Prodigals: A Sister's Memoir of Appalachia and Loss

Prodigals, a memoir in essay, explores the life of Sarah Beth Childer's wildly creative brother, lost to suicide at twenty-two, and her own life through the lens of the biblical parable of the Prodigal Son. Childer's foregrounds the Appalachian landscape, depicting hardwood forests, winding roads, mining-stained rivers, and neighborhoods tucked between mountains. Her story is universal and uniquely Appalachian, shaped by fervent faith, resistance to traditional medicine, and conflicting desires to escape and stay forever home. Weaving in Branwell Brontèe, the Brontèe sisters' alcoholic brother; Jimmy Swaggart, fallen televangelist; and Robert Crumb, author of sexist and racist comics, Childers examines the role of the prodigal within the tapestry of family life and beyond.