Anywhere but Schuylkill
Death is a way of life in Pennsylvania coal towns. An explosion occurs. A burial ensues. Life goes on. But the guilt remains, as does the desire for change and revenge. Thirteen-year-old Mike Doyle is too young to follow through on these. Being the eldest now, he’s responsible for caring for his mother and siblings. Perhaps moving in with his relatives in a new town will provide the fresh start they need. It doesn’t.
Life in Shenandoah is much the same, with different ethnic factions vying for power while coal barons make certain their earnings far surpass their employees’ needs. Sure, Uncle Sean, a loyal company man, gets Mike a job caring for the colliery mules, and he does well, makes friends, and progresses to “better” paying, albeit riskier, jobs, but the family needs more money. L’il Bill becomes a breaker, even though cleaning coal isn’t a place for a lad who takes unnecessary risks. Burns cover Tara’s arms from the scalding wash where she labors. Trouble simmers within the household as much as it does without, while unions call strikes for fair wages. The camaraderie of the Ancient Order of Hibernians appeals to Mike, but participating in the Christian society may be as dangerous as mining and striking.
This coming-of-age story takes place between 1871 and 1875. Mike’s carnal thoughts, while normal for his age, are explicit, and some may feel they distract from more important aspects of the story. Dunn excels in his vivid depiction of the perilous conditions, life-altering accidents, addiction, poverty, violence, greed, and desperateness of miners. Seen from the perspective of one who experiences it, much is beyond Mike’s control, yet he never relinquishes his dreams. A gritty portrait of life and death in the “not so gilded age.”
