Thursday, March 12, 2009

Let There Be Light

Let There Be Light: The Story of Rural Electrification in Kentucky by David Dick

Hardcover: 314 pages
Publisher: Plum Lick Pub
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0975503731
ISBN-13: 978-0975503737

This book is David Dick’s history of how electricity came to rural Kentucky. The book features a chapter on each of the state’s 26 electric co-ops, told through the experiences of the people whose lives were changed by the coming of electricity.

When the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) came into existence in 1935, 90% of the rural areas in the United States had no electricity. Dick tells this story using extensive interviews with Kentuckians before and after the introduction of electricity.

A fascinating read, especially after the ice storm of 2009 crippled Kentucky’s electrical infrastructure.

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