Appalachian Justice

By: Melinda Clayton

In 1945, when Billy May Platte was fourteen years old, three local boys witnessed an incident in which her sexuality was called into question. Determined to teach her a lesson she would never forget, they orchestrated a brutal attack that changed the tiny coal mining village of Cedar Hollow forever.

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Book Description

Billy May Platte is a half Irish, half Cherokee Appalachian woman who learned the hard way that 1940s West Virginia was no place to be different.

As Billy May explains, "We was sheltered in them hills. We didn't know much of nothin' about life outside of them mountains. I did not know the word lesbian; to us, gay meant havin' fun and queer meant somethin' strange."

In 1945, when Billy May was fourteen years old and orphaned, three local boys witnessed an incident in which Billy May's sexuality was called into question. Determined to teach her a lesson she would never forget, they orchestrated a brutal attack that changed the dynamics of the tiny coal mining village of Cedar Hollow, West Virginia forever.

Buy This Book