During this pre-teen years, Ken Roberts had his first encounter with Cedar choppers west of Austin, which provoked the question, Who are these people? The Cedar Choppers: Life on the Edge of Nothing is his entertaining, and informative answer.
It doubles as one of the most instructive books about Austin\'s history and culture.-- Austin American Statesman Number Twenty-four: Sam Rayburn Series on Rural Life, sponsored by Texas A&M University-Commerce. a readable, conversational narrative.-- Southwestern Historical Quarterly The best Texas book I\'ve read of late was The Cedar Choppers: Life on the Edge of Nothing by Ken Roberts. . .
Davis, PEN USA-winning author and past president, Texas Institute of Letters Meant first for general audiences but badly needed by scholars, the work brings a neglected group into the southwestern history canon .
Meticulously researched and engagingly written, Ken Roberts\' The Cedar Choppers leads us on a fascinating journey to the heart of this legendary Texas subculture.-- Steven L.
Based on interviews with several generations of Cedar choppers and others, Roberts weaves together the lively, gritty story of these largely Scots-Irish migrants with roots in Appalachia who settled on the west side of the Balcones Fault during the mid-19th century, subsisting on hunting, trapping, moonshining, and, by the early 20th century, cutting, transporting, and selling Cedar fence posts and charcoal.
During this pre-teen years, Ken Roberts had his first encounter with Cedar choppers west of Austin, which provoked the question, Who are these people? The Cedar Choppers: Life on the Edge of Nothing is his entertaining, and informative answer
