20 Mar Book Review Anywhere But Schuylkill Michael Dunn #MikeDoyle #AnywhereButSchuylkill #MollyMaguires #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @MikeDunnAuthor @cathiedunn

FEATURED AUTHOR: MICHAEL DUNN

It is my pleasure to introduce Michael Dunn as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour that is being held between January 31st — Mach 20th, 2024. Michael Dunn is the author of the Historical Fiction novel, Anywhere But Schuylkill (The Great Upheaval Trilogy), released by Historium Press on September 25th, 2023 (301 pages).

Below are highlights of Anywhere But Schuylkill, Michael Dunn’s author bio, and my review of his gripping story about the beginning of the unionization of coal miners in the 19th century.

Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/12/blog-tour-anywhere-but-schuylkill-by-michael-dunn.html

HIGHLIGHTS: ANYWHERE BUT SCHUYLFIL

Anywhere But Schuylkill
(The Great Upheaval Trilogy)
by Michael Dunn

Blurb:

In 1877, twenty Irish coal miners hanged for a terrorist conspiracy that never occurred. Anywhere But Schuylkill is the story of one who escaped, Mike Doyle, a teenager trying to keep his family alive during the worst depression the nation has ever faced. Banks and railroads are going under. Children are dying of hunger. The Reading Railroad has slashed wages and hired Pinkerton spies to infiltrate the miners’ union. And there is a sectarian war between rival gangs. But none of this compares with the threat at home.

Buy Links:

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/496Ag0

Historium Press: https://www.thehistoricalfictioncompany.com/hp-authors/michael-dunn

AUTHOR BIO: MICHAEL DUNN

Michael Dunn writes Working-Class Fiction from the Not So Gilded Age. Anywhere But Schuylkill is the first in his Great Upheaval trilogy. A lifelong union activist, he has always been drawn to stories of the past, particularly those of regular working people, struggling to make a better life for themselves and their families.

Stories most people do not know, or have forgotten, because history is written by the victors, the robber barons and plutocrats, not the workers and immigrants. Yet their stories are among the most compelling in America. They resonate today because they are the stories of our own ancestors, because their passions and desires, struggles and tragedies, were so similar to our own.

When Michael Dunn is not writing historical fiction, he teaches high school, and writes about labor history and culture.

Author Links:

Website: https://michaeldunnauthor.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MikeDunnAuthor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Michael.Dunn.Fiction

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaeldunnauthor/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Michael-Dunn/author/B0CJXGQYZ8

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/45063197.Michael_Dunn

BOOK REVIEW: ANYWHERE BUT SCHUYLFIL

Anywhere but Schuylkill by Michael Dunn is a historical fiction that depicts the dangers of coal mining and violence that workers faced trying to unionize in Pennsylvania from 1871 to 1875. The story is told through the eyes of Mike Doyle who is a thirteen-year-old breaker boy in the mines of Pennsylvania. After his father tragically dies in a mine explosion, Mike assumes responsibility for supporting his destitute family who must move in with his aunt and her abusive husband. For the next four years, he must endure the hardship and grim reality that he could experience the same fate as his father as he rises in position to a miner. However, it is almost impossible to get ahead when the coal barons block the worker’s attempts to unionize for safer conditions and livable wages. In their efforts to strike, the workers are met with violence from local cops and hired policemen. Rival gangs of Irish, Welsh, and German fight over decreasing pay and benefits. This is a coming-of-age story of a young Irishman who must overcome almost impossible odds to rise above his impoverishment.

Author Michael Dunn has written a grim, realistic depiction of the darker side of the Industrial Revolution in the nineteenth century. The impeccable, historical details reflect the author’s passion for bringing to light the plight of immigrants working in harsh conditions in the United States. The workplace was unsafe and often led to deadly accidents. For a family to survive, children were often forced to do repetitive work to supplement their family’s income. Mike’s younger brother loses a foot in a painful accident, resulting in devastating consequences to the family who must care for him while working for substandard wages.

The vivid, sensory descriptions of the coal mine add to the heart-wrenching scene when Mike frantically searches for his trapped father after the explosion. “The air got warmer, heavier, the deeper they went. Stale, deathly. Difficult to breathe. The odor of scorched, wet wood. Melted iron. Burnt grease.” Each scene is riveting, but I found it difficult at times to connect all of the subplots with the various factions fighting each other. I suggest that you first read the glossary at the end of the book to familiarize yourself with terms and various groups before starting the story.

For readers who enjoy delving into the American Industrial Revolution, I recommend reading Anywhere but Schuylkill for its gripping tale of a young Irishman striving for the American dream in the backdrop of the harsh reality of rich barons taking deadly, life-changing advantage of their workers.

Instagram Handle: @thecoffeepotbookclub