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Coal River
One of America's most dramatic environmental battles is unfolding in southern West Virginia. Coal companies are blasting the mountains, decapitating them for coal. The forested ridge tops and valley streams of Appalachia―one of the country's natural treasures―are being destroyed, along with towns and communities. An entire culture is disappearing, and to this day, most Americans have no idea it's happening. Michael Shnayerson first traveled to the coal fields four years ago, on assignment for Vanity Fair. There he met an inspiring young lawyer named Joe Lovett, who was fighting mountaintop removal in court with a series of brilliant and daring lawsuits. He also met Judy Bonds, whose grassroots group, the Coal River Mountain Watch, was speaking out in a region where talking truth to power was both brave and dangerous. The two had joined forces to take on Massey Energy, the largest and most aggressive of the coal companies, and its swaggering, notorious chairman, Don Blankenship. Coal River is Shnayerson's account of this dramatic struggle. From courtroom to boardroom, forest clearing to factory floor, Shnayerson gives us a novelistic and compelling portrait of the people who risked their reputations and livelihoods in the fight against King Coal.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
February 7, 2015
This is a topic that has been dear to my heart since the early 70's. It is amazing to me that strip mining has gone to taking the whole tops of mountains and destroying natural waters and valleys all in the name of the almighty dollar. The story told here is more depressing than I realized, because this information is only reported in local areas. What has made the National news has been the contamination of the drinking water in Charleston West Va. At no time was the possibility that coal mining could have caused this contamination. While the topic is important, the book was very dry. I felt like I was reading a school textbook. This should make an interesting book club topic, I just wish the book had more personal recollections from the people affected by the mining.
December 18, 2009
This review originally appeared in the Dallas Morning News:
Court cases thread through Michael Shnayerson’s new book like veins of coal through an Appalachian hillside. In discussing one of them, he observes that that the judge made “a small point, like a caveat buried near the end of a book review.”
So let’s not bury our caveats, the most important one being: “Coal River” will make you angry.
It will make you angry especially if you’re disturbed by the Bush administration’s radically pro-business approach to energy policy and the environment. Of course, if you’re an admirer and a beneficiary of those policies, Mr. Shnayerson’s evident bias against them will also make you angry.
For while his book is billed as the story of a handful of people in the hills of West Virginia who protested the damage being done by a coal company to the mountains where they and their ancestors had lived, Mr. Shnayerson has turned it into an indictment of government policy, of power-hungry politicians and businesspeople, of bureaucratic inertia, of Wall Street’s obsession with fattening the bottom line, and of the callousness with which the poor have been treated for generations. The people of West Virginia, he writes, “are for the most part too poor and too cowed after a century of harsh treatment by King Coal to think they can stop their world from being blasted away.”
He means “blasted away” literally. “Coal River” focuses on the practice of mountaintop removal – the blasting away of the tops of mountains to get at the rich veins of coal beneath. It is a practice that became more common after Don Blankenship became chairman, president and CEO of Massey Energy, a company whose ruthlessness was a byword in the state. It was a ruthlessness that went unchecked, Mr. Shnayerson asserts, “The coal companies could set those blasts as close to homes as they liked, damaging foundations and walls, ruining wells. No law governed them in that regard.”
The result was visible and lasting damage to the environment. After the blasting began, one woman “was astonished to see the hollow’s entire animal population come foraging right by her house in the valley: bobcats and bears, squirrels and possums. … When she fed them, they hung around for more, pets whether she wanted them or not.” And environmentalists argued that the burning of coal, however obtained, “was the single greatest cause” of the looming calamities of global warming.
Those who protested mountaintop removal, who argued for laws and regulations, often found themselves outcasts in their own communities, where people who had jobs feared losing them – or that Massey would retaliate against friends and relatives who worked there. The mountain culture is “libertarian,” as Mr. Shnayerson puts it – distrustful of outsiders and collective efforts. And after years of being worn down, they simply doubted that anything could or would be done. As one of the protesters put it, “The way they’ve done it is by dehumanizing us, so that the rest of America doesn’t care about us. That’s how they got away with slavery for so long. When they say, ‘Don’t go to West Virginia or Kentucky, those people are ignorant and inbred,’ then who cares if my grandson is sleeping nights in his clothes because he’s worried there’ll be a flood or mudslide?”
Mr. Shnayerson has found an easy villain for his book in Don Blankenship, who would seem on the face of it to be the very emblem of corporate greed, a man who received “roughly $27 million in pay and perks for 2006 – despite a 30 percent decline in the company’s stock for the year.” But Mr. Shnayerson humanizes Blankenship, describing his hardscrabble childhood in the hills he was now blasting away. “Coal River” is not a simple diatribe, but rather a carefully reported and compellingly written account of a complex and intricate economic, political, social and environmental problem with no easy solutions or quick fixes.
Most of all, the book is a remarkable piece of the sort of investigative journalism that has grown sadly more rare as newspapers retrench and reshape themselves. Mr. Shnayerson is a contributing editor for Vanity Fair magazine, where much of the material in the book originally appeared. It’s a fine irony that a publication known for its celebration of glitz and glamour, fattened with ads for luxury goods, should also be the source of such an incisive and sympathetic portrait of the exploited poor.
Court cases thread through Michael Shnayerson’s new book like veins of coal through an Appalachian hillside. In discussing one of them, he observes that that the judge made “a small point, like a caveat buried near the end of a book review.”
So let’s not bury our caveats, the most important one being: “Coal River” will make you angry.
It will make you angry especially if you’re disturbed by the Bush administration’s radically pro-business approach to energy policy and the environment. Of course, if you’re an admirer and a beneficiary of those policies, Mr. Shnayerson’s evident bias against them will also make you angry.
For while his book is billed as the story of a handful of people in the hills of West Virginia who protested the damage being done by a coal company to the mountains where they and their ancestors had lived, Mr. Shnayerson has turned it into an indictment of government policy, of power-hungry politicians and businesspeople, of bureaucratic inertia, of Wall Street’s obsession with fattening the bottom line, and of the callousness with which the poor have been treated for generations. The people of West Virginia, he writes, “are for the most part too poor and too cowed after a century of harsh treatment by King Coal to think they can stop their world from being blasted away.”
He means “blasted away” literally. “Coal River” focuses on the practice of mountaintop removal – the blasting away of the tops of mountains to get at the rich veins of coal beneath. It is a practice that became more common after Don Blankenship became chairman, president and CEO of Massey Energy, a company whose ruthlessness was a byword in the state. It was a ruthlessness that went unchecked, Mr. Shnayerson asserts, “The coal companies could set those blasts as close to homes as they liked, damaging foundations and walls, ruining wells. No law governed them in that regard.”
The result was visible and lasting damage to the environment. After the blasting began, one woman “was astonished to see the hollow’s entire animal population come foraging right by her house in the valley: bobcats and bears, squirrels and possums. … When she fed them, they hung around for more, pets whether she wanted them or not.” And environmentalists argued that the burning of coal, however obtained, “was the single greatest cause” of the looming calamities of global warming.
Those who protested mountaintop removal, who argued for laws and regulations, often found themselves outcasts in their own communities, where people who had jobs feared losing them – or that Massey would retaliate against friends and relatives who worked there. The mountain culture is “libertarian,” as Mr. Shnayerson puts it – distrustful of outsiders and collective efforts. And after years of being worn down, they simply doubted that anything could or would be done. As one of the protesters put it, “The way they’ve done it is by dehumanizing us, so that the rest of America doesn’t care about us. That’s how they got away with slavery for so long. When they say, ‘Don’t go to West Virginia or Kentucky, those people are ignorant and inbred,’ then who cares if my grandson is sleeping nights in his clothes because he’s worried there’ll be a flood or mudslide?”
Mr. Shnayerson has found an easy villain for his book in Don Blankenship, who would seem on the face of it to be the very emblem of corporate greed, a man who received “roughly $27 million in pay and perks for 2006 – despite a 30 percent decline in the company’s stock for the year.” But Mr. Shnayerson humanizes Blankenship, describing his hardscrabble childhood in the hills he was now blasting away. “Coal River” is not a simple diatribe, but rather a carefully reported and compellingly written account of a complex and intricate economic, political, social and environmental problem with no easy solutions or quick fixes.
Most of all, the book is a remarkable piece of the sort of investigative journalism that has grown sadly more rare as newspapers retrench and reshape themselves. Mr. Shnayerson is a contributing editor for Vanity Fair magazine, where much of the material in the book originally appeared. It’s a fine irony that a publication known for its celebration of glitz and glamour, fattened with ads for luxury goods, should also be the source of such an incisive and sympathetic portrait of the exploited poor.
February 4, 2008
"This is the story of great forces in America destroying America itself: the need for cheap fuel, even if it pollutes more than any other kind and puts the planet at risk; the need of the companies that mine coal to make profits, whatever the environmental cost; the brute force of the coal industry that buys political influence with campaign contributions, gets its own lobbyists put in charge of the state and federal agencies assigned to regulate it, and pushes for loopholes in laws it hasn't already broken."
Don Blankenship, CEO of Massey Energy, is a local boy who sold his soul to King Coal, to the detriment of his community. This account of his incredible greed and callousness is chilling to read.
Blankenship's company is harming not only the environment by polluting the natural resources in the area, but is literally killing the people who eke out their living from the company. Children in schools near the mines can't breathe due to chronic respiratory infections and their fathers who work in the mines are broken and worn out long before their time.
The author is lauded to have done for the coal mining business what Upton Sinclair did for the meat-packing business and I sincerely hope this is true. I come from a long line of WV coal miners and my heart aches to see what has been done, and is being done, to the land of my ancestors.
"Mr. B", as he likes to be called, is actually listed as the "7th scariest person in America" according to Grist, an environment news and commentary site. Check out this link to find out why:
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2006...
Don Blankenship, CEO of Massey Energy, is a local boy who sold his soul to King Coal, to the detriment of his community. This account of his incredible greed and callousness is chilling to read.
Blankenship's company is harming not only the environment by polluting the natural resources in the area, but is literally killing the people who eke out their living from the company. Children in schools near the mines can't breathe due to chronic respiratory infections and their fathers who work in the mines are broken and worn out long before their time.
The author is lauded to have done for the coal mining business what Upton Sinclair did for the meat-packing business and I sincerely hope this is true. I come from a long line of WV coal miners and my heart aches to see what has been done, and is being done, to the land of my ancestors.
"Mr. B", as he likes to be called, is actually listed as the "7th scariest person in America" according to Grist, an environment news and commentary site. Check out this link to find out why:
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2006...
August 27, 2025
Really just depressing, given the book is now dated there’s obviously been even more progress made. The book ends talking about Kayford Mountains and I actually filled out a survey about the Kayford Mountains today when leaving class at WVU. It started with the implication that the mountains were basically completely gone now, and presented the question of “what now” and “how should the land be used”. It is sad to see that despite all of these people’s best efforts, there was still loss, deemed unavoidable and unfightable. It’s especially sad to see people of West Virginia continuing to back these companies and corporations so blatantly exploiting everything they touch. Why aren’t people reminded more about the beauty and perfection of Appalachia, and why are we constantly having to fight off dickheads trying to eviscerate and extract everything at the expense of the other 99%?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 1, 2020
Lots of legal jargon -- it felt like 75% of the book took place in the courtroom. But I loved reading more about King Coal's grip across the Appalachian region. It really provides perspective on how the state governments continue to strangle the life out of the underrepresented communities as the rest of the country views the region as unredeemable. Highly recommend (if you can wade through the legalese).
June 30, 2021
I am from the Appalachians and reading this book was both at times depressing and encouraging.
December 2, 2021
Interesting read that helps give background of the rise if mountaintop mining in the early 2000s. Can drag a bit and be a bit myopic, but was still a good read and informative.
March 20, 2020
A story of mountaintop removal mining in West Virginia and some resulting legal cases against a corrupt mining company. I really wanted to like this more than I did, but it was very dry and did not focus as heavily on the residents and activists of WV as the subtitle led me to believe. However, it does tell a very important story of politics and environmental injustice that is still relevant today. If you want to hear more about the activist-side of mountaintop mining, I suggest watching the movie 'The Last Mountain'
July 23, 2008
The subtitle of this book is "How a few brave Americans took on a powerful company-- and the federal government-- to save the land they love."
Well, not really. This book is the fun, (melo?)dramatic story of some legal battles against mountain top removal coal mining, with heroic lawyers and evil coal barons, and maybe only two chapters on "a few brave Americans," as in the grassroots activists doing the real leg work against, and suffering the real consequences of, mountaintop removal (MTR).
I enjoyed reading it because Shnayerson takes lots of leeway to write recent history out like a novel with good guys and bad guys and very little grey area, so it's a quick legal drama. It was also important for me because the book documents the recent legal battles up to early-2007 against MTR, and it was awesome to read as characters the people I've been meeting in my work against coal this summer. But come on! This book, and especially the lawyers involved, were so romanticized that it didn't feel like reality-- and frankly, it wasn't. Brian Glasser, for example, the great lawyer who stood against coal dust pollution in West Virginia, is now representing mining companies against community members in Ohio. Gross.
There is drama unfolding in the coalfields of West Virginia, but that's just it-- it's in the coalfields, and the courtrooms are just one small part of the larger picture. Shnayerson's token inclusion of local activists felt disrespectful at best; where were the stories of their myriad campaigns, experiences, and griefs? Who cares about a lawyer from "an affluent suburb of Charleston" and his poor $90,000 salary which Shnayerson points out time and again could be so much higher if Joe worked for the corporations. I'm sorry, but while I respect environmental attorneys and value their work very much, I can't feel sympathetic for their sacrifice considering what the people they represent are up against.
A little perspective, please.
Well, not really. This book is the fun, (melo?)dramatic story of some legal battles against mountain top removal coal mining, with heroic lawyers and evil coal barons, and maybe only two chapters on "a few brave Americans," as in the grassroots activists doing the real leg work against, and suffering the real consequences of, mountaintop removal (MTR).
I enjoyed reading it because Shnayerson takes lots of leeway to write recent history out like a novel with good guys and bad guys and very little grey area, so it's a quick legal drama. It was also important for me because the book documents the recent legal battles up to early-2007 against MTR, and it was awesome to read as characters the people I've been meeting in my work against coal this summer. But come on! This book, and especially the lawyers involved, were so romanticized that it didn't feel like reality-- and frankly, it wasn't. Brian Glasser, for example, the great lawyer who stood against coal dust pollution in West Virginia, is now representing mining companies against community members in Ohio. Gross.
There is drama unfolding in the coalfields of West Virginia, but that's just it-- it's in the coalfields, and the courtrooms are just one small part of the larger picture. Shnayerson's token inclusion of local activists felt disrespectful at best; where were the stories of their myriad campaigns, experiences, and griefs? Who cares about a lawyer from "an affluent suburb of Charleston" and his poor $90,000 salary which Shnayerson points out time and again could be so much higher if Joe worked for the corporations. I'm sorry, but while I respect environmental attorneys and value their work very much, I can't feel sympathetic for their sacrifice considering what the people they represent are up against.
A little perspective, please.
July 15, 2008
I would probably actually give this 4.5 stars if I could. And before I go any further, I should acknowledge that I am a fairly strong environmentalist and disagree wholeheartedly with mountaintop removal mining. That said, this book is very well written. It is the story of several battles related to surface mining in West Virginia, notably in the Coal River area. The author discusses several legal cases and citizen actions, primarily against Massey Coal, although he mentions Arch and Peabody as well. As the price of petroleum has increased, many parties have been pushing for increased coal mining. In that light, I think most people, especially here in Kentucky and WV should read this. It would be an eye-opening read for anyone unfamiliar with mountaintop removal.
June 16, 2010
I'm having a hard time reading this. It is an excellent expose on the coal mining industry. However, I become so outraged and upset about what has been going on behind our backs and how whole moutnains and valleys are being executed for profit, that I have to stop and cry for a while. It has made me decide to do something and if you have ever seen or been in the beautiful mountains of Appalachia it will break your heart too. Hopefully you will get on the band wagon to stop this atrocity to one of our most beloved National Treasures. This has gone on long enough behind our backs. You probably had no idea. It makes this big oil spill look like a Sunday School picnic. Check out ilovemountains.org for more info about what is really destroting the environment in the USA.
June 22, 2010
An expose of West Virginia's newest mining effort called mountaintop mining and the company (and CEO) pushing it heavily- Don Massey. The story itself is pretty surprising at times, though what happened after the book in the WV Supreme Ct and US Supreme Ct would have made great news as well. But the lawyer in me was disappointed. It was hopelessly one-sided, making heroes out of all those who fought the companies without asking enough hard questions about West Virginia and its future in the large view and looking more closely at the lawyers' actions on both sides in the small view. For Shnayerson, the mining companies' legal tactics were all loathsome and wrong, but it sure seemed like they were the same ones being used by the environmental lawyers as well.
May 9, 2008
Shnayerson did a great job explaining the legal issues and the corruption that allow the shameful practice of "mountaintop removal" mining to destroy vast areas of Appalachia. He also details coal companies' exploitation of workers and the total disregard for local communities' health and well-being. The writing is clear and entertaining, and uses specific stories to explore the issues. The only reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5 is that there is no attempt at objectivity -- no passages or chapters that offer the mining corporations' justifications. Then again, "we're really greedy" isn't much of a justification for the crimes these companies commit.
June 19, 2010
This book was a compelling story of mountaintop removal coal mining, discussing the complexity of the issues and explaining some of the history and background. It is incredible to read the stories of the residents of West Virginia and the environmental lawyers who have taken on Big Coal and their struggles to end these practices destroying the health, culture, and jobs in Appalachia. This book was a deeper exploration of some of the true costs of cheap coal and has increased my enthusiasm for some of the latest victories for those who want to keep the people and the mountains in tact for centuries to come! I'd recommend it.
August 12, 2014
I loved this book for the insider view it provided behind what the public saw and knew in these dramatic years of the War Against Coal. From thw investigative reporting of Ken Ward, the invaluable and heartfelt testimony of residents, court records, and original research, the author walks us through the developments of these formative years with the eyes and ears of political ecology: this issue cannot be understood as just a social issue, an economic issue, or an environmental issue alone. it must be viewed in the context of local and national economic and political realities combined with the unique cultural and historical experiences of West Virginians.
August 10, 2008
Very good expose` of mountaintop removal coal mining in the Appalachian region of West Virginia. Looks at various lawsuits the locals have brought against coal companies, mainly Massey Energy over the past 10 years or so.
Same old story: huge, powerful corporations, led by heartless individuals (Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship) ignoring common sense and existing laws (Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act) to make the most money possible. Also: how the governments (state and federal) let them get away with it.
Sad tale. If you read it prepare to be thoroughly pissed off by the end of it.
Same old story: huge, powerful corporations, led by heartless individuals (Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship) ignoring common sense and existing laws (Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act) to make the most money possible. Also: how the governments (state and federal) let them get away with it.
Sad tale. If you read it prepare to be thoroughly pissed off by the end of it.
September 18, 2008
1. The brief history of Honey Bottom, WVa, made me laugh in horror.
2. That lawyer guy from the book really wants people to stop burning coal. I kept reading the paragraph over and over, but, yeah, that's what he was getting at.
3. Maybe instead of leveling the mountain, they could just drill up from underneath and leave it (mostly) hollow. That might sound pretty cool if you went hiking on it with heavy boots. It might also be dangerous though. And also, I'm not sure how they'd get underneath the mountain in the first place.
2. That lawyer guy from the book really wants people to stop burning coal. I kept reading the paragraph over and over, but, yeah, that's what he was getting at.
3. Maybe instead of leveling the mountain, they could just drill up from underneath and leave it (mostly) hollow. That might sound pretty cool if you went hiking on it with heavy boots. It might also be dangerous though. And also, I'm not sure how they'd get underneath the mountain in the first place.
June 12, 2009
Tragic, tragic, tragic. Some of the oldest mountains in the world are being blown apart in a beautiful state to get at the coal so we can have cheap energy. Do average Americans even know this is going on? There is a delicate balance between saving the environment and saving good paying local jobs. However, once the mountains are gone, they are gone--"stream reconstruction" sounds ridiculous. In the long run, I wonder how mountaintop mining will affect West Virginia tourism, health of the residents in the area, and how mitigaton efforts look many years down the road.
June 21, 2012
I wish this book were required reading for all high school students. Perhaps at that age, it isn't too late to appreciate the consequences of behavior based upon the belief that the corporate office will care for and cure everyone's ills as long as we do whatever dirty deeds must be done, to Mother Nature and our Fellow Man, so the year end financial statements demonstrate the corporate officers deserve their huge bonuses and the Board of Directors won't notice those pesky safety violations piling up; they'll be tied up in court hearings for years!
April 4, 2013
A frightening look at what strip mining does to the land, the streams and the people in West Virginia and how the "little guys" fought back. Restoring the land after strip mining is a fallacy because replacing a forest with grass (after not putting the mountain back as it was) is not restoration at all. Also a look at what damage the Bush administration did to environment causes when they consistently put the interests of big business ahead of environment concerns.
January 18, 2016
An engaging overview of the illegal acts committed by certain coal companies and the government agencies which support them, as well as the glacial pace of legislation. This book should be accessible for even those with no prior knowledge of mountaintop removal and only the most basic understanding of the US Government.
Although it can get bogged down in too many details at times, this book is both well-paced and informative.
Although it can get bogged down in too many details at times, this book is both well-paced and informative.
May 16, 2008
What is it like to really live in the coal areas of West Virginia? And what are we really doing to our environment when we literally take off the top of mountains and throw the mess into the valleys? Read this book for an eyeopener on what is going on and who are the ones who suffer. Didn't get a better ranking as it is a bit dry.
July 21, 2013
Coal River is a riveting account of legal battles regarding mountaintop mining in West Virginia. The depiction of Don Blankenship and Massey Energy is particularly haunting after this year's Upper Big Branch tragedy. However, the book ultimately grinds to a slow stop, offering little by means of conclusion.
December 31, 2012
Good book about coal mining in West Virginia. Mountaintop removal, river pollution, court cases that go nowhere in a state controlled by an industry that does not care about the state. Explicates the conflict between jobs and the environment. Lived there for three years and saw the incredible damage done by the mining industry. Beauty and the beast.
January 28, 2008
Wow - excellent book. Non-fiction that read like a John Girsham book. The scary thing was that it was true and the cast of the evil, greedy corporate/government are real people who are doing real damage.
Must read.
Must read.
September 9, 2009
Incredible investigate journalism but lacking in flow and coherency at times. This was assigned reading for orientation at CU, and I learned a lot about mountain top mining/removal in West VA and the Appalachians.
October 19, 2010
Required reading for every native West Virginian. Exposes the greed of the coal industry, the pitiful venality of the West Virginia state government, EPA and Army Corps of Engineers, and the anger many West Virginians feel towards them all.
September 29, 2012
Everyone who wants a perspective on mountaintop removal should read this story. Shnayerson reported on the impact by Massey. I'm surprised, with the power Massey has, that the book was ever published.
February 17, 2015
I knew very little about mountaintop mining so the book was an eye opener for me. Energy concerns come at a very high price. The book was very dry and fact filled so don't expect many personal stories.
February 26, 2008
This book is a must if youve ever lived in a coal producing state.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews