Well-researched historical fiction, especially when it focuses on an event or time period that is not often written about, is my favorite genre, so when I saw Rednecks was based on the Battle of Blair Mountain, I jumped at the chance to read it. The story of the West Virginia miners fight for the right to unionize and improve their working conditions is a unique entry in the historical fiction world, and one that I will not soon forget.

The characters, both real people and fictional beings, come from a wide range of backgrounds, and by the end of the book many had captured my heart. The plight of the miners and their families was portrayed in a way that made me understand why they were willing to risk everything to unionize. The book will appeal to readers of war novels primarily, although despite not being a fan of that type of story I did enjoy it.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC of Rednecks by Taylor Brown. The opinions in this review are my own.

This is the story of the Battle on Blair Mountain. This is where an army of 10,000 coal miners battle mine owners, state militia, and the United States government in the largest labor uprising in American history. A powerful story of rebellion against oppression.

This tale is full of great historical detail and unique characters! I knew some of how the redneck term came about, but I did not know all. What these coal miners went through to get safe practices and fair wages is mind boggling.

I did find the tale a bit redundant and repetitive in places. This is a minor issue, I learned such a great deal!

Need a well researched novel about a tale most of us have forgotten about…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Rednecks by Taylor Brown is about the civil massacre that happened on Blair Mountain in West Virginia. When mine workers started forming a union the mine owners formed a security force called the Brandt security who went around evicting everyone who worked at the mine and lived in one of their homes and despite the fact they didn’t fire them in the workers lived in tents outside of the town they still harassed cajoled and made up laws as they went from not being able to carry guns, union paraphernalia to not being able to gather in groups bigger than two or three people. One person who refuse to view the Brandt boys as law-enforcement was sheriffSid Hatfield, Sid had a long history in West Virginia and with the coal minors and stood with the coal minors something he would pay dearly for. It also follows Frank and his grandmother Mama D a black coal mine are living in one of the tents and he was one of the deadly seven coal workers who would see this fight until the bitter end. We also follow Dr. Mue, an Italian American, a Doctor, a family man, a devout Catholic, a a friend of Mama D in all who lived in tent city and beyond everyone I mentioned is fighting for their version of America as the author so App states in the book the mind owners didn’t want a union, the mine workers wanted one and everyone else was just caught in the middle and the end the army would be called in. The story is about that fight there are many personal stories told in the author did his due diligence and with the exception of a few people most of the characters were real and actually survived this ordeal this was a great book and one I definitely recommend. Sometimes in life you run across an author that you feel is a kindred spirit and that is definitely what I felt while reading Taylor Brown’s book and after going over the other ones in his catalog. I am now a humongous fan of this author and will definitely be reading more from him ASAP. This is a great book with surprising facts heroic true life events and a fiction narrative so worth reading. I want to thank Saint martins press and Net Galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Rednecks by Taylor Brown

This story is inspired by some real and some imagined characters given names by the author. The West Virginia miners’ strike of 1920-1921 actually happened.

Taylor Brown really did his homework for this book. The actions “King Coal”-the coal barons-took against those wishing to join a union was brutal. Miners were evicted from their homes and forced into tent encampments without electricity, heat or running water. Families had little food or money, and gun battles were fought where many innocents died.

The rednecks were so named because of the red handkerchiefs they wore as a symbol of solidarity in their quest to unionize. It is a moniker that is still used for mountaineers.

This informative historical fiction account will explain things you may not be aware of about early unionizing, before President FDR signed the Industrial Recovery Act making unions available to all.
Interesting, but for me, it reads more like non-fiction-just a little too dry. I’ll rate it 3 stars for true history buffs.

Thanks to NetGalley and St.Martin's Press for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

I love historical fiction; it's one of my favourite genres. However, there's something special about historical fiction that teaches me about events of which I have no background knowledge.
Rednecks sweeps readers back to West Virginia in 1920-1921 where the largest labour union uprising took place. Like most books of this genre, author Taylor Brown incorporates a world in which her fictional characters( Doc Moo, Miss Beluah) rub elbows with the real-life personalities( Mother Jones, Sid Hatfield) of the time.

Rednecks is a slow-burn type of read. From the opening, we see the swift actions of the mining company which owns the town evict the townspeople and force them into tent cities. Time and time again, we see the brutality as the violence escalates and the miners soon number 10,000 fighting against the mining company, the state militia, and even the United States government. It's hard to imagine how quickly orders are carried out against a nation's citizens. But it's not all violence as there are touching moments of family life and community banding together.

This was my first Taylor Brown novel, but I believe it won't be my last.







Publication Date 14/05/24
Goodreads Review 14/05/24

With hard-hitting and lyrical prose Taylor Brown has given us a gritty, sometimes gruesome, portrait of the Battle of Blair Mountain. He takes his time building up to the actual days of conflict. Key characters are brought to life, many based on real people like Dr. Moo, wife Buddeea, and son Musa. There is charismatic Sid Hatfield of the infamous feuding families. Real life Mother Mary Jones is woven throughout as she advocates for "her boys." One of those fictional boys was a Black WW I veteran named Frank Hugham. His perseverance through suffering and abuse was largely due to the love and support from his grandmother, Mama-B. You will love her and the Irish wolfhound who adopts her like I did. The blatant disregard of the mine owners toward their employees is sickening and their abuse of power is indefensible. Their ability to enlist the help of upstanding citizens was an unfortunate weapon in their arsenal. Quite simply, we must love our neighbors to avoid repeating the sins of the past.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review. Happy Publication Day tomorrow (May 14)!

In this age of union bashing, it is important to remember what the cost of not having a union by looking at what existed before collective bargaining. It is also important to look at what it cost to unionize. This novel examines in fictional form the most violent war to obtain some equivalence in power between management and those who were denigrated by management, perceived as less than human, disposable to maximize profits. What seems like Hollywood overdoing of violence was the literal cost. Many human lives. It is history that should be known and understood. Read. And learn.

Maybe you have seen a movie called Matewan or you have heard about or read about the Matewan Massacre and the battle of Blair Mountain these are tragic events in America around the turn of the 20th century with these events taking place in Appalachia and the State of West Virginia. While fictional in nature many of the people mentioned in this story and many of the events are pulled right from history. These events involved coal mine workers who were fighting for better work conditions and better living conditions for themselves and their families. The coal mine owners and their bosses worked harder to protect mules instead of the men and boys who worked in these mines. If you are familiar at all with this history or labor history around this time you may recognizes names like Mother Jones, Bill Blizzard, Sid and Devil Anse Hatfield from the Hatfield's and McCoy feud, Don Chafin and the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency. These are important stories about events in workers and Labor history. For any that be offended by the term Redneck read the book and see what this referencing and you will understand. This author has some great reads so give this and his other books a read. Last as you get to the end of this book it is atrocious what they do, try to do to these men who are trying to stand together and who they let run the show.

How have I never heard about this part of history? “Rednecks” is a powerful story about the Battle of Blair Mountain. It tell the story of the men who work in the coal mines who are treated lower than low. The greedy mine owners don’t care about these men- just the bottom line. The author, Taylor Brown, definitely did his research. This book doesn’t shy away from violence, but it was part of the history of the story.
I never knew the phrase referred to the men who wore red bandanas around their neck in solidarity with the labor unions. I need to check out other books by this author. Many thanks to the author, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for my copy of Rednecks by Taylor Brown.

I was intrigued by this book and reading about a topic I don't know as much about in the West Virginia Mine Wars but I really struggled with the writing style and tone of Rednecks. I found it overly repetitive and a little too detailed.

I see so many wonderful reviews of this book, but it wasn't for me.

“Rednecks” is the story of the largest battle on American soil since the Civil War, the Battle of Blair Mountain. West Virginia in 1920-1921 was the site of the West Virginia Mine wars where 10,000 multiethnic coal mine workers battled mine owners, state militia and the Unite States Army in the largest labor uprising in America.

I found the topic of this book fascinating, starting with Sid Hatfield of the Hatfield and McCoy fame to the United Mine Workers Union and the term redneck. While I learned a lot from this book, which is always a good thing, I struggled getting through it. It felt much longer than it 320 pages. Unfortunately, even after 320 pages, I still could not figure out why I struggled. I was invested in the factual pieces, which really was my driving force, but maybe not the characters or the fictional pieces enough? Overall, a super fascinating story and time in America’s history the was all but brushed under the rug, but may not have been the book for me.

*4.5 stars rounded up. An excellent piece of historical fiction that dramatizes the fight to unionize mine workers in West Virginia in 1920-1921. There were 'protests, picket lines, intimidation, sabotage. One side had power and influence; the other was willing to die.' It was very nearly a second civil war in Appalachia with the US army being called out and even a bomb or two being dropped on the workers.

Several years ago we stayed at Hawks Nest State Park Lodge in Ansted, WV, and during our stay, actors presented a play dramatizing this part of their state history. Through their stories, we learned the origin of the term 'rednecks' was for the bandannas the strikers wore.

The best part of this book are the characters. I had many favorites, such as: Big Frank Hugham and his grandmother, Miss Beulah; Dr Domit Ibrahim Muhanna, known as Dr Moo; Smilin' Sid Hatfield, chief of the Matewan Police; Mary Harris "Mother" Jones, once called "The Most Dangerous Woman in America;" and of course, all the brave men and women who fought for what was right, namely decent pay and safe working conditions. Read this book to learn more about a little known piece of US history and labor struggles.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc of this new novel via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

Rednecks by Taylor Brown is an historical fiction based on the West Virginia Mine Wars between 1920 and 1921 culminating in the Battle of Blair Mountain. An army of 10,000 coal miners fought back against mine owners, state militia and the United States government in the largest labor uprising in American history and largest armed conflict since the Civil War. A powerful story of rebellion against oppression, in a land where coal companies used violence and intimidation to keep workers in line. Told from the perspectives of “Doc Moo” Muhanna, a Lebanese-American Doctor, who witnesses the blood toll and injustice occurring in the mining camps, and Frank Hugham, a black World War I veteran and coal miner, takes the dramatic steps to lead a miners’ revolt. Many historical figures make appearances as their roles in the conflict from the fiery Mother Jones, labeled as “The Most Dangerous Woman in America” to the sharp shooting police chief “Smilin’ Sid Hatfield.
The Battle of Blair Mountain and the West Virginia Mine Wars were quickly forgotten by the world outside of Appalachia while the people who live in the region, the memory is alive and well. Taylor Brown is an award winning novelist who brings these events to life in vivid color and reminds the world of the lengths that were taken to achieve the labor protections we take for granted today. As someone who was raised outside of the Appalachian regions, I knew of the conflicts between miners and the mine owners, however; I was shocked to learn the details of the injustices suffered, the acts of heroism, and cheered at the power of a community when they band together. I was also surprised to learn the unexpected origin of the term redneck. Redneck details the grittiness of the region and the people’s determination to stand up and fight back against all odds with realism and authenticity. I highly recommend Rednecks.

Rednecks will be available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook May 14, 2024

This book was so informative, and I am a huge lover of historical fiction that I had this feeling that I would love it, and I did. And the politics of the times, between the miners and the fight against getting union, this is something I love reading about. And the word “Redneck,” I never understood the word, except for the negatives of it, but to read this book and get an understanding as to how that word came about was a mind-blown moment. Lol.

Readers who like American history will enjoy this book. The West Virginia mine wars
are portrayed in this detailed account of the events. Set in the 1920's, workers rose up for their rights as coal miners. Rich in history details, readers will learn much from this dramatic novel.

I'm very glad I read this book and will be recommending it widely. Before reading Rednecks, I knew nothing about the Battle of Blair Mountain and very little about the plight of West Virginia's early 20th-century miners. I was particularly interested in the multi-racial, multicultural makeup of the people involved, who I would have thought to be more homogeneous.

Brown does an excellent job of fleshing out multiple characters and writing descriptions in a way that immerses readers in the story. I hope and anticipate Rednecks will be well-received.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read a digital ARC in advance of publication.

Powerful historical fiction that would be an amazing supplemental read for a course on Appalachian history as it intersects with the history of the labor movement in America. It's obvious that this was deeply researched, and that the author has immense love and care for the region, the people and the history. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this in advance.

Will not be giving feedback for this title due to the SMP boycott but I'm sure it's a good title. I will read and review once SMP speaks up.

I would recommend this book to anyone. It is tragic. Part way through I was thinking how ironic that the founding of America was meant to throw off tyranny, but that the entire nations seems steeped in tyranny in one form or another. How this slice of history that I've never even heard about epitomized that fracture in the promise of equality.

Then I read this: 'This country had attempted a "Great Experiment" for the promotion of human happines—a written recognition that all men were created equal, endowed with certain inalienable rights, and that the state existed to guarantee those liberties, not to impede them. In practice, those high ideals made it a nation of deep hypocrasy—a country ever on a knife's edge, ever flailing to live up to its own principles. A nation ever in conflict with itself.'

That sums up what this book is about. That deep rift in American society. A rift as deep as those coal mines. As dark as the coal, pulled out of those mines. And if certain parts of society don't like it, they bury it again, or blow it up.

This book made me deeply sad, and glad (once again), that I am not an American.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

I was really excited to read a book about the coal mine union strikes at the beginning of the United Mine Workers Union. The oppression of the men by the owners and their thugs was very eye opening. The workers lost their jobs and were kicked out of company housing if they signed up with the union. The thugs brought in by the owners could kill someone in the middle of town and know that they would not be brought to justice, the owners also owned the cops and the judges,

When the coal miners went to war on Blair mountain they were up against greater guns but fewer men. The Governor of West Virginia asked for help from the US government and the army was brought in to stop what they called an insurrection. It's truly fascinating how close they came to another civil war.

I learned a lot from this book but I had a hard time feeling a part of it since it was stronger on the facts than on the personalities of those involved. I finally felt like I knew a few of the characters towards the end of the book. I normally prefer character driven books and this was not that way.

If you are interested in reading about this time then I recommend reading Rednecks, just know it is not a happy read.

Thaks to NetGalley for the ARC.