West Virginia University Press is proud to announce that G. W. Gonzlezs Pinnick Kinnick Hill: An American Story will be released in July.
A mixture of memoir, novel and history, Pinnick Kinnick Hill is a surprising look at the Clarksburg, W.Va., area in the early to mid 20th century. Gonzlez, the son of immigrants from the Asturias region of Spain, recounts his youth in a past that seems almost forgotten.
A century ago, dozens of families made the journey from Spain to the United States in search of a better life. They found the life they were looking for in the rising zinc-industry towns in Harrison County. Hundreds of Spaniards settled in the area, and by 1920 the government of Spain had established a Spanish Vice Consulate in Clarksburg to aid Spaniards living in the area.
The county was saturated in Spanish culture, with children like Gonzlez being raised with a unique mixture of customs and heritage. As the Spanish community made West Virginia their home, Coca-Cola ads were printed in Spanish along with other top-selling products, but an equilibrium was always maintained between the Spanish origins of the people and their quest for the American Dream.
Decades later a decline in the zinc industry led to the slow dilution of the Spanish community. Pinnick Kinnick Hill recounts the struggle and disappointment of the immigrants, while at the same time highlighting the remarkable triumph that the settlers made. Though some descendants still live in the area today, this book will ensure that their story is never forgotten.
The book will be published in English, with a facing-page Spanish translation.
As Patrick Conner, director of the Press, writes in his foreword,The very pages of Pinnick Kinnick Hill, An American Story swing between English and Spanish, and recall the balance required to keep ethnic identities alive.
To celebrate the publishing of the book and the rich Spanish heritage of the area, WVU Press will be holding a book release celebration in Harrison County on Saturday, July 19. For more information, contact the Press at 304-293-8400, or visithttp://www.wvupress.com.
