Thunder in the Mountains: The West Virginia Mine Wars, 1920-21

From Library Journal
This is a colorful account of the open warfare in West Virginia's dark and bloody coal fields in 1920 and 1921, triggered by the killing by company detectives of Matewan town officials friendly to the miners. Ultimately, thousands of strikers faced strike-breakers, private police, and law enforcement officers in pitched battle. It required the declaring of martial law and the calling up of not only the state militia, but also of federal troops, including United States Air Force reconnaissance planes, to restore order. The strike was broken, and the miners were forced back into the pits. Appalachian coal fields remained non-union until the New Deal days of the 1930s. This is a solidly researched account of the story, also the subject of a John Sayles film, but it is flawed by Savage's sometimes overwrought journalistic style. For subject collections.- Harry Frumerman, formerly with Hunter Coll., CUNYCopyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.


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The first edition of this account was published in 1985 (Jalamap Publications); it is presented here with new material gathered by the author, a short foreword by John Sayles (director of the film Matewan) and an introduction by historian John Alexander Williams. Savage's account is well-researched documentation of the confrontation which has been the backdrop for novels such as The Killing ground and Storming heaven as well as Sayles' film. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)


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