Rednecks

Taylor Brown has written a compelling historical novel about the Battle of Blair Mountain, West Virginia. Although the largest battle on US soil since the Civil War, it's probably fair to say that many outside the region are not familiar with it.

The pivotal character in the book is Dr. Domit (Dr. Moo) Muhanna, a Lebanese man who came to Kentucky to go to medical school and who stayed to care for mine workers and all who needed his care. He is based upon the author's great-grandfather, who also came from Lebanon to attend medical school in Kentucky.

The year was 1920, and joining the union warranted harsh treatment -- often at gunpoint--in the minds of the coal bosses. If a man joined the union, he and his family lost their company housing and, near Blair Mountain, were moved to a tent city at the top of the hill. Contrast that to the mansions enjoyed by the mine executives.

Much of the book deals with the battle between the bosses' hired enforcers and the miners who just wanted to feed their families and house them decently. Some had just returned from fighting in World War I, and employed strategies they had learned there. Still, the Battle of Blair Mountain sounds as if it was an excruciating fight, with victory never assured for one side over the other.

The action moves quickly. Not only was the book hard to put down, it was hard to stop thinking about when I wasn't reading. I recommend "Rednecks." Taylor Brown brings history to life. I was also impressed by the book's bibliography.

This is based on a true event that happened in the 1900s between coal mine workers and anti union people. I had never heard of this history of West Virginia and it's very sad. This almost became the second civil war.

I loved the characters and the prose that Brown used to describe the area as well as the lives of the inhabitants. I'm glad Brown brought this to light, it is a period in history that should not be forgotten.

Rednecks is based on fact and many characters did try to help them. This story is about the coal mines and the unions trying to help the miners and, as we all know, the mine owners fought with everything they had to avoid the unions. This story takes place in West Virginia – the hardships the miners and their families had to endure – as the old Tennessee Ernie Ford song goes: You owe your soul to the company store.. The mines owned your house, all the stores you had no choice to get your items and of course not enough pay and horrible conditions to work under the ground. I believe the story was very truthful to the times but I thought it was a little too long and drawn out – I did feel sorry for those people who had to work in those mines. I am sure many of us have had a family member who worked in those mines. A ery ad and heartbreaking story.

In less than 10 years, author Taylor Brown has developed into a undeniable force. About every two years, he turns out a new novel that one just cannot put down. "The River of Kings" and "Gods of Howl Mountain" are two of my favorite books of recent times. I honestly did not think he would ever be able to reproduce that level of writing again. Then I received an ARC of "Rednecks", his latest novel (to be published in May 2024). Wow! Was I ever wrong in doubting his ability! I dare say Rednecks is his best work yet.
The book is set in the early 1920's, in the coal fields of West Virginia. It's the story of the underdog coal miners against, well, everyone else....the coal barons, the hired thugs of the companies, and even the government. I wasn't familiar with the "war" that went on there, but am totally shocked at it now. HOW did this happen???? It gives me a much deeper appreciation of the struggles and sacrifices of so many to unionize.
This is an incredible story! I guarantee that once you begin reading it, you will not rest until you finish it. Brown has written a great narrative of the war, using many varied characters. Each is well developed and feels real. The way he writes, you can see the landscapes, smell the gun smoke and sweat, taste the fear in the people, hear the guns as well as the silences. It's all here. You will become immersed in the settings, and actually flinch when a gun goes off in the story. At the end, you're exhausted, unaware that anyone could write to make you feel such a range of emotions. And you will sit back in your chair, take a deep breath, and realize how lucky we are today because of the sacrifices of the people before us. I'm glad Brown only releases a book every two years, I honestly need the time in between to recover from the last one!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book shines a light on a historical event that most people have never heard of. And it's an important piece of history that should be more well known.
I could put myself into the scenes and really feel the characters come alive.
Well written and informative.

In the early 1920s, the American soldiers who had survived the brutal trench warfare had returned from the Great War in Europe. They returned to their homes and to new lives in a rapidly urbanizing country. Except some people lived a rural existence, not much different than the lives of their parents before them. And some of those same people had spent the war deep underground in a coal mine. You see, part of the war effort required that some of the country’s fittest men continue slogging away in the mines to serve their country, whose war apparatus would come to a standstill without the power of coal.

How did the country repay these coal miners? As Rednecks brings to life, the American government fought against and dropped bombs on their own citizens as a response to their attempt to unionize against Big Coal. As they say, truth is stranger than fiction.

The Battle of Blair Mountain is not taught in schools. It was barely publicized when it occurred, for obvious reasons. But this battle on American soil that pitted the government against its own citizens is a true story that shows the perils of big business and government in cahoots.

Rednecks is a fictionalized account based on this true story and seeks to shine the light of day on a dark moment from a century ago. Before the battle and soldiers in town, first came inhumane treatment. As with other “company towns,” the company owned everything and everyone. Miners’ homes were property of the coal company, the local store would have likely offered food and other necessities on credit only, payable through paychecks. This created a situation ripe for abuse where to do anything against the coal company would leave someone destitute and homeless. Fed up with the treatment, American workers in coal mines – like in many industries – sought to unionize and better their situation.

By the opening of Rednecks, the Baldwin Miners have already been striking and the retort of the coal company is often nothing less than death or atrocious beatings. Brown builds his fictional account around a Lebanese doctor, ‘Doc Moo,’ and his family; Big Frank, a miner, and his grandmother, Miss Beulah; Sidney Hatfield; and adds to them real people like Mother Jones (1837-1930), known for her union organizing during her lifetime.

This novel is a slow burn, not unlike the conditions that lead to the ultimate conflagration. A shooting here, a response, a beating there, a response; if the town were music, it would be jazz, with the call-and-response dynamic. The miners and their families have been kicked out of their homes in town and have been living in an unsanitary tent city up in the mountains. While the coal company has all the power, the miners really have nothing to lose. Led by Big Frank, who gradually becomes more extreme over the course of the novel based on his abuse at the hands of the opposition, the miners decide to fight back with all they’ve got.

Doc Moo, originally serving as the doctor to all in the area, is ultimately forced to choose a side. History is complicated and – as the novel reminds us – the victors write the history. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a right side.

Brown’s novel is disturbing in its violence and inhumane treatment but it is not without hope, best epitomized in Doc Moo’s focus on healing and saving life even under the worst circumstances. I’d recommend this novel to anyone interested in Appalachian history and lesser told stories of American history. Not having been familiar with this author previously, I look forward to reading more from him!

REDNECKS
BY: TAYLOR BROWN

Taylor Brown is my absolute favorite author and to say that he's magnificently talented is an understatement. I don't know how he continues to master the finely honed skill of getting better with each new historical novel that he writes. He always manages to create a uniquely distinct highly addictive reading experience that is extremely thrilling to inhale and devour in one sitting. Like a fine painter he creates a visual experience for me as I can actually see in my minds eye the deeply rich and atmospheric setting that he has created as if I am inhabiting the location. For many years his excellent historical novel, called, "Fallen Land," was my favorite. At this time, I have been mulling it over in my mind whether this one called, "Rednecks," holds a tied position, or if this one finally surpassed it as my new favorite by this incredibly gifted author.

This is a beautiful and haunting historical fiction novel where Taylor Brown, has done more than adequate due diligence by including a Bibliography that enumerates thirteen books of which he has more than proven his vast multitude of meticulous research that went into writing this masterpiece. I mean that sincerely, that this is truly a masterpiece.

I want to illuminate that the title, "Rednecks," of which I interpreted it to be the nick name for the coal miners that fought back against corrupt murdering thugs toting guns that took place on Blair Mountain in West Virginia. I might be wrong but I thought the term was coined because of the red bandannas that the coal miners wore. A second reading which I will be more than happy to do, because of how thrilling this was, if I have it wrong then I will come back and update this. This enormous battle has been quickly forgotten, but was the largest one fought on American soil since the Civil War. One million rounds of ammunition were fired and it took the United States Infantry Division of the army to intervene to put an end to it. (As is stated in the novel). This novel takes place during the year 1921. In the generous Author's Note which I always greatly appreciate Taylor Brown states that in 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the National Industrial Recovery Act. This guarantees the right of American workers to be able to join labor unions of their choosing. It was part of his famous New Deal legislation, with its intent on being able to bring the United States out of the Great Depression.

Also as a part of the generous Author's Note that is of great interest to me that as soon as the coal miners surrendered the State of West Virginia charged more than one thousand of them. Among the charges that the state brought against the miners were treason, insurrection, and murder. I was deeply invested in this story which ends before any charges are brought. I was rooting the whole time for the coal miners' who I viewed as the underdog and they had my sympathy throughout for all of the injustices that were unfairly visited upon them. They were overworked and grossly underpaid for performing a dangerous job that had deadly consequences for many of them.

Bill Blizzard who was an American union organizer and who also was the commander of the miners' army during the Battle of Blair Mountain, and president of District 17 of the United Mine Workers (UMWA). Bill Blizzard is most remembered for his role in the Battle of Blair Mountain leading the miners' against the forces of Logan County sheriff Don Chafin. For his leadership role in the battle, Blizzard was charged with treason, but was acquitted at his trial of these charges. I did my own research on Bill Blizzard. I did glean from the generous Author's Note that he went to trial first and the state prosecutor recused himself calling the trial a farce and the coal operators' own attorneys stepped in to lead the prosecution. In Taylor Brown's words he said that "Yes, the hired guns of the Coal Operators Association would try a man for treason against the state and bill that state more than $100,000 for the privilege--such as the law in that time in place. Blizzard was acquitted after the defense unveiled their secret weapon, an unexploded bomb dropped on the marchers. It was dismantled on the courtroom floor to reveal a cruel payload of intended shrapnel: fifteen nuts, seven bolts, a ratchet wheel, and a bucket's worth of nails, screws, and irregular metal fragments meant to liquefy human flesh." This type of bomb was used against the miners in the novel as they were dropped on them from airplanes.

Big Frank Hugham was the central character that in my memory played the main role of the very abused miner. He was taken by the law and intercepted on a train platform on his way home and severely beaten and scarred. There wasn't any record of his arrest and the horrendous beating that was perpetrated on him. Frank, his gentle grandmother who was put out of her home by King Coal among many others who were forced to live in the woods in tents. As well as the only physician who was Doctor Domit Muhanna were my three favorite characters. All three of them were kind, humble and were people who I wish were my friends. They were the kind of characters that are easy to love. I was disappointed to read in the Author's Note that Big Frank Hugham is a fictional character, but on a positive side his character is inspired by two men. One of the men is Dan "Few Clothes Johnson" Chain, a prominent labor organizer with fists like "picnic hams," who was a member of the Dirty Eleven commando force during the Paint Creek Mine War of 1912, and Frank Ingham, a veteran Mingo miner and a UMWA member who was beaten, jailed, and evicted on multiple occasions for his Union membership and sympathies. Frank Inham's wrongful arrest and attempted murder in Welch runs particularly close to scenes portrayed in the book. I agree wholeheartedly that Taylor Brown did give Big Frank Hugham the same mixture of the two real men which he successfully blended to sketch into the composite of this wonderful protagonist that he developed. Closer to this fantastic author's heart is my other favorite character who is the second male protagonist, Doctor Domit Muhanna who was inspired by Taylor Brown's great-grandfather. The author's great-grandfather Domit Simon Sphire, a farmer's son who emigrated to the United States from Mount Lebanon in 1889, at the age of fourteen, alone except for a priest as a chaperone. He graduated from the Kentucky School of Medicine, eloped with Buddeea Muhanna of Deir al-Ahmar, and became a well respected physician and medical examiner in rural Kentucky. The author's maternal grandmother, Amelia Sphire Smart, was the fourth daughter of six children, five daughters and one son--the "baby," Mosa. The author, Taylor Brown shares the same birthday as his great-grandfather, and states he's always felt a special connection to him--especially since his grandmother liked to remind this author of that fact. I can see how closely the selfless and helpful protagonist Doctor Domit Muhanna and his supportive and loving wife Buddeea, with their several daughters' and the youngest son Musa resemble this author's lineage. I loved and admired all of his characters except the King Coal company and corrupt sheriff and the state troopers who were all murderers and were against the miners forming a Labor Union. Their efforts to stop these miners from earning a fair wage, their evictions of the miners putting them out on the street was brutal and seemed unconstitutional. It's easy to grasp why the miners banded together after all the great injustices done to them culminating from corrupt officials that account for what happened on Blair Mountain. Which is largely forgotten except by the people of Appalachia. Hopefully the readers of this gorgeous historical fiction called, "Rednecks," will honor the miners who lost their lives and their cause will not be in vain, but will gain their due recognition.

I want to share the Prologue:

"They work beneath the pale flames of carbide headlamps. Some swing picks into the face, hewing
the coal straight from the seam, while others shovel the black rubble into iron carts. All crouch like
boxers in this shoulder high chamber, which they call a room. They work dark to dark in this mine,
descending before daylight touches the deep, coal-camp hollers where they live and surfacing ten
hours later, soot-faced as chimney sweeps, the last glow of dusk to greet them.
The mine cars are drawn to the surface by mules born underground, animals who only know
darkness, like some cave species, pulling their trains of coal through swinging trapdoors attended by
ten-year-old boys who curse and sweet-talk them in turn. Boys they kick into the wall when
they like. All breathe a black dust, explosive, which swirls through the cramped, yellowy light. The
pickers and shovelers work with red bandannas knotted over their faces, the cotton black-fogged
over their noses and mouths.
Perhaps it's an inadvertent spark from a miner's pick, striking an unseen shard of flint. Perhaps a
pocket of methane has just been inhaled from the strata, freed after eons. The mountain erupts. A
train of fire bores through the tunnels and shafts and rooms. Men are buried alive, boys buried
underground. A great plume of ash blows from the mouth of the mine and rolls skyward, seen for
miles.
The morning papers will read 21 KILLED IN MINE BLAST. The country will hardly register the news.
Such headlines are frequent, far removed from the reading public, like earthquakes or eruptions on
far sides of the world.
Outside the drift mouth, two miners lie on their bellies, heaving, their hands atop their heads. They
look at each other. Red-eyed, dizzied, ears a-whine. The world blows around them, dust and smoke
and red meteors of coal. Everything clad in a pale of ash, thick and wooly. Tonight the coal camp
will wail with death.
One raises his head. 'Told you she'd blow, ain't I? This wouldn't never happen at no Union mine.
We'd have them vent shafts we asked for.'
The other miner looks over his shoulder, eyes wild, as if the Devil might be standing behind them,
marking their words. He hisses through his teeth: 'Hush with that talk, man. You're like to get us
kilt.'

Taylor Brown you have created a true masterpiece. You've done your great grandfather proud by creating such a warm, lovable and caring physician, along with both his wife and children drawing inspiration with your sense of connection to your own family. I couldn't have loved this historical fiction novel more, which is based on a forgotten piece of history. I will never forget what those miners' went through and you've honored them by creating the wonderful Big Frank Hugham, his grandmother, and his fellow miners. This is the best novel that I've read in the past few years. I have read and loved all of Taylor Brown's body of work, but this is my new favorite of all time. I know that other popular male novelists draw inspiration from Taylor Brown. I highly, highly recommend this to everyone. This will have a great audience with both women and men. I will be thinking about this story for a very long time. I can't wait to get the physical hardcover copy for my collection of the best of the best. I LOVED IT! Five Plus Sparking Stars!

Here is a link to my review by Taylor Brown's last historical fiction novel called, "Wingwalkers." I'm sorry but the Good Reads Website won't allow me to post this link. It must be a glitch.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4513221672

Publication Date: May 14, 2024! This is my oldest son's Birthday! No Wonder I feel deeply connected to this Terrifically well written novel. I'll be celebrating on this day, also!

Thank you to Net Galley, Taylor Brown and St. Martin's Press for generously providing me with my fantastic eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#Rednecks #TaylorBrown #StMartinsPress #NetGalley

This is an absolutely stunning depiction of the early Twentieth Century efforts by West Virginia coal miners to unionize and fight for their own fundamental dignity and independence from mining companies-- stunning in both its beauty and in its horrors. It is a novel, but there is no question that the author meticulously researched the labor battles and every character who is based on a real person. I knew that I was in the hands of an excellent writer when, early in the book, I came to a transitional paragraph about coal that started with a reminder that it is found in the Christmas stockings of wicked children and ended by making that point that coal is also combustible. You can see and smell West Virginia in Taylor Brown's scenery and you can feel the heartbeats of his characters. Immerse yourself in this luscious book and you will come away well informed and inspired.

I really enjoyed this historical fiction novel, it talked about something that I had never heard of before. It was a great drama book with interesting characters and worked for the time-period. Taylor Brown has a great writing style for this type of book and enjoyed the mixture of real and made up people.

In Rednecks, Taylor Brown has captured the strength and resilience of the coal mining community in the face of near insurmountable opposition by King Coal and the powerful network of politicians and officials who held the control. The story is rich in detail, accurate in its portrayals, and loaded with emotional pull. As a result of its subject matter, it is heavy and graphically descriptive at times, and its pacing can be grueling in places as the story mimics the miners’ fight for a quality of life.

The plot follows the work of Dr. Moo, a local doctor treating the miners and residents of the mountain-perched communities along the Tug Fork in West Virginia and a young miner named Big Frank, his fellow miners, and his aged grandmother. Through an omniscient narrator and multiple points of view and plot lines, Brown shows how the fight between the miners and the coal companies affected every aspect of life.

The historical accuracy of Rednecks would make it an asset to any middle school or high school study of the Battle of Blair Mountain and the work of Mother Jones and other labor activists. Its characterization and plot lines make it intriguing and enthralling. It is, however, grueling. The descriptions of abuse, violence, and warfare are detailed and graphic. The overpowering sense of helplessness in the face of political and corporate collusion make it heavy and grim. There is little relief from the weight of the story, and the consistent heaviness makes the story difficult to enjoy but accurate and important as a part of a study of the time period and issues.

This novel could be used as enrichment reading or as a small group selection, paired with other historical novels set during the era. I appreciate the strength and courage Brown communicates through the characters and the commitment to accurately depicting the miners’ plight.

Rednecks by Taylor Brown is a well written historical fiction that I had such a hard time putting away.
A brilliantly-written adventure story. A captivating time in history, well-paced plot, lovable, but flawed characters.
The rich details given by the author were very satisfying, and made the history come alive. And the beautiful prose, I found myself immersed in this literary fiction.

Thank You NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This novel brings to mind the lyrics of the mournful Merle Travis folk song, “Sixteen Tons.” One can’t help but hear the words sung by either of these proud “rednecks”  Tennessee Ernie Ford or Johnny Cash. “You load 16 tons, what do ya get? Another day older and deeper in debt … I owe my soul to the company store.” Clearly, the labor of West Virginia miners in the 20’s was essential for the world economy, yet their welfare was poorly appreciated by corporate owners and a complicit government. Brown’s novel emphasizes the cruel injustices that the miners faced as well as their heroism and comraderies. Their violent struggle has been lost to history because, as Brown points out, the history is told be the winners. Despite the shocking nature of what Brown depicts in this novel, many of the underlying issues have yet to be fully resolved. Union busting and corporate/government collusion still present problems for society.

The focuses of the story are the violent confrontations in the 20’s between the coal barons along with their hired thugs and politicians versus miners in Metewan and especially Blair Mountain. Conditions were inhumane, including long hours below ground, constant danger, low pay, a shortened lifespan, and an oppressive system that bordered on slavery. The latter included payment in script that was only good in the company stores, laissez faire medical care, and company owned housing that could be withdrawn at any time leaving families homeless and destitute.

Brown tells the story in exquisite detail using a combination of actual historical figures (e.g., "Smilin" Sid Hatfield and Mother Jones) and fictional characters who are loosely based on actual people (e.g., "Doc Moo" Muhanna, Frank Hugham, and Frank’s mother Miss Beulah). Brown’s narrative imagines the humanity of these people along with the extreme level of violence that took place during the uprising. Human life was unmistakably cheapened. He conveys senses of hopelessness and rage that undoubtedly pervaded the outgunned miners. If the novel has any shortcoming, it might be a lack of balance in the telling. He represents the miner side as almost universally high minded and heroic, while the owners and their supporters are shown as greedy, almost depraved, and undoubtedly racist. Their symbol of red bandanas worn around the neck persists to this day as a racist meme.

During 1920 to 1921 in the hills of West Virginia, striking mine workers and company men faced off against one another in a forgotten war. Over one million bullets were fired, bombs were dropped, and men died in droves. This book singles out a handful of characters including Doc Moo a Lebanese-American, Frank Hugham, a black miner and Smilin Sid Hatfield, the town’s sheriff.

This was a well written and engaging book - I had a hard time putting it down! I was amazed that this battle was fought on American soil, but is not mentioned in the history books. I am also fascinated by the history of labor relations in the US and how workers struggled and fought for their rights. Overall, highly recommended!

"Rednecks" by Taylor Brown is a historical fiction book about a battle you may not have heard of - The Battle of Blair Mountain. This battle took place in West Virginia in the early 1920s. Mining conditions were horrible back in the 1920s and since owners called all the shots, miners were necessary but disposable. This book is definitely slanted in the pro-union side - and fiery Mother Jones makes a few appearances. Would I have liked this book a little more balanced regarding the “sides,” maybe - but I think the characters are what really sold this book. Frank, Dr. Moo, Musa, Mama B, Smilin’ Sid, and others capture different aspects of this story wonderfully. I think this book would be made into a great TV movie of some sort - it’s got depth, action, motives, and community. I’ve already recommended this book to someone who likes both Mother Jones and history. Very well written, very well researched, and overall a very well done book.

My very first ARC (advanced reader copy)!

This was such an interesting read! It was filled with so much information that I found myself telling multiple family members about different things I had learned. For example: Redneck, the term, doesn’t come from necks being burned while working in the sun but from the red bandanas the coal miners wore when they took up for their rights and stormed the holds of King Coal. I also learned that the @nytimes still has articles about Smilin’ Sid Hatfield available to read on their app!

I would highly recommend this book. Even if history isn’t necessarily your preferred genre. This book has everything: adventure, information, and compelling characters (Doc Moo!! Big Frank!!).

I am so thankful to @stmartinspress for my FIRST ever ARC. I am so excited to be given the chance to read more books this year! thank you to @netgalley for the opportunity to request books. And last, but not least, thank you @taylorbrown82 for writing a story that is full of information, adventure, and most importantly love.

Rednecks is an intriguing historical fiction novel about the Battle of Blair Mountain in 1920. This provided me with a ton of insight into the conditions between the coal miners, and their work in unhealthy conditions which led to a civil uprising.

Rednecks is an incredible book where the plot is a historical event that most haven't ever heard of but should be more well-known. The book is well-written, and the author did an incredible job bringing the story to life. The characters captivate you from the beginning of the story and carry on throughout the story. Once I began the story, I couldn't put it down. I was immersed in the setting and felt an entire range of emotions while reading this novel.

Thank you so much to the publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to preview an ARC of the novel.

Several years ago after reading The Gods of Howl Mountain I planned on reading more by Taylor Brown, but until now, haven't. Based on this, Rednecks, I will keep that vow. His writing is sharp, meaty and exceedingly well researched. He is passionate about his subjects and makes sure the details align with reality, nothing romanticized to increase readership. Here we have the story that John Sayles began with his 1987 movie, Matewan. About the West Virginia/Kentucky coal miner wars of the early 1920's. The bloodiest, most violent and cruel, ruinous war fought on American soil since the Civil War. Brown does create some characters so this is not a wholly nonfictional account. But he does so realistically, with respect. Intermingled with actual personalities from the time, the fictionalized characters round out the population and make emotions and conversations possible, but this doesn't distract from the overall power of this book. Highly recommended.

When I first discovered Taylor Brown in 2015, I was immediately drawn to his beautiful writing and story telling. I’ve read all of his novels since then and while I loved the others, especially [book:Fallen Land|25632620] , this one felt deeper and more important since there seems to be so little known or taught about the Battle of Blair Mountain, the largest labor uprising in our country’s history. It feels important now, more than ever to consider our history.

The writing is perfection . Reading this was like watching a movie on an IMAX screen and I found myself in the center of it all - the horrific results of mine accidents, the violent shootouts, vicious attacks on individuals, the trauma on families being removed from their mine owned homes . Violence , a lot of violence , but that’s the reality of what happened in West Virginia in 1921. I also found myself in touching moments of family love, intimate details of character’s back stories and the beauty of people caring for their neighbors and friends. This is a war story, though , a war between the mine workers and the greedy, vulture mine owners and their hired thugs . They called it an insurrection, and it couldn’t have been more justified with men being held as indentured servants in many ways , being paid in company scrip , living in company owned cabins that families could get evicted from if you were a union supporter , or if the miner dies. Militia law instead of the constitution and Americans dropping bombs on American soil for the sake of greed. I knew of coal miner’s strikes , but I really had no idea .

Brown brings history to life with his extraordinary story telling, not just transporting he reader to the very time and place , but to the very heart and soul of his charcters lives , whether real life historical figures like Sid Hatfield and Mother Jones or the fictional characters he imagines there , who seem just as real. While there are courageous men who valiantly take up arms , one of my favorite characters is Dr. Moo, a hero without a gun inspired by Brown’s great grandfather. If you’re a fan of Taylor Brown, I don’t have to recommend this because you will probably read it and like me fall in love with his writing all over again and you will learn what the term redneck really means. If you have not read Taylor Brown, I’ll just say that this man was born to write.

I love knowing a writers inspiration and was glad to read Taylor Brown’s review of his book on Goodreads where he describes how he came to write this .

Happy to be back reading with my book buddy Diane .

I received a copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley.

All I can say is "Wow!"
Most of us have heard the stories of the mining industry in a not-so-long-ago time in the United States. Abuse, predatory men in suits, children dying from coal in their lungs. Taylor Brown's Rednecks gives us an in-depth perspective- one that tells the story of what really happened in those hills. Come with us and let Taylor take you back in time, back to the mines that killed not only people, but bloodlines.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the E-ARC version of this book. My thoughts and reviews are my own.

My first five star read of the year and it was a buddy read with Angela. Books like this remind us of what those that came before us went through to secure many rights we have today. Unfortunately, many of those rights are currently being eroded, one by one. The coal miner strike, a.strike that was for better pay, less hours and saved working conditions. On the backs.of these miners the owners of the coal companies, made millions, enough to buy senators, governors and other influential people.

A violent book, a book that shows the huge cost paid by the striking men and their families. The coal owners owned these men hook, line and sinker. Company housing, company stores, all used to enslave these men. Characters that one can't but take to heart. A doctor who risks all to help.the striking miners, an old black women who is worried about her grandson Frank, the only family she has left. Big Frank, a man who suffers many horrific injuries, but refuses to give up and of course Mother Jones. She considers these men her boys and even in her nineties she shows up to.provide her wisdom and moral support to these men.

A book that all should read, but those who need the reminder of the struggles of those in the past, probably wont. An authors note includes the reason why the author wrote.this book among other pertinent info.

ARC from.Netgalley.

An important story. How did I not know this? How were we not taught this in school? Bombs on American soil on its own people?

This is historical fiction at its finest. Taylor Brown captures the spirit of the people of the Battle of Blair Mountain. This book is written in their blood, sweat, and tears.

Each character, from Frank to Doc Moo, are treated with respect. I love how there is no sugarcoating these times, the subject matter difficult to digest, and yet Brown keeps it entertaining. I loved the relationships among the miners. Brown really made this a testament to their souls.

It was a time when King Coal was so powerful and rich the law was in its pocket. The workers were expendable–immigrants and people of color and poor whites, so easily replaced. The work was gruelling, men hunched over in three foot high tunnels for six and a half days a week. The men’s bodies grew strong, but with time disease and exhaustion and accidents took them. And when the menfolk could no longer work, they were thrown out of the houses the mine provided. But what choices did the miners have? What other work was there?

Across the country, workers were organizing unions to demand a just wage and safe working conditions. The workers went on strike and were thrown out of their houses. The miners found quick replacements.

In West Virginia the mine owners hired enforcers to shut down the strikers, killing those who stood by them. Mother Jones, tired and worn from years of union organizing, came with Union supplies and speeches, until she realized the miners were fighting a war they would not win.

The conflict became legendary, the largest armed conflict since the Civil War.

Rednecks brings to life the people and events of the Matewan Massacre and Battle of Blair Mountain in a narrative filled with tension and threat without respite. Author Taylor Brown creates memorable characters on both sides of the conflict, and in the middle a Lebanese born doctor dedicated to healing who must choose sides, inspired by his own grandfather.

On one side were the mine owners, their hired thugs and the lawmen they bribed, and even Federal troops. On the other side the workers and their families, reduced to living in tents, their anger growing with every murder and beating. The miners wore red bandanas, and were known as Rednecks, which made them easy targets when vigilants and lawmen and Federal troops went to war against them.

The novel is riveting as historical fiction, and illuminating as history of the oppression of the workers, consisting of the most vulnerable and least powerful in society. Decried as socialism and anti-capitalist, Unions also are behind laws that protect workers and a fair wage and created the middle class. In recent years, unions have lost members and power, and we have seen the middle class decline.

We have forgotten the sacrifices and the violence behind laws we take for granted. Rednecks reminds us of this history.

Thanks to the publisher for a free book.

This is an astonishing historical account of US history that many of us don’t know about. It’s well written with a dialect that takes you to the friendly folks living in a small town of Matewan, West Virginia in the early 1920s.

Coal miners were angry. They were working 10-hour days, nearly 7 days a week in the dark, cold earth where black lung disease was common. Some of the brave miners tried to form a union which caused setbacks and violent attacks.

Two sides were fighting in the Battle of Blair Mountain – one for the rights of better working conditions and the other one for the big coal operators supported by the government. It’s always about money and control of the people, isn’t it?

The book gives readers a glimpse of the workers, a few prominent union leaders and one resident who was noteworthy: Dr. Domit Ibrahim Muhanna of Mingo County. He was born in the mountains of Lebonan and was inspired to move to the West Virginia hills to be near a cousin. This man gave the story a human element of goodness.

I don’t know how I missed this part of our history. Some felt it was a second civil war with all of the blood on American soil. It’s well written although parts have fighting that seemed to go on forever. While it was inspired by a true story, it was exhausting reading how Americans could be so destructive with each other and the land.

Yet, we read history to learn from it. Could something similar happen again in our country with two strong sides fighting against each other on American soil? It’s a thought I wish I never had to think about. This story would make a good book discussion. At the end, there is a bibliography which could inspire one to read more about this turbulent time.

My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of May 14, 2024.

As someone who grew up in Appalachia, and the granddaughter of a coal miner, I was excited to read this book and also hesitant because so often our history is misrepresented. This was my first Taylor Brown book and I was impressed by his research and storytelling. I cared deeply about the characters because they seemed real. Of course, some were, but some were fictional. They were all believable. The battle of Blair mountain was a huge historical event in our country yet the majority of people haven’t even heard of it. This story needed to be told and I encourage everyone to read it. Action packed and full of heart- five stars.

Name of Book: Rednecks
Author: Taylor Brown
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pub Date: May 14, 2024
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pages: 320

I grew up in West Virginia; my fathers as well as two of my brothers were coal miners. Thankfully after this time period even so it was still dangerous. My youngest brother who started out a HS History teacher became a coal miner as the pay was so much better than being a teacher. He was seriously injured when one of the coal cars pinned him; He recovered but remained on disability.

This is the story of the 1920/21 “Battle of Blair Mountain”, the coal miners trying to become part of a union in West Virginia. The bigwig owners of the mines weren’t having it and even the military was called up against the miners.

Story features actual characters as well some from Mr. Brown’s creative imagination.--men and women, adults and children, Black, white, and immigrants who worked in the dangerous West Virginia coal mines.
“Rednecks” tells a dramatic story of rebellion against oppression. Taylor Brown introduces crucial point of view characters: "Doc Moo" Muhanna.
I knew nothing about this story. My hubby is an engineer but loves history so it was excited I was reading this.
Be sure to read – ‘The Author’s Note’ as it is a story in itself!

The term ‘redneck’ has been around for many years but is typically associated with the Appalachian working class as backwards, and uneducated. Unfortunately the term is still used - I am sure no one knows the meaning other than it is negative!

Want to thank NetGalley and Saint Martin’s Press for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for May 14, 2024

One of the best parts of historical fiction for me is learning about the events of another time that are not widely known. Author Taylor Brown has done a wonderful job with this, mixing real-life and invented characters to convey the explosive events that led to The Battle of Blair Mountain in West Virginia. I can not say enough about the author's ability to bring the characters to life. The struggles the miners endured and their sacrifices to obtain justice were captivating. This story is exceptionally well written and researched. The events of the book are milestones of American History, as the largest labor uprising in US History. I recommend this one for all Historical Fiction lovers.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader copy, in exchange for an honest review.

"An army of men rising from the earth, clad in blue bib overalls. They hail from Italy and Poland, the Deep South and Appalachia. One in five is Black. They wear red bandanas knotted around their necks, as if their throats have already been cut. People will call them primitives and hillbillies, anarchists and insurrectionists. They will call them rednecks."

Rednecks by Taylor Brown is a historical fiction masterpiece, and if I never read another Taylor Brown novel, this is enough to solidify him as one of the most talented writers I've ever read. I realize those are a couple of lofty statements, but I happen also to be reading another highly acclaimed historical fiction novel right now. While I consider the writer of the other novel talented and the work very good, Rednecks held me tightly in its grip through its entirety, It didn't just entertain, it felt significant on so many levels.

It is a story of the Battle of Blair Mountain in 1921, between striking miners and the mine owners, their hired gun-toting thugs, local law enforcement, and the US Army. Miners and their families want to unionize under the United Mine Workers of America, but the mine owner refuse to concede anything, kicking them out of their company housing, refusing company scrip for food, and forcing them into squalid tent encampments, When violence erupts -- "building like methane in the chamber of a mine and any day could come the spark" -- war ensues between the factions. It is incomprehensible that I never learned of this battle before, especially since the mine workers were targets of aerial bombing even before the Army arrived - American bombs dropped on American soil.

"Reinforcements flooded in from out of state. Frank and his comrades met miners from the Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana coalfields. They came riding in on top of boxcars and passenger coaches, sitting on flatcars or hanging from the hoppers of coal trains. Their bodies festooned the cars, hands and boots and rifles hanging in the wind, the engines throbbing beneath their weight. The boldest among them crouched right in the cowcatchers, watching for ambushes."

Brown's research was impeccable. He included known key figures like Mother Jones and Sid Hatfield and real-life events. He uses meticulous details throughout to create characters that are endearing, like Doc Moo, Musa, Miss Beulah, and Big Frank, and to show just how impressively organized the miners fought, breaking into combat battalions, practicing military drills, and teaching infantry principles to "a combined force the size of the 1st Infantry Brigade" in the Great War.

Ironically, many of the fighters on both sides fought in World War I for their country only to use their experience to fight one another - exemplified by Crockett and Bad Tony, both veteran Marines with the same tattoo spanning their chests, who led rival factions. I had a particular soft spot for both Big Frank and Musa, who were so similar and shared such a touching encounter on the mountain away from the bloodshed.

With zero doubts, I can say Rednecks is a must-read, for its history lesson, rich narrative, bold characters, and beautiful writing.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy of this book through NetGalley, which I received in exchange for my honest review.