This is the third novel in the trilogy that begins with The Tall Woman, set after the Civil War, and followed by The Far Family. Return the Innocent Earth was clearly inspired by the experience of Wilma Dykeman (1920-2006) as the wife of an heir to the Stokely canning company. It centers around the question of how to deal with a pollution controversy. Wilma Dykeman was not only one of a handful of people who can be credited with establishing recognition for Appalachian Literature as a sub-genre, but also one of its finest writers, public servants - she was Tennessee State Historian for decades - and speakers.