All That's Unseen
An Appalachian Memoir
Failed to add items
Sorry, we are unable to add the item because your shopping cart is already at capacity.
Add to basket failed.
Please try again later
Add to Wish List failed.
Please try again later
Remove from Wish List failed.
Please try again later
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Unlimited access to our all-you-can-listen catalogue of 15K+ audiobooks and podcasts.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
All That's Unseen
Narrated by:
Emilee Hackney
Pre-order for $25.32
-
Narrated by:
-
Emilee Hackney
-
By:
-
Emilee Hackney
About this listen
Born and raised deep in the hollers of the Appalachian Mountains, Emilee Hackney knew little beyond the ridgelines and coalfields of southwest Virginia. As an eighth-generation Appalachian, her childhood was steeped in the stories of her grandparents—tales of the coal mines’ brutal grip and the way the land, both beautiful and unforgiving, never quite let anyone go. At fourteen, Emilee meets Sam, a senior at her high school, who offers her a glimpse at a promising future together. But as they begin attending services at Deliverance Christian Church as a couple, Emilee is thrust into the radical realm of Pentecostalism. In a culture where marriage at nineteen isn’t uncommon, Emilee is engaged to Sam. Eager to make her relationship work, she embraces the extremist doctrines of the religion, submitting herself fully to God, to Sam, and to a life of repentance. But what she doesn’t yet know is the man she plans to marry is not who he claims to be.
Years later, Emilee finds herself isolated from friends, family, and her own sense of truth. Wracked with shame and self-doubt, she reaches a breaking point. On the verge of spiraling out of control, in a stunning act of defiance and hope, she applies to Harvard; against all odds, she is accepted. From the magisterial mountains of Tazewell to the storied halls of Cambridge, Emilee begins the arduous process of reinventing herself and her relationships with her home, faith, and values against the backdrop of the divisive 2016 election. All That’s Unseen is Emilee Hackney’s fiercely honest memoir about spiritual entrapment, hard-won liberation, and the courage to reclaim her voice after she had been taught to stay silent.
Critic Reviews
"Devastating and hopeful in turn, All That’s Unseen exquisitely captures a complex and contradictory world." —Jeannette Walls, New York Times bestselling author of The Glass Castle
“All That’s Unseen is a searing, deeply original memoir about escaping the gravitational pull of a controlling faith and a controlling man—and discovering that leaving home is never as simple as putting miles between yourself and the mountains. Emilee Hackney traces her improbable journey from a fundamentalist Pentecostal church in the Appalachian coalfields to the halls of Harvard, and the long, difficult work of learning to trust her own mind. Told with rare courage and precision, this is a luminous, fierce, and achingly honest reckoning—a memoir about all that remains unseen until, suddenly, you can no longer look away.” —Ruth Wariner, New York Times bestselling author of The Sound of Gravel
"All That's Unseen is a bold and brave memoir about home, family, community, and change. Emilee Hackney writes compellingly about the complexities of her Appalachian community, showing us both what is beautiful and what is broken. It is an always honest, at times heartbreaking, account of the ways people and places shape us forever. You can't help but root for Emilee—cheer for her success, cry for her trauma, and walk with her on her journey. From the first page, I was hooked, and I could not put this book down. This book is a wonderful read for anyone who understands what it means to leave a place, see its flaws, but still feel the pull of home." —Cassie Chambers, author of Hill Women
“There is so much to admire in Emilee Hackney’s brilliant memoir—vivid writing, the ability to tell a story well—but what sets it apart from so many depictions of Appalachia is her refusal to sentimentalize or demonize the people and its culture. Hackney vividly acknowledges instances of ignorance and small-mindedness in Appalachia, but she refuses to shirk how often the same attributes reside in Ivy-League academia. Instead, we are given a complex, in some ways transcendent, vision of how to love and honor a place and yet also realize we must leave it. All That’s Unseen is a marvel.” —Ron Rash, New York Times bestselling author of The Caretaker and Serena
“All That’s Unseen is a searing, deeply original memoir about escaping the gravitational pull of a controlling faith and a controlling man—and discovering that leaving home is never as simple as putting miles between yourself and the mountains. Emilee Hackney traces her improbable journey from a fundamentalist Pentecostal church in the Appalachian coalfields to the halls of Harvard, and the long, difficult work of learning to trust her own mind. Told with rare courage and precision, this is a luminous, fierce, and achingly honest reckoning—a memoir about all that remains unseen until, suddenly, you can no longer look away.” —Ruth Wariner, New York Times bestselling author of The Sound of Gravel
"All That's Unseen is a bold and brave memoir about home, family, community, and change. Emilee Hackney writes compellingly about the complexities of her Appalachian community, showing us both what is beautiful and what is broken. It is an always honest, at times heartbreaking, account of the ways people and places shape us forever. You can't help but root for Emilee—cheer for her success, cry for her trauma, and walk with her on her journey. From the first page, I was hooked, and I could not put this book down. This book is a wonderful read for anyone who understands what it means to leave a place, see its flaws, but still feel the pull of home." —Cassie Chambers, author of Hill Women
“There is so much to admire in Emilee Hackney’s brilliant memoir—vivid writing, the ability to tell a story well—but what sets it apart from so many depictions of Appalachia is her refusal to sentimentalize or demonize the people and its culture. Hackney vividly acknowledges instances of ignorance and small-mindedness in Appalachia, but she refuses to shirk how often the same attributes reside in Ivy-League academia. Instead, we are given a complex, in some ways transcendent, vision of how to love and honor a place and yet also realize we must leave it. All That’s Unseen is a marvel.” —Ron Rash, New York Times bestselling author of The Caretaker and Serena
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.