Enjoyed it, I never knew the backstory. History books don't talk about the Battle of Blair Mountain.

"Rednecks" by Taylor Brown is an enlightening and engaging historical novel about the coal mine wars in West Virginia in the early 1920s. Although I had heard pieces of this story, I was not familiar with details of these large battles that took place between coal companies (and the U.S. military) and thousands of miners. I also wasn't aware of the diversity of the miners who banded together in this large labor uprising. Brown's writing captivates with historical figures such as Sid Hatfield, Mother Jones and journalists Boyden Sparkes (who was shot in one of the battles) and Mildred Morris. The honorable, kind and brave Lebanese doctor Dr. Muhanna was my favorite character; he was inspired by the author's great grandfather. The bibliography at the end gives additional resources as well as the extent of Taylor Brown's research. I do feel that some of the details could have been cut to focus a bit more on characters and make the book a bit shorter. Overall, "Rednecks" is entertaining and very educational. Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

"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.

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.

This novel takes readers of a journey through the complexities of Southern culture set on the backdrop of rural Georgia. This novel had vivid imagery and rich prose exploring themes of resilience amidst violence, poverty, and the pursuit of dreams. This raw and unfiltered portrayal of southern life immersed me in a world I am not too familiar with and is often misunderstood. Due to my unfamiliarity, I had trouble connecting to the setting. Despite this, I found this novel to be a thought-provoking read that left a lasting impression.

I went into this book not having any knowledge of the events that are fictionally described (though based on real incidents), I'm not sure if that's a good thing, I think if you have some knowledge you may appreciate the book more. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it, I did, just that I wish I understood more of what was going on and why. This story is told through multiple points of view, the strongest one for me was Dr Moo (an abbreviation of sorts of his last name Muhanna), who is a immigrant from Lebanon, has three children (2 girls and a boy) and gets called out to take care of those that require it. In this story there are a lot of people that require it, mostly miners, they are trying to join a union and the mine company doesn't want that to happen and makes life very difficult, evicting them from their company owned houses, firing them from their job and eventually employing a local gang of thugs and the American Army(!). This was the largest armed conflict since the Civil War. A large part of the book describes various skirmishes that the miners and hired thugs/Army engage in, there is a LOT of people that are injured/killed and in my humble view it gets a tad repetitious. However there are some good guys, Dr Moo being one of the strongest. I would recommend this if you like historical stories and if you have an interest in armed conflict. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Stmartinspress for the ARC.

Wow! This is one powerful book! Based on the true struggles of miners in Virginia, specifically the Battle of Blair mountain, the book brings home the treatment of miners and their families by everyone - wealthy coal mine owners who cared about nothing but money, and essentially owned the miners, the government who acquiesced t the demands of the wealthy and sent in the military against the miners, and even the townspeople in the town. Through the eyes of both miners and residents including the Lebanese Dr. Moo, the story of the courageous resistance against all odds is horrifying, unbelievable and full of inspiring acts of bravery and integrity. (And, you learn about the original of the term Rednecks). I couldn't put it down, read it through in just a couple of days. This is a don't miss read!

This stirring historical tale plunges us into the brutal coal wars of 1920s Appalachia. Coal miners labored under brutal conditions in the region, their lives utterly dependent on the whims of the coal barons and their private security enforcers. Unionization swept through many coalfields, providing better wages and working conditions, but southwestern West Virginia was a holdout, and any attempts to unionize were met with the barrel of a gun. Readers may be familiar with the acclaimed film "Matewan," which depicts a shootout between coal miners, backed by the local sheriff, and the company soldiers. This novel takes off from the events of that film and leads into the two years of struggle that culminated in the Battle of Blair Mountain, the largest uprising since the Civil War. Some 10,000 coal miners clashed with several thousand law enforcers and the hired guns of the Baldwin-Felts detective agency. Machine guns were used, bombs were dropped, bridges were set on fire and the conflict ended only when the U.S. Army intervened on the side of the mine owners.

Brown brings us the multifaceted events of these years through the eyes of several participants, including a local doctor sympathetic to the miners' cause, and a young Black miner whose perseverance and dedication makes him a hero of the fight. The action is nearly non-stop and the tension remains high, though the eventual outcome is easy to guess. Brown has made an admirable contribution in his accurate depiction of these events. Some of the characters seem a bit one-dimensional and the good vs. evil binary tends to erase much of the nuance that must have been present, but fans of novels about historical conflicts and the struggle for union rights will be riveted by this immersion in the coal wars.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

An interesting in-depth look at coal mining and labor issues. The info dumps were a bit dense to ingest, but overall a decent read.

3.5☆

I was given the opportunity to read an ARC copy of this by St. Martins Press, NetGalley and the author. I thoroughly enjoyed this historical recount of the Battle of Blair Mountain as told in a historical fiction novel. This novel looks at many of the injustices surrounding the 1920s and coal mines in general. I could not imagine having lived in times like these and I empathize and sympathize with the workers who did. This was a great novel!

I really enjoyed this book and rate it 4.5 stars rounded up. This book is historical fiction, but based on actual incidents in the history of the West Virginia coal miners attempts to organize a union. The book is an excellent reconstruction of the events in 1920 through 1921, including the Matewan shoot out between hired coal company gun thugs and the Matewan police chief and deputized miners. Subsequently, Sid Hatfield, the Matewan police chief, was assassinated by coal company thugs and the miners went to war against the coal company. This became known as the battle of Blair mountain, between the miners, state police, a sheriff , deputized volunteers, and coal company thugs. The US army was sent in to subdue the miners and bombs were dropped on the miners.
This was a shameful episode in American history, and not until the FDR administration did the US government make unions legal and support them against the coal companies.
I strongly recommend this book to fans of historical fiction and anyone interested in the history of unions or coal mining.
There a movie made about the Matewan shoot out about 30 years ago. I recommend it.
One Quote, on Matewan after the shootout: "Nightfall. Matewan was haunted, the streets heavy with dread. Fear floated in the very atmosphere--Doc Moo could almost taste it, like bile and metal on the back of his tongue."
Thanks to Austin Adams at St. Martin's Publishing for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.

Set in the coal fields of West Virginia in the 1920s, Rednecks is a book of historical fiction recounting the Battle of Matewan and the Battle of Blair Mountain. Author Taylor Brown has mixed fictional characters--including one based on his great-grandfather Dr. Domit Simon Sphire--among those who witnessed and participated in this period of upheaval among unionized coal miners and the coal barons.

The Matewan Massacre occurred on May 19, 1920, in Matewan, West Virginia, when Chief of Police Sid Hatfield and union miners stood up to the cutthroat agents from the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency who had just turned out the miners’ families and their belongings into the mud. The penalty for joining the union was firing from the job and eviction from mine housing. Among the dead were two of the Felts brothers along with five of their detectives, two miners, and one teenage bystander. Gutshot Mayor Cabel Testerman would be dead before the day was over.

A year later, the surviving detectives from the Massacre were found “not guilty,” and the union miners were still on strike, living in a downtrodden canvas tent camp. In the meantime, Hatfield, a relative of Devil Anse Hatfield, has had an encounter with one of the mine owners, for which he would be charged with assault.

Skirmishes between striking union workers and the Baldwin-Felts thugs paired with vigilantes continued, leading up to the Blair Mountain charge that is the largest labor uprising in United States history, the largest armed uprising since the Civil War. Ten thousand coal miners fought the battle for miners’ rights against mine owners, state militia, and the federal government for five days from late August to early September in 1921. The miners wore red bandannas around their necks, giving origin to the term “rednecks.”

This May 14 release by Taylor Brown is the author’s sixth novel. His first three novels were all finalists for the Southern Book Prize: Fallen Land (2016), The River of Kings (2017), and Gods of Howl Mountain (2018). He grew up on the Georgia Coast and has lived in Western North Carolina. Currently a resident of Savannah, Georgia, he is the founder and editor-in-chief of BikeBound, one of the world's leading custom motorcycle publications.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting March 30, 2024.

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

This book was really good. This is the first book I've read from this author and I'm glad I gave it a try. I recommend you do the same.

This author lays it all out there in this wow of a book about the Battle at Blair Mountain, a war of King Coal and its thugs against the laborers wanting to unionize against unfair (and deadly) labor practices. The truth often hurts and this whole event was whitewashed by King Coal and the media. I'm from WV and had no idea of so many of the details. This is historical fiction, but much of it is based in fact and lots and lots of research. The descriptions are very detailed and the characters (while based on real-life people, are fiction) are well crafted and solid throughout. You get a solid feel for the lay of the land with the descriptions, though some of the language got a bit flowery. Good read.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.*

I was interested in this title because I literally know NOTHING about the coal mining wars and I was curious about the organization of Unions in coal mining country in the US as well as the (even fictional) history of Mother Jones.

This story shed a lot of light on that time as well as being a really great portrayal of well-developed and fully-formed characters.

Recommended for fans of historical fiction. Particularly those that might want to learn more about US History that isn't taught in history class.

*with thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Taylor Brown is an author whose work I've always approached with eager anticipation, convinced that each new release would finally capture my heart. Yet, with each book I dive into, I struggle with his writing style, which often feels dense and wordy, causing me to lose my way and struggle to maintain engagement.

Despite my hopes for a transformative reading experience, I've realized that Brown's writing doesn't quite possess the enchanting allure I had hoped for. While his prose may not cast the spell I desire, I can appreciate his unique voice and storytelling.

I so tried to get into this story but it just didn't hold my attention. I'm sure it's a wonderful novel but just not for me. It felt stilted and uninteresting. I'm sure others will enjoy it.

“They wear red bandannas 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.”
I love a well done historical fiction and few do it as well as Taylor Brown, who concentrates his efforts on the American South. This time, his attention turns to the coal mine wars of 1920-21 and specifically, the Battle of Blair Mountain. “One side had power and influence, the other was willing to die. One of the oldest, bloodiest stories in a very old book - old as civilization itself.” This was the largest labor uprising and the largest armed conflict since the Civil War. But today, it’s almost completely forgotten.
Told from multiple POVs, I especially appreciated that one character was a Lebanese doctor. Forget prejudice, the miners wanted someone independent, not a company doctor. And this character was based on Brown’s own great-grandfather. Frank Hugham, a black miner, is the second voice we hear the most from. Two of the characters are real - Smilin’ Sid Hatfield, a sheriff and Union sympathizer and Mother Jones. Brown manages to blend the dark of the battle with the love of family and community.
The writing is exceptional. I found myself highlighting multiple phrases. It’s a high powered story, with little downtime. It’s a tense story and I was totally gripped by it. I flew through the pages, dying to know the outcome for the main characters. The book is meticulously researched and includes a Bibliography along with an excellent Author’s Note.
My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

Have you ever wondered where the term “rednecks” came from? It never occurred to me, but when I read Taylor Brown’s fascinating historical fiction novel, Rednecks, I was surprised. To some, it was a derogatory term. To others, it was a source of pride.

The story is set in the early 1900s in Mingo County in West Virginia mine country. Men of all colors and nationalities toiled in the mines working long hours, six days a week under backbreaking conditions for little pay. They lived with their families in company owned housing. Men were sick and dying of black lung disease. When they tried to join the mine workers union, they were evicted from their homes. Families, including old women and babies, were forced to live in tents, which provided poor shelter from the elements. The mining company hired a private detective company, the Baldwin-Felts Agency, who were vicious thugs, to control the miners. Those who tried to strike were shot.

When the strike was officially declared, all-out war broke out. The hardships and struggles of the men are palpable. It didn’t matter if they were Black, white, born on the continent, or immigrant. The men who wore the red kerchiefs around their necks – the strikers – Rednecks – were united.

Through it all, I became quite invested in a few characters who stand out through the book. Big Frank Hugham was a Black man who withstood much physical abuse and many challenges but never gave up. His grandmother, Miss Beulah, was his rock. The other person is a man who was there for all the people is Doctor Momit Muhanna, known to all as Doctor Moo. He took his Hippocratic oath seriously and worked tirelessly for all. Frank is based on a couple real-life people. The character, Dr. Moo was inspired by the author’s great-grandfather, who was a Lebanese immigrant who became a physician/medical examiner in Kentucky. These two men were characters I rooted for and was truly hoping would survive the onslaught.

There are two other character I need to mention. One is Moo’s son, Musa. He was an adventurous, courageous boy whose heroes were men like Davey Crockett and Daniel Boone. He loved the outdoors, and when given the chance, he can really show what he’s made of. The other is a real-life legend, Mother Jones. Mary Harris Jones – some called her “The Most Dangerous Woman in America.” She became famous for her work assisting in labor causes, and although she was elderly at the time of the Battle of Blair Mountain, she was there in body and spirit for the men she referred to as “my boys.”

This was a piece of history that I had been completely unaware of, and it was eye-opening! I received a digital copy of Rednecks as an ARC in return for my honest review. My opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Mr. Taylor Brown.

5 stars

Set in the early 1920’s, this story is based on the Battle of Blair Mountain in Logan County, West Virginia, a story of the Coal Wars. Approximately 50 to 100 died, with hundreds wounded. I was surprised to find that it was the largest labor uprising in United States history and remains the largest armed uprising that took place in America since the Civil War.

Taylor Brown has written a story that, at times, is dark and gritty, but there are also moments of tenderness, love, and heartbreak, as well. The story includes some real-life characters which surprised me, and loved knowing that the legendary Mother Jones was one of them.

Aside from the miners, there are several characters who add some charm to this, including Mother Jones, and the Lebanese-American doctor, who goes by ’Doc Moo’, Frank, a miner, and his mother Beulah, a wonderful character who helps to add a sense of these times, and what they needed to do in order to endure and hold on to hope, as slim as it seems.

There are moments, many, many moments of tension, danger, as well as fear, but there are also moments when these people seem to rise above that and become their own heroes, as well as lending a hand, or more, to help those in their community.

Beautifully written, this is a story of the bonds of friendship and the power that this community has to overcome their fears, despite their fears, despite being outnumbered.

I had never read or heard about this in any history book, or from my father or grandfather and grandmother who had both grown up in West Virginia. I’ve visited there, walked through the house that my great-grandfather built with his own hands, and where my grandfather, and my father were born. I have cousins there who I met by chance searching through an old graveyard looking for family names. After going through most of the graveyard by then, I offered to help a man and his friend find family buried there since I had gone through most of the graveyard by then, and showed him where the person he was looking for was. The man who’d been helping him asked what names I was looking for, and when I told him, and heard his response, I realized he was my father’s cousin, and was invited to his home, directly across the street.

Another powerful, heartfelt story by one of my favourite authors.


Pub Date: 14 May 2024


Many thanks for the ARC provided by St. Martin’s Press