Some of my readers will appreciate the difficulty of my search for 19th century historical fiction set in the United States. Those who share my desire to read about this era have probably found loads of Civil War fiction and not much else. Because of this, I was excited to have the opportunity to read Anywhere But Schuylkill by Michael Dunn for this Coffee Pot Book Club tour!
Here's the blurb:
In 1877, twenty Irish coal miners hanged for a terrorist conspiracy that never occurred. Anywhere But Schuylkill is the story of one who escaped, Mike Doyle, a teenager trying to keep his family alive during the worst depression the nation has ever faced. Banks and railroads are going under. Children are dying of hunger. The Reading Railroad has slashed wages and hired Pinkerton spies to infiltrate the miners’ union. And there is a sectarian war between rival gangs. But none of this compares with the threat at home.
My Review:
Mike Doyle was forced to grow up quickly, as were most of the children living in the mining towns of the late 19th century. This was the part of the book that touched me the most. Mike and his younger brother, Bill, wanting to "be men" and support their family, when their ages barely hit double digits.
"He staggered under the weight, which seemed a hundred times more than just Bill, as though he was carrying a house that was crumbling apart, trying to keep his family from tumbling out."
And that's exactly what is expected of them, especially after their father is killed in a mining accident. I probably don't want to know the average life expectancy of a coal miner. I cringed more than once at the conditions they worked under as expertly described by this author.
"As they descended, sparkling black walls slid past them, spiked with rusty nails and burnt shards, a nightmare sky spinning out of control."
Mike was confused by different groups and loyalties and who was actually concerned about his life and interests, and who could blame him? The kid was making adult decisions with little education or assistance, so, of course, he made some mistakes.
"But how could he say no to these guys? They'd just killed two men. He couldn't risk angering them. Couldn't risk becoming one of them either."
The Long Strike of 1875 ends in the tragedy of the execution of twenty men, supposedly for terrorism, but really for daring to stand up for themselves and demand living wages. Mike Doyle escapes this fate but loses almost everything except his life. Where will he go next? Anywhere but Schuylkill.
Connect with Michael Dunn
Michael Dunn writes Working-Class Fiction from the Not So Gilded Age. Anywhere But Schuylkill is the first in his Great Upheaval trilogy. A lifelong union activist, he has always been drawn to stories of the past, particularly those of regular working people, struggling to make a better life for themselves and their families.
Stories most people do not know, or have forgotten, because history is written by the victors, the robber barons and plutocrats, not the workers and immigrants. Yet their stories are among the most compelling in America. They resonate today because they are the stories of our own ancestors, because their passions and desires, struggles and tragedies, were so similar to our own.
When Michael Dunn is not writing historical fiction, he teaches high school, and writes about labor history and culture.
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Thank you so much for hosting Michael Dunn today, and for your great review of Anywhere But Schuylkill.
ReplyDeleteTake care,
Cathie xo
The Coffee Pot Book Club
It was a meaningful book.
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