How does the author structure the nonfiction book, What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia?

The book is divided into three parts, save for an Introduction that includes an account of Catte’s experiences and their relation to her argument. The first part focuses on representations of Appalachia that emerged during the 2016 election season. The second part is a consideration and refutation of the claims that J.D Vance makes in his recent book, Hillbilly Elegy. The last part looks at the long line of social activism in Appalachia, the individuals that pushed back against the structures of power to improve the quality of life in their own communities. As she opened on a personal note, she ends on one, too – she describes her experience of finding a photograph from the New Deal era that depicts people taking pictures of themselves in a photobooth, and hopes that Appalachians will continue to foster their own images.

Since Catte is a historian, each part is interspersed with historical information and anecdotes to support her arguments. Even though the book is largely an exploration of Appalachian history, it is not a history book per se – Catte makes a sustained refutation of Vance throughout the book, using historical facts and accounts from contemporary politics to argue for a demythologized image of Appalachia. Although the book is nonfiction, Catte sometimes interjects the narrative to offer her own personal experiences.