Overview

"Set against the backdrop of coal-rich, hard-scrabble West Virginia and ""civilized,"" segregated Virginia, Mingo reveals the deep divide between corporate might and those seeking a fair wage for an honest day's work. The novel plumbs the depths of brotherly love, betrayal, and the power of reconciliation amidst the deadly struggle to unionize America's coalfields. The Matney brothers are tragically fated to divergent paths: fourteen-year-old Bascom to the coal mines with his father, and younger Durwood to the care of distant family in far-off Richmond. Shaped by circumstances and time, the brothers form deeply held, conflicting beliefs about the world and their places in it. Bascom is resolved to a life underground but dreams of escape and a reunion with his brother; Durwood thrives in a life cushioned by wealth but disciplined by the promise of returning home as soon as things ""settle down."" Things rapidly unsettle in Mingo. The Matney brothers find themselves separated by more than the Appalachian Mountains when Mother Jones, ""the most dangerous woman in America,"" begins stirring up the coalfields with ideas about the collective good. They become embattled in the West Virginia Coal Wars and the largest armed uprising since the Civil War, setting coal miners and their families against the notorious Baldwin-Felts detectives, pitting brother against brother. Thoughtfully researched, beautifully written, and culminating in the historic Battle of Blair Mountain in the summer of 1921, Mingo delivers unforgettable characters while exploring themes of class struggle and racial division that continue to roil America."

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9781735887227

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Reviews

"""Mingo is a realistic depiction of the Appalachian mine wars as well as a closely detailed look at the entire culture of coal versus the hifalutin culture of Richmond and the Old South. Seen through the eyes of two irresistible mountain brothers, Durwood and Bascom Matney from the coal mining community of Mingo, the issues of class, race, and unionization take on real flesh and blood. Suspense and pathos mount in a plot as relevant today as ever. Mingo is a moving and thought-provoking page turner."" -Lee Smith, Bestselling author of The Last Girls and Fair and Tender Ladies ""An unforgettable coming of age story that sets brother against brother in the 20th century coal wars. Jeff Barnes is a natural storyteller."" -Kelly Corrigan, New York Times bestselling author of The Middle Place and Glitter and Glue ""In his poignant depiction of the West Virginia coal-mining war, Jeff Barnes breathes life into both the hardscrabble fictional Matney family and such outsize historical figures as local hero Sheriff Sid Hatfield, fiery labor organizer Mother Jones, brutal Baldwin-Felts strikebreakers, and courageous'Redneck Army' strikers willing to sacrifice their lives in the fight for humane working conditions. Mingo is a worthy memorial to these tough times in the Southern Appalachians."" -Dean King, nationally bestselling author of Skeletons on the Zahara and The Feud: The Hatfields & McCoys: The True Story ""Mingo is like the mining of coal itself, explosive and powerful, darkness emerging into light. Barnes has found a rich seam."" -David L. Robbins, New York Times bestselling author of War of the Rats and Isaac's Beacon ""Family, friendship and fighting for human rights and dignity are the touchstones that bind rising talent Jeff Barnes' Mingo together in a classic tale from the great West Virginia coal fields. Bascom and Durwood Matney, brothers bound by blood amid the 1921 Mountain State mine war, the largest American insurrection since the Civil War, take a timeless trip through homespun heroism, heartbreak and resolution. Barnes has meticulously researched those events that captured the nation's attention a century ago and resonate still in the hearts of working people everywhere. The legendary Mother Jones, fiery Sid Hatfield, and the notorious Baldwin-Felts agency are accurately and dramatically portrayed in this classic piece of historical fiction. Barnes' first novel is a top-shelf 'page turner' which holds the reader close from the emotional opening to the final, explosive conclusion."" -Larry Hypes, Bluefield (WV) Daily Telegraph ""Full of detail and well-drawn characters, Mingo is a highly satisfying read wrapped in a sneaky-good history lesson."" -Paul Fletcher, Virginia Lawyers Weekly"

Mingo is a realistic depiction of the Appalachian mine wars as well as a closely detailed look at the entire culture of coal versus the hifalutin culture of Richmond and the Old South. Seen through the eyes of two irresistible mountain brothers, Durwood and Bascom Matney from the coal mining community of Mingo, the issues of class, race, and unionization take on real flesh and blood. Suspense and pathos mount in a plot as relevant today as ever. Mingo is a moving and thought-provoking page turner. -Lee Smith, Bestselling author of The Last Girls and Fair and Tender Ladies An unforgettable coming of age story that sets brother against brother in the 20th century coal wars. Jeff Barnes is a natural storyteller. -Kelly Corrigan, New York Times bestselling author of The Middle Place and Glitter and Glue In his poignant depiction of the West Virginia coal-mining war, Jeff Barnes breathes life into both the hardscrabble fictional Matney family and such outsize historical figures as local hero Sheriff Sid Hatfield, fiery labor organizer Mother Jones, brutal Baldwin-Felts strikebreakers, and courageous'Redneck Army' strikers willing to sacrifice their lives in the fight for humane working conditions. Mingo is a worthy memorial to these tough times in the Southern Appalachians. -Dean King, nationally bestselling author of Skeletons on the Zahara and The Feud: The Hatfields & McCoys: The True Story Mingo is like the mining of coal itself, explosive and powerful, darkness emerging into light. Barnes has found a rich seam. -David L. Robbins, New York Times bestselling author of War of the Rats and Isaac's Beacon Family, friendship and fighting for human rights and dignity are the touchstones that bind rising talent Jeff Barnes' Mingo together in a classic tale from the great West Virginia coal fields. Bascom and Durwood Matney, brothers bound by blood amid the 1921 Mountain State mine war, the largest American insurrection since the Civil War, take a timeless trip through homespun heroism, heartbreak and resolution. Barnes has meticulously researched those events that captured the nation's attention a century ago and resonate still in the hearts of working people everywhere. The legendary Mother Jones, fiery Sid Hatfield, and the notorious Baldwin-Felts agency are accurately and dramatically portrayed in this classic piece of historical fiction. Barnes' first novel is a top-shelf 'page turner' which holds the reader close from the emotional opening to the final, explosive conclusion. -Larry Hypes, Bluefield (WV) Daily Telegraph Full of detail and well-drawn characters, Mingo is a highly satisfying read wrapped in a sneaky-good history lesson. -Paul Fletcher, Virginia Lawyers Weekly

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