Kidd, Ronald. Lord of the Mountain. Chicago: Albert Whitman & Company, 2018.
In a time now when families are divided by conflicting beliefs about conspiracy theories, here is an historical novel about a family divided by conflicting beliefs about music and religion.Â
Set in the late 1920s in Tennessee, this 286-page novel tells the story of Nate Owens, a teenager who loves music and science even though his preacher father thinks both are from Satan. When a music producer – Ralph Peer – comes to Bristol, Nate is determined to watch the auditions and learn how songs are recorded. But his father finds out, a confrontation ensues, and Nate is forced to leave home. Determined to discover more about his past, he finally learns the cause of his father’s anger. Many of the characters in this story are real: Ralph Peer really was an American record producer who recorded the Carter family singing in an improvised studio in Bristol, Tennessee; A.P. Carter and his wife Sara and her cousin Maybelle really were known for their folk and gospel songs. And the late 1920s really were a time of increasing poverty and unrest. Told from the first person point of view, this pitch perfect novel is highly recommended for readers 11 to 15 years old.Â