Plez Dean, Age 9; Harlan, Kentucky:
“I’m short. I was born short. I play video games and ride my bike. I like jumping on my trampoline. I like living in the mountains but sometimes the radio gets static-ee when you drive through them.
I want to be a person that makes video games (when I grow up).
I haven’t had any sad times (in my life) yet. Had some hard times though… can’t remember them.
My dad works in the coalmines and my mom, she’s a head start teacher.
Coal mining, it's really hard in this place called the temple, in the coalmines. My dad works in the temple. He gets really, really dirty with all that dirt on him. He looks like dirt, dirt everywhere. He does paperwork, mines some coal out and some other things. He is loading the train, getting pipes unclogged.
I did once want to work in the coalmines, but once I saw my dad was getting really, really dirty I didn’t anymore.
I saw people get hurt in the coalmines. My dad, his back, it broke. He was laid off, to where you don’t go to work. I think you still get paid but I ain’t sure. My dad has friends in the coal mines.
I can’t tell which are the peace ones and the Hillbilly ones. I’m getting hippies and hillbillies confused. The hillbillies are the poor ones.
I’m not a hillbilly. It means you are poor and stuff. I ain’t. It’s hard to tell a hillbilly. They may have nice clothes but that doesn’t mean they have money. That’s what I think.
It was a pleasure you meet you. You need to grip whenever you shake a hand. It makes you confident.”