A Memoir of Poverty and Resilience

by Katherine P. Manley


Don’t Tell’em You’re Cold: a Memoir of Poverty and Resilience is an uplifting story of survival from abject poverty, set in the hills and coal camps of southern West Virginia. Katherine Manley and her family faced extreme challenges and struggles with ingenuity and traditional Appalachian stoicism. Beyond the poverty, other obstacles compounded Katherine’s life: a severely disabled father and a mother who struggled with the day-to-day survival. On a cool October morning, she left in a taxi and never returned, leaving 14-year-old Katherine to take care of her father and raise her siblings in her mother’s stead. Katherine went on to become an award-winning teacher, paying forward her hard-learned lessons to thousands of lucky students. This is a story of triumph that encourages everyone to never give up.

"Kathy Manley's compelling memoir ought to be required reading for every person in America today—especially every person in high school. Not a shred of sentimentality or self-pity mars this beautifully written account of an Appalachian childhood spent in deepest poverty, yet Manley's narrative is neither pitiful nor sad, it is courageous and loving, filled with hope for the future. Read this book."~Lee Smith, author Dime Store: A Writer’s Life

"West Virginians are among the very best story tellers in the world, and Kathy Manley is clearly a West Virginian. Her story rings with vibrancy and truth. Highly recommended." ~ Homer Hickam, Author of Rocket Boys/October Sky.