Summary

In Chapter 11, Hillbilly Heaven

The author Tom Kizzia, a reporter for the Anchorage Daily News, begins hearing stories about the Pilgrims a few months after they arrive in McCarthy and calls Papa to begin researching a story for the paper. Papa is reluctant at first but relents when Kizzia says he will be writing more stories about conflicts between the national park and the community, and he invites the author to visit. During the horseback ride up the mountain, Kizzia gets to know the older children, who are now in their 20s. Kizzia asks Elishaba if she would consider leaving the family and doing something else, but she defends her family’s lifestyle and says she likes it. At Hillbilly Heaven, Kizzia notes that the walls of the house are very thin and the family lives in squalor. Papa gives him an edited...