his father. Although O'Brien was born in Philadelphia, his parents were both from West Virginia, as is his wife. From his earliest memories of visiting his grandparents to his later decision to move to the mountains, O'Brien nursed an obsession for West Virginia, its trout-filled streams, and vast tracts of forest. Still the decision to live there was not an easy one, as he struggled not only with the concept of Appalachia but also with his father's feelings of inferiority for having grown up there.
He also was a contributor of essays to periodicals, including Hudson Review, Massachusetts Review, TriQuarterly, Country Journal, Harrowsmith, Gray's Sporting Journal, and the New York Times.
John O'Brien was a prominent author, who spoke well of the spirit and heart of West Virginia people, often ignored and stereotyped by the rest of America. He was the author of At Home in the Heart of Appalachia, for which he received the 2001 Weatherford Award presented annually by Berea College and the Appalachian Studies Association for published work that best illuminates the problems, personalities, and unique qualities of the Appalachian S. John also held writing fellowships at the University of Iowa and Stanford University and was the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Award.
(John O'Brien was raised in Philadelphia by an Appalachian...)
2002O'Brien, like many residents of the so-called Appalachian states, felt that the whole notion of "Appalachia" is a myth created a century or more ago by big business interests who sought to exploit coal and timber resources by portraying mountain people as backward, impoverished, and uneducated.
More than any of the kids in his family John developed a love of nature and a deep affection for life in West Virginia. He'd been an Eagle Scout.
In 1963 John married Becky Sheets. The couple had two children: Christopher, and Shelly.
