Nancy Brown Diggs

Nancy Brown Diggs

An avid traveler who has visited every continent, Nancy Brown Diggs has lived in France, participated in language immersion/homestay programs in Japan and Mexico, and volunteered in Ecuador, Romania, and Haiti. Her long interest in other cultures is reflected by her PhD in East Asian Studies, by her language skills, and by the books she has written, which include: Breaking the Cycle: How Schools Can Overcome Urban Challenges (Rowman and Littlefield), Hidden in the Heartland: The New Wave of Immigrants and the Challenge to America (Michigan State University Press), Looking Beyond the Mask: When American Women Marry Japanese Men (State University of New York Press), and Steel Butterflies: Japanese Women and the American Experience (State University of New York Press). Most recently, having authored books on other cultures, she decided to write about one closer to her own: the Appalachian, never dreaming that it was her own, and that the roots of those long-forgotten ways could run so deep. The result: In Search of Appalachia (Hamilton/Rowman and Littlefield).

Nancy Brown Diggs has spent her literary career writing in-depth books about cultures from all over the world that she has gotten the opportunity to explore. Her newest book, In Search of Appalachia, is an entirely new project for her because, instead of looking beyond borders for inspiration, she is diving into the variety of cultures and people in nearby Appalachia. In Search of Appalachia is Nancy Diggs’ eighth book in her prolific writing career. Originally from Kentucky, Diggs was surprised by what she learned about Appalachia while writing this book. Diggs has said that her first-hand experience with the Appalachian culture was quite different than how it is portrayed in the media.

Nancy Brown Diggs book cover In Search of Appalachia

Nancy Brown Diggs appears in

  • Who are the Appalachian people? Whoever you think they are you’re probably wrong. Author and scholar Nancy Brown Diggs joins World Footprints to peel back the layers of Appalachian culture that she uncovers in her new book, In Search of Appalachia.