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Through Our Eyes
Helene changed the shape of our town. It revealed something deep, too. Neighbors became first responders. Friends became lifelines. Volunteers and local crews carried the work forward, day after day. This book stands as a witness to that care. It is a thank you and a promise to keep going.
Hardcover Editions
A keepsake edition made to last. Sturdy cover, premium paper, and rich printing for photographs and archival narrative.
Through Our Eyes: A Community’s Photographic Memory of Hurricane Helene brings together the work of 48 local contributors, whose voices reflect both the hardship of the storm and the hope that followed. Within its pages is the story of a small mountain community that faced loss, supported one another, and moved through recovery with Appalachian grit and grace. The book has been nominated for the Weatherford Award, recognizing its contribution to Appalachian storytelling and cultural preservation.
What’s Inside
- A community-sourced photobook that traces the path from devastation to rebuilding and renewal
- A collection of 200+ full-color pages, bringing together the sights and stories of those who walked through the storm.
- A journey told in chapters, carrying us from the first warnings through the impact, the rebuilding, and the moments of reopening.
- A reflection of love and thanks for the helpers who answered when we needed them most.
Your purchase makes a difference
When you order a print edition, 50% of proceeds go directly to Rebuild Hot Springs Area to support long-term recovery for neighbors, small businesses, and community spaces. Every book helps put materials in homes, tools on job sites, and care where it is needed most.
Preview a Chapter
Press Release & Additional Details
On the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene, the community of Hot Springs is releasing a book unlike any other: Through Our Eyes: A Community’s Photographic Memory of Hurricane Helene. More than a traditional photo book, it is the collective story of a town battered by floodwaters, yet bound together by resilience, memory and hope.
The book was created through an open call for photographs, stories and oral histories from residents who lived through the storm and its aftermath. Hundreds of submissions poured in—from first responders and neighbors who helped pull families from danger- to snapshots of the rebuilding process that continues today. The result is a vivid, community-published record. A book built by Hot Springs, for Hot Springs, and one that resonates far beyond the mountains, offering a rare, ground-level view of how a community isolated by disaster turned inward-and to each other-to survive.
Featuring over 200 curated images contributed by more than 45 community members, along with oral histories from those who helped lead the response in the days after the storm, the full-color book will be available at launch in both hardcover and paperback editions.
“This project is about more than remembering a storm,” said local Hot Springs community organizer Kevin Reese. “It’s about honoring the people who carried each other through it, and ensuring that the story is preserved for generations to come.”
The project was supported by a Digital Opportunities grant from Dogwood Health Trust, with additional support from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Libraries toward an open access publication online, ensuring that anyone can freely read and share it.
In addition, the underlying source materials—including photographs, transcripts, and audio recordings—are being preserved and made openly available for researchers, educators, and future generations.
The book is also the first release from the Million Memory Project, a new publishing initiative dedicated to creating community-published books across Appalachia and beyond. Founded by publishing entrepreneur Mitchell Davis—previously a founder of BookSurge (acquired by Amazon and now Kindle Direct Publishing) and BiblioLabs (acquired by Lyrasis)—the Million Memory Project combines professional publishing expertise with grassroots storytelling.
“Books at their best preserve history, amplify voices, and bring communities together,” said Davis. “Rebuild Hot Springs embodies all of that. It shows what can happen when neighbors, institutions, and storytellers work side by side.”
Ingram Content Group featured the project at the North Carolina Library Association Conference, highlighting its innovative publishing model as an example of how communities can take ownership of their own stories.
“Libraries are the living memory of our communities, and Rebuild Hot Springs is a remarkable example of that purpose in action. Ingram Content Group is proud to partner with the Million Memory Project and the Libraries at UNC-Chapel Hill to bring this beautifully produced print edition to readers alongside the open access digital version. This is what collaborative publishing at its best looks like — neighbors telling their own stories and the library community ensuring they endure for future residents to appreciate,” said Carolyn Morris VP, Ingram Library Services.
This book was made possible by:
