Proudly Made

Winner of a Silver Nonfiction Award from the Nonfiction Authors Association -  A Story of Reinvention in the Big Woods and Small Towns of the Pennsylvania Wilds -  As more communities look to leverage the country’s growing outdoor recreation economy, a forgotten expanse of America’s tapestry, in Pennsylvania's Appalachian Mountains, has emerged as a leader. “No initiative exists in the country on this scale and level of strategic thinking,” the Society of American Travel Writers said of the Pennsylvania Wilds in 2008. Now the inspiring backstory of this rural movement is told from the perspective of one of its chief instigators, a woman whose childhood was shaped by the region’s economic challenges and natural beauty as surely as its high plateau was carved by water.  A new mom and former journalist returning to reclaim her rural roots, Ta Enos sees the promise of nature tourism, but must first overcome insecurities to value who she is and her own ability to lead. Ta crafts an empowering blueprint of how after decades of population loss, rural PA came together to leverage two of its greatest assets — its people and its public lands — to create a brighter future for its communities.   PROUDLY MADE captures the story of an independent woman and region reinventing themselves on their own terms, and the special landscape and shared history that helps them bridge traditional divides. From Alaska to Pennsylvania, it takes readers on an unforgettable 20-year journey that shaped the storyteller as much as she shaped it, heralding the difference one person with a little mettle can make, and the greater good that can come when many of us work together. Author: Tataboline Enos Page Count: 262  Trim Size: 6 x 9 (hardcover & trade paperback available) Publish Date: June 3, 2025  Imprint: Catamount Press Genre: Biography BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Memoirs BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Women BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Industries / Hospitality, Travel & Tourism What Others Are Saying: Sam MacDonald, Author, The Urban Hermit and Agony of an American Wilderness: “Ta's gripping personal story--in all its struggle, perseverance and redemption--is the story of the Pennsylvania Wilds. This book is a testament not only to the progress of one person, but of a people. Equal parts literary memoir and activist template, it advances the great tradition of American place-based writers like Henry David Thoreau, Zora Neale Hurston, Annie Dillard and Dean MacCannell. This is a compelling and important book, whether you were born and raised in the Pennsylvania Wilds, or dream of building such a place wherever you call home.” Ed McMahon, Author, Balancing Nature and Commerce in Gateway Communities: “Ta Enos’ new book is a remarkable story about a special person and a special place. Reminiscent of Cheryl Strayed’s storytelling in WILD: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Coast Trail, PROUDLY MADE tells the story of the PA Wilds, a beautiful but neglected region in Pennsylvania’s Appalachian Mountains. It is about the hardy people and wild places that make this region unique, but it is also a story of self-discovery and reinvention and a primer on entrepreneurship in rural America. The parallel stories of a region and a person rediscovering themselves is a story anyone can relate to, but especially other rural areas that are trying to make their way in a rapidly changing world. I found myself cheering for Ta and the PA Wilds Initiative. You will too.”                              Kristine Gasbarre, #1 New York Times bestselling writer - "As a child of the Pennsylvania Wilds (born and raised there long before it had that name), to me what's most remarkable about Ta's drive and impact isn't just that we come from one of those places where it's uniquely hard to influence change—but that it's still nearly impossible to get people to listen to you if you're a woman. That's a huge part of her triumph with PROUDLY MADE. In an era that's testing the strength of women—Mother Nature most of all—this is a story, in a time, that needs to be told." Tony Pipa, Brookings Institution, founder of the Reimagining Rural Policy initiative, and host of the Reimagine Rural podcast: “Ta Enos’s memoir is a gripping story full of grit, creativity, and an unrelenting belief in a place and its people, including herself. It’s a story about the myriad gifts that rural PA has to offer its residents and visitors; Ta’s gift is in showing what that experience can mean for us all.” Chris Perkins, Vice President Programs, Outdoor Recreation Roundtable: “PROUDLY MADE is a testament not just to Ta Enos, a devoted mother, community advocate, storyteller, and coalition builder, but also to the deep-rooted gumption shared between rural people that has carried the Pennsylvania Wilds through the great unknown and transformed the region into national recognition. When we work to illustrate the benefits of the $1.1 trillion outdoor recreation economy to members of Congress and state governments around the country, Ta’s work and the Wilds tell the story better than we could ever hope for.” Cheryl M. Hargrove, Author, Cultural Heritage Tourism: Five Steps to Success & Sustainability: “Ta’s can-do spirit and entrepreneurial talents helped revitalize the region known as the Pennsylvania Wilds and champion fellow Appalachians who respect the land, cherish its traditions, and work to improve the lives of current and future residents. This honest account of her challenges and triumphs is a testament to Ta's fortitude, vision, and leadership. PROUDLY MADE is a must-read for anyone who values the attributes of home – wherever it may be – and seeks inspiration on how one individual can be a force for positive change and local impact.” Nathan Reigner, PhD, Director, Pennsylvania Office of Outdoor Recreation: “With wisdom and wit Ta shares her journey, and that of the Pennsylvania Wilds, as an example and inspiration for all rural communities – beyond a memoir, PROUDLY MADE is a new and essential guidebook for every rural economic developer and community organizer.” John Schlimm, International Award-Winning Author, Artist, Advocate, and Harvard-Trained Educator: "From grand experiment to groundbreaking phenom, PROUDLY MADE by pioneering entrepreneur Ta Enos is an inspiring saga that embodies the blood, sweat, and tears of a fearless woman and her thousands of hardworking neighbors who together transformed their largely forgotten expanse of our national tapestry into an American Treasure and iconic recreation destination known as The Pennsylvania Wilds." Trista Harris, Philanthropic Futurist and President of FutureGood: "Ta Enos's 'PROUDLY MADE' is a testament to the transformative power of a woman's vision in shaping both Appalachia's future and harnessing its natural beauty.”