A historical drama set against the backdrop of the Battle of Blair Mountain, pitting a multiethnic army of ten thousand coal miners against mine owners, state militia, and the United States government in the largest labor uprising in American history
Rednecks is a tour de force, big-canvas historical novel that dramatizes the West Virginia Mine Wars of 1920 and 1921—from the Matewan Massacre through the Battle of Blair Mountain—the largest armed conflict on American soil since the Civil War, when some one million rounds were fired, bombs were dropped on Appalachia, and the term redneck found an unexpected origin story.
Brimming with high-stakes drama from America’s buried history, Rednecks tells a powerful story of rebellion against oppression. In a land where the coal companies use violence and intimidation to keep miners from organizing, “Doc Moo” Muhanna, a Lebanese American doctor (inspired by the author’s own great-grandfather), toils amid the blood and injustice of the mining camps, risking his life and career to treat sick and wounded miners; Frank Hugham, a Black World War I veteran and coal miner, takes dramatic steps to lead a miners’ revolt with a band of fellow veterans; and Frank’s grandmother, Beulah, fights her own battle to save her home and grandson.
Real-life historical figures burn bright among the hills: the fiery Mother Jones, an Irish-born labor organizer once known as “The Most Dangerous Woman in America,” struggles to maintain the ear of the miners amid the tide of rebellion, and the sharp-shooting police chief, “Smilin’” Sid Hatfield, dares to stand up to the “gun thugs” of the coal companies, becoming a folk hero of the mine wars.
Award-winning novelist Taylor Brown brings to life one of the most compelling events in twentieth-century American history, reminding us of the hard-won origins of today’s unions. Rednecks is a propulsive, character-driven tale that’s both a century old and blisteringly contemporary: a story of unexpected friendship, heroism in the face of injustice, and the power of love and community against all odds.
“Just like its namesake, Rednecks is dressed in grit, moxie, and charm. The West Virginia Mine Wars’ secret history turns urgently prescient in Taylor Brown’s steady hands. Every single page sings with writing that is lyrical, agile, and bold. A matchless novel.”—Amy Jo Burns, author of Mercury
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