An antidote to divisive, mired down, partisan, loud and ungainly politics, this book is a lively history of small place rural development in the mountains of North Carolina, beginning just after WWII. It goes to the heart of what can be accomplished when the greater good of the community is first priority, as proven out in more than 460 small community development efforts across 70 years. An inspiring, nuanced and hopeful accounting of rural innovation and growth, full of good stories and astonishing accomplishment.