Pennington Gap, Va. — On a Saturday evening in June, people of this rural region gathered at the historic Lee Theatre to celebrate the founding of Higher Ground Women's Recovery Residence.

Author Barbara Kingsolver opened the facility in January with royalties from her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, " Demon Copperhead ," whose plot revolves around Appalachia's opioid crisis. The home offers a supportive place for people to stay while learning to live without drugs. Kingsolver had asked the women now living there to join her on stage.

Kingsolver, who grew up in Appalachia, suggested the women share with the audience what they were most proud of having gained from their first weeks at Higher Ground. But she learned they were more eager to brag on one another.

Supporters say Higher Gr

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