What insights did Birdie's Books of Truths give you into life in Appalachia and the gifts Birdie possessed?

Birdie's Books of Truths: What insights did they give you into life in Appalachia and the gifts Birdie possessed?

Having lived in many parts of the country, it becomes clear that a person needs to be observant until the environment and locals are understood. Birdie understood exactly what was needed and how to use what was naturally available to help the people she lived with and cared about. Her wisdom was too precious.

Birdie was a wise woman who understood people and the land. She kept records as her legacy, but she also kept them to help her care for those on her mountain. When she followed the women in Kate's cabin, she showed the depth of her understanding of the people and of the dangers they presented to Kate. She also showed that she cared about everyone, even late comers to the area. Her knowledge of herbal remedies helped save Sadie and protect Kate. She was wise in the natural arts and in the mysticism that lives in the mountains among the elements. Without a doctor in the town, she was the healer who cared for more than physical ailments. Birdie took a holistic approach to those who lived in Baines Creek. Her Book of Truths was just that--truth about surviving in Baines Creek, in the mountains and with one another.

Birdie Rocas is one of my favorite characters in this book, and the more I read into the book the more I appreciated her and the author's use of her to teach readers about the history of the mountain people as well as the active life being led by them yet today. Just the name of Baines Creek was interesting, as we learn that Baines was the Cherokee word for bones, a word with a two hundred year history. The story she tells about the loss of the great Chestnut trees and their value and loss to the mountain people was sad yet most interesting. Those trees litter the pages and poems of much early American literature, yet I have never heard them spoken of in such a simple and yet reverent way. Her name, Rocas, which we learn is Gaelic for crow, takes us into an unusual study of the crow and its importance to the mountain people through her own crow, Samuel. And the search for ginseng was fascinating as we learned how and where it might grow, and who would want it and why it was valued. In her simplicity and poverty, Birdie reveals to us the wisdom of the ages as it applies to the people of Appalachia for more than 200 years. I love this character and all she stands for.

I loved Birdie. Would like to be Birdie. Her wisdom was ageless and invaluable. She observed but, more importantly, saw the world around her and the people who inhabited that world. She knew flora and fauna equally well. Wish there was a Birdie I could visit!

Well said Scribbling Scribe and susiej! Birdie also said what really made her write a story was when something in life didn't make sense to her. She also said that she felt the mountain was breathing weary (like it's people) and for all it's secret and sins, their community was enough for those who could tough it out. It is like that in nature too. Survival of the fittest.

Birdie was my favorite character in the book. I am ashamed to say that it came as a surprise to me that she was literate. I wish I could read her Books of Truth myself. That being said, I loved the touch of the supernatural that existed between her and her friends the crows. Crows are remarkably intelligent birds and have excellent memories about who has done them wrong and who has treated them well. Her knowledge of herbal lore was amazing and her treatment of the people she cared for was admirable.

I really enjoyed reading about Birdie's Book of Truths & would LOVE to read a book by Weiss that is solely about Birdie and her Book of Truths.

Birdie was a remarkable character. It was through Birdie that the author taught us about the mountain. Birdie had many gifts. She was a doctor, a midwife, a teacher, a psychic and a true friend. She protected Kate and would continue to teach her survival methods for her new life. She also realized the importance of keeping a record of the happenings on the mountain. Her herbal methods would prove invaluable as time went on and hopefully her Books of Truths would be passed on to Sadie, when she learned to read. We know Sadie already possesses supernatural powers in hearing the voice of her father. Without the fear of Roy her powers will become stronger and stronger.

She was insightful to peoples' mental needs and was knowledgeable of
"home" remedies to care for the body

Birdie was an old soothsayer or witch. She knew the ways of nature, what berries, bark and herbs took care of what illnesses. Her stories in the Book of Truths were prophecies. She understood Appalachia, loved the country and lived off of it.