Blair Mountain: few sites possess as much importance to labor historians as the range of hills in Logan County, in the heart of West Virginia's coal country. In this engaging book, historian Charles B. Keeney tells the story of the 1921 battle, culminating decades of struggle known as the West Virginia Mine Wars. Reminiscent of James B. Green's influential Taking History to Heart: The Power of the Past in Building Social Movements (2000), Kenney weaves together both the battle's history with his personal story of preserving the site from destruction by Mountain Top Removal (MTR) coal mining. Part memoir, part monograph, and part how-to manual for other activists, The Road to Blair Mountain is a refreshing work that shows the connections between West Virginia's labor and environmental movements.
As the great-grandson of famed United Mine Workers of America District 17 leader Frank Keeney, the author is well positioned to present...
