Appalachian Kid

Synopsis

My name is John Boyle, author of Appalachian Kid. This is my first book. I wrote it to help people. My story showcases the importance of kindness and mentorship, overcoming adversity and addiction, finding faith and hope, and helping those in need.

Growing up in the mountains of West Virginia is an experience like no other. Yet outsider depictions of the Mountain State remain woefully inaccurate. Yes, it is a place where poverty and hardship are a daily reality. However, the examples of compassion I’ve observed there, such as people stepping up to give to others when it meant they might not have anything for themselves, would warm any soul. In recent years, our population’s means of employment have been taken away by regulation. When this happened, hope turned to despair. And, believe me, despair has cut a wide swath. All signs lead to one cause – a lack of economic opportunity.

Similar to this bleak outlook, success wasn’t in the forecast for me projected by “those in the know.” Earlier in my life I was consistently told that I wouldn’t amount to anything. I was told that I was a terrible student, that I didn’t have the intelligence to attend college and I was told that I had no future. All along, there was significantly more to the story than my earlier educators and family ever realized.

Experiencing childhood trauma and abuse firsthand has impacted every day of my life. The resulting mess was and still is a bitter pill to swallow. I’ve felt the burden of “living a lie” for the longest time.

How does one handle a family matter when everyone else wants to brush the truth of what happened under the rug? I didn’t sign up for what had happened to me. As I grew older, I felt discounted. I felt as if I were blemished, and therefore not lovable.

My journey, now an upward climb, has mired for years in not knowing where to turn and being embarrassed about the inner workings of my mind. The pain I’ve experienced in my journey through the storm has presented quite the challenge – a mental disorder known as complex post-traumatic stress disorder. It has taken several decades to learn to manage my resulting symptoms. The internal adversity has never ceased.

This book is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. It is also a testament to the miracles God has performed in my life. For anyone who has ever struggled with addiction, trauma, abuse, or the weight of life’s hardships, this book offers a message of hope and a path to healing. It is a reminder that we are all connected and that even in the bleakest of moments, we can find the courage and strength to persevere. This book will touch your heart and stay with you long after you turn the final page.

Listen to John Boyle's interview on the Positively West Virginia Podcast.

What Readers are Saying

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It has often been said that everyone has a book inside him or her just waiting to get out. Well, this extraordinary journey of John Boyle takes readers on a ride from Appalachia to the extraordinary Kiski School to Harvard Business School. And it truly is an adventure in which a person can appreciate the struggles, challenges, and joys John has endured. I have never read anything quite like it and hope others will enjoy the life-affirming anecdotes shared on these pages.

— James P. Moore, Jr. Founder & CEO, Washington Institute for Business, Government and Society. Guest Commentator: CNBC, Fox Business. Author: One Nation Under God: The History of Prayer in America.

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The strongest steel is forged in the hottest fire, and success is often born from setbacks and adversity. While these adages are well-understood in leadership, they are seldom the themes that are candidly covered in publications - until now. Appalachian Kid - How Hope Changed Everything reminds us that faith, mentorship, and the recognition that we all have something to contribute are the keys to success, ultimately transforming problems into possibilities and dreams into realities.

— Brad D. Smith, President, Marshall University. Former CEO of Intuit.

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It has been said, ‘Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.’ John Boyle’s book, Appalachian Kid: How Hope Changed Everything, is a compelling account of his courage to continue—and how that courage has helped him in life and business. People throughout Appalachia, and West Virginians in particular, know and appreciate personal resilience when they see it. They will see it in this book.

— E. Gordon Gee, President, West Virginia University. Former President of Brown University, Ohio State University, Vanderbilt University and the University of Colorado at Boulder.

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Appalachian Kid by John Boyle is a compelling memoir that offers an intimate look into the life of a young boy growing up in Appalachia. With vivid storytelling and honest reflection, Boyle shares the beauty and challenges of life in a region often misunderstood by the rest of the country.

Through his journey, Boyle highlights the resilience, creativity, and strength of the people who call Appalachia home, giving voice to a community that has long been marginalized. Additionally, he eloquently describes the impact of faith in his life and how it can move mountains.

This memoir is a powerful testament to the importance of community, faith, family, and connection. It reminds us that everyone has a story worth telling, no matter where they come from. I highly recommend Appalachian Kid to anyone who enjoys memoirs, coming-of-age stories, or simply a great book.

— Carlos Vaz, Founder & CEO, Conti Capital.

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A heartbreaking journey through unimaginable trauma shared rawly is a humble invitation to love. John’s account moves him from victim to victor while he finds hope, faith, and support.As he travels the reader recognizes that this is the love of an unending God.

— Bea Wray, CEO Peer Advisory Chair, Business Coach, Keynote Speaker and Best-Selling Author – What an MBA Taught Me… But My Kids Made Me Learn.

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Appalachian Kid is raw, real, and relevant for anyone who has experienced family or relational struggles…. I believe that covers just about all of us. John shares his journey with vulnerability and transparency, yielding quite an impactful story. I love his writing style!

— Jonathan Lewis, President & Founding Partner of Eastport Financial Group, Inc. Father for Fathers International. Author of Deep Water and More Than Money.

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Appalachian Kid is not just a story of John’s hardships, misunderstandings, and failures in his family, his business, and his life… it’s a story of hope. As John finally placed his hope in the right thing, God, he was able to forgive and find freedom. That’s hope that changes everything! What a great read and reminder for all of us!

— Bruce Lane, Executive Pastor, Chestnut Ridge Church, Morgantown, WV

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John writes a gripping memoir from an overcomer’s perspective: Vivid memories from abuses he suffered in his most formative years were unable to overshadow his resilience and perseverance. The author credits the people put in his path for the success he has achieved, not just as a businessman, but as one who has made it his mission to understand the pain. John conquered his battles with God’s wisdom, and today, Appalachian Kid offers others the tangible hope the author has learned to embrace.

— Sarah Blizzard Robinson, author of the recovery memoir, AS A RESULT

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I have the satisfaction of being a fellow graduate student of his at Harvard Business School and have shared many days with him. I call him ‘Hamilton’ because of his knowledge of the founding years of the great American nation. At Harvard, in early common study meetings, he always made his case summaries through a tree full of branches and copious vegetation with words and concepts all over the place. At first, I was curious but then I found it a great and mysterious synthesis of the case, analytical, original, and very useful. My friend John ‘Hamilton’ Boyle has written a book that will serve many people to learn the value of moral fortitude, awareness of dignity, forgiveness, tireless work, friendship, and hope.

— Dr. Vicente Lopez-Ibor Mayor, President of European Federation of Energy Law Associations. Former Commissioner of the National Energy Commission (Spain), Former Commissioner of the National Electric System Commission (Spain), and a founding partner of Spanish energy law firm, Estudio Juridico Internacional Lopez-Ibor Abogados.

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As an Appalachian kid myself, it is stories like John’s that inspires us to tell our own story and they help build hope in each of us that we can accomplish great things no matter what challenges we may face.

— Mark Urso, President, Bear Contracting and Founder, Building Hope.

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Appalachian Kid is a moving, candid, humorous, and uplifting book that is, ultimately, about what it really means to be a good person. And it’s a ripping good read. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll be inspired.

— Jacqui Spence, Partner & Co-founder, AssetEconomics, Inc.

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John Boyle’s powerful memoir of a life spent overcoming obstacles to find the true meaning of success is an uplifting testament to the human spirit and the grace of God. As a fellow graduate of The Kiski School, I saw its venerable traditions and its motto of Faith, Humility, and Tolerance reflected on page after page of this remarkable journey. With unbridled candor, Mr. Boyle takes us through the darkness we often confront in life to the light, and ultimate redemption, we might achieve by picking ourselves up each time, and by reaching out to help others along the way. This is a meditation on hope and love and unqualified forgiveness – of self and all others.

— The Honorable Timothy K. Lewis, Former Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

John Boyle, Author
Contact: sales@appalachiankid.com

About the Author

John Boyle was born into a multi-generational family of coal miners. He was raised in the small Appalachian town of Kingwood, West Virginia. John is a graduate of The Kiski School in Saltsburg, PA, West Virginia University School of Engineering in Morgantown, WV, and Harvard Business School in Cambridge, MA. From the ages of 13 to 40, John worked in almost every capacity of his family’s business including 10 years as the company’s President. As a civil engineer, John has constructed thousands of public infrastructure projects, energy projects, natural gas facilities, mining infrastructure facilities, and waste disposal facilities across ten states up and down the East Coast. In addition, John founded four service-related businesses in the environmental, transportation, natural gas, and coal industries.

John has served in multiple executive advisory capacities and has served on the board of a dozen companies in numerous industries from Samford, CT to Los Angeles, CA. John was a longtime member, director, and officer of the Contractors Association of West Virginia. He currently serves on the board of directors of the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) headquartered in Washington, DC, where in 2017, he served as President of the Contractors Division. He also serves on the board of Charlotte-based, United Infrastructure Group, where he works in various capacities.

John is a long-time member of Chestnut Ridge Church in Morgantown, WV, and attends Seacoast Church in Mount Pleasant, SC. John is a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), the Low Country Chapter of the WVU Alumni Association, and the Harvard Club of South Carolina.

John enjoys helping people, traveling, spending time with his family, reading, biking, snow skiing, and building things. He lives in Charleston, South Carolina with his beautiful wife, Kyla, and two wonderful sons, Jack and Anthony.