Pennsylvania is not just a story of glass and steel. Coal mining was also crucial in the infancy of the state’s narrative. In this delightful work of historical exchange of facts and chronicles by two authors who are related to the protagonist, the reader is swept up in the events of an era in Pennsylvania that is not well documented or represented. In this work of historical weaving and regaling conveyance of family oratory, the pair of authors align the actual details of coal mining. It’s harsh and bleak scented. Coal mining was essential in Pennsylvania for the efforts of steel a life it held onto its occupants, and the darkest tragedy that could be experienced by its spectators as well as the mandatory impact it held on the personal lives of their peers. This work is highly engrossing, replete with explicable commentary on the early days of coal mining, and contains a deeply personal, interwoven tapestry of a family whose involvement and contribution are the cornerstones of this fabulous testament of corroboration.
The book opens with the extraordinary beginnings of a young couple; the man’s name is Walter and his wife Sarah. Walter is a coal miner who has a strong sense of traditionalism and family devotion; his wife is much of the same. Together, and through the years, they embark on a journey that is deeply and affectionately reflective on the life of coal mining and the families represented. The authors perform a splendid yet challenging job to present the reader with a glimpse of the coal mining life and the many hardships that were compelled to be endured. They do this in a rather cliquish and befitting fashion that is quite unaccustomed in most compositions of historical narrative. What started out as tumid curiosity on a family research project, transfigured into a book of historical and genealogical merit of the most apical caliber.
The authors have done a splendid job in describing what I believe to be an important contribution to a part of history that is not discussed, and certainly has not been researched with proper configuration and recognition. This work is accurately in the right direction with this type of storytelling. What I found powerfully unique and compelling was how personal, through an astute process of emerging creativity, is how the main character, who was a real person, takes on a cheery personality of an almost fictional character type; it is done with precision and elegance that makes draws the reader deep into the story. I thought this process was well thought of and deeply effective to the works entire narrative and historical contribution to the industry in which they use as a platform. I thought the language in this work to be both simple and yet colorful enough to compel the reader to use his imagination for certain scenes and testaments that are the body and soul of this assignment.
As the book blossoms, so do the struggles and uncertainties of the family. This is especially evident when Walter decides to relocate his family to a town where the technology of the time forces him to reconsider his content establishment; it is quite a moving process that the reader will learn to appreciate when they near the book’s end. Coal mining is something I knew next to nothing about; as I became engaged in the reading of this story, I was motivated to do more research on the topic; that is because there is a motivational force that these pair of authors offer to the reader if they are audacious enough to accept it. As the story intensifies with its dark tragedy and unsettling outcome, there are lessons presented and offered as a sacrifice if one is willing to engage in proper alignment with this narrative purpose. The book is strongly driven and emotionally noticeable as it increases its assortments, and there are plenty of them. I was keenly impressed with the elements of the history of coal mining, not only through the story itself, but how the effects of mining were always shaping the wives, husbands and children who made up the communities in which they resided. The book itself is akin to a textbook on mining and it rewards as well as its hazards, something which does not exist. This work is a refreshing and welcoming flavor to such a crucial and imperative saga to the development of our own identity and pride, and it was long before the steel and glass industry reigned supreme.
While I will not confess the outcome of this superb work of historical flavor and charm, it is imperative that the reader grasp the one of the many original tidings of information that is presented to them, specifically because it is demonstrated in such a warm and isolated fashion of prose. I was especially captivated by the exchange of fiction and history for these authors to manifest their purpose and preserve the integrity of their family’s history; the reader is left with little doubt of the enormous undertaking that both authors were enraptured to indulge in. I was also entranced by the ornate format of this work, commencing the reader with a marriage, children, challenges, hardships, and finally victory. The preservation of determination is equally abundant with each character and the confessions of realism and joy are replete in each chapter. I was especially moved with Sara, Walter’s beloved wife, who instantly became on of my favorite people when she says, “someone wants to spend time with me knowing I have five kids. Five kids that just lost their dad and have no primary means of support. He doesn’t care that I am not 22 and I don’t have an hourglass shape. And I know Shauny is younger than me. He knows all that too. But with all due respect, you can’t tell me who I can and cannot see.” Courage and steadfastness are enduring themes in this book. It is also a deeply personal testament to the authors because of the sacrifices and wrought-iron determination that this family shapes into their destinies in such a profound comportment as this one. I would hope that this book serves as an ambiguous contribution as well as a historical reference to the coal mining industry for all whose families were cultivated by its challenges and odysseys. The book has much to teach and instruct for younger generations of married couples; it is a lavish and colorful testament, especially in difficult times; both authors have administered an imposing engagement on such a personal level. It was both disturbing and coaching to observe the progress of the challenges that were presented to the characters; the outcome will leave more room for serious thinking and research. It is my hope the authors would agree. Because of their own inquisitiveness, they have created a subject in coal mining that is just beginning to see its noble posterity on the communities it commanded. You can purchase the book here.
© 2024, Mark Grago. All rights reserved.
