#15 Sticking with it

I have finished another work of non-fiction: Kentucky Moonshine by David W. Maurer. My dad sent this to us because there were a few things he wanted explained. Fortunately, I didn't have to read the book to figure it out.

I do have to tell you that this may be the second worst book I've ever read. Originally published in the 70s this is an incredibly dull work of academic well, it's supposed to be history but there is an utter lack of evidence. I suppose it is an early attempt at cultural studies but of the worst kind. The book is repetitive, lacks logical structure, and isn't well documented. But other than that...

Here's a favorite passage which gives you the flavor:

Transporters are paid from $1.00 to $2.00 per gallon according to the area, the risks involved, and other factors. Usually the owner of the still makes arrangements for the transportation and pays the driver, the cost being passed on to the purchaser. In some areas, the bootlegger hires and pay the transporter himself. These drivers spend as little time as possible around the still and do not openly associate with moonshiners. They are almost always unmarried but often temporarily live with one of the less conventional girls in their own or a neighboring community. Their prowess with women is well known and their tastes run to the flashier type of girl. Since they are paid by the gallon, any risks they take are usually their own, and they may do time if caught. A considerable number are killed or maimed in high-speed chases and most of them at one time or another have been involved in a serious accident. When they no longer drive the hot transport cars, they tend to degenerate into a kind of soft and slovenly indolence, existing as best they can on the empty memories of their younger days.

Ah, scholarship, you've come a long way.

My other favorite line comes from the section where he speculates about the decline of moonshine drinking among young men: "In addition, teenage girls play more and more of a part in the recreational pattern of young men...Because of the cultural factors and the liquor's taste, few girls drink moonshine whiskey with pleasure. However, beer is usually available even in dry territory and this lighter drink may be shared by boys and girls, resulting in a general upgrading of interpersonal relations."

Euphemism anyone? The first three chapters are given over to describing making moonshine in your pressure cooker, building a still, and running the still. The three longest chapters of my reading life. There is also a long prologue to the glossary that describes the reasons why moonshiners might develop their own argot. On the whole, a tedious treatment of a possibly interesting subject.

Non-fiction: 9.5