Copper Empire

by Donna Searight Simons

In 1913, Paul Weyburn and his fellow copper miners have tolerated dangerous working conditions for too long. Some of their workmates are being maimed or killed thousands of feet underground. . .which one of them will be next? Paul leads some of the miners on a labor strike to bring attention to the dangers of blasting and drilling copper for low pay. Marie, his wife, struggles to raise their four children and to maintain their boarding home during the crisis. Will the miners remain unified as the strike continues into the brutal weather and with money scarce? The Weyburn's eldest daughter, Nancy, moves to Detroit for employment in order to help the family with expenses. Will the Weyburns lose their home, and will their daughter stay permanently in Detroit? To make matters even worse, on Christmas Eve, an unthinkable tragedy will change Michigan's Copper Country forever.

318 pages, Paperback

First published March 12, 2013

About the author

Donna Searight Simons is the author of Copper Empire and has been published in magazines and newspapers, including Cycle California, Advisor/Source newspaper and Lake Superior Magazine. She has a great love and interest in Michigan's copper country due to the fact that her grandmother, Dorothy Carpenter Searight, was born and raised in Houghton. Her grandfather, Richard Searight, wrote the novel Wild Empire. Donna has been an administrative secretary at Oakland University since 1994 and currently lives with her husband Ron in Macomb Township.

Reviews

[Donna Winters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Using the Upper Peninsula copper miners' strike of 1913 as the basis of her story, Donna Searight Simons has produced an extraordinarily gripping historical retrospective that will keep you turning pages to the very end. Her characters are clearly defined, her setting drawn in detail, and her plot, though parallel to history, thoroughly gripping.

Characters

Paul Weyburn, the main character who tries to negotiate better conditions for copper miners in 1913, sticks to his convictions despite extreme adversity and evil opposition.

Marie Weyburn, Paul's wife, runs a boarding house with an iron hand and a kind heart.

Cece McAllister, Paul's best friend from childhood and a fellow miner, is both gruff and softhearted.

Sam Huston, a southerner come north, has plenty to say, but he isn't talking about his past. What could have caused him to leave his beloved South Carolina for the frozen north?

Nancy Weyburn, the oldest daughter of Paul and Marie, is a mild-mannered young woman who aims to please her finicky suitor, Artie Cooper, with little success.

Artie Cooper, a young journalist with a heart for the miners' plight, seems blind to the finer qualities of Nancy. Instead, he corrects her for even the tiniest of faults. Would he ever take the blinders off and see her for the gem she is?

Richard Weyburn, Paul and Marie's second born, yearns to work in the theater against his father's wishes.

Three young children and a loveable dog play interesting roles in the Weyburn family's life, all believable characters with distinct personalities.

William Peterman, the mine boss, provides ample opposition to reasonable miner requests for safer conditions and better pay.

Russel Ubel, Peterman's nephew and the mine captain and engineer, is so evil, the color black is not dark enough to describe his inner being.

Setting

The mine setting is depicted to realistically that you will sense the darkness, feel the heat, and smell the dust all around you. Whether in the mine or at street level above, the explosive charges will rock you as the miners blast their way to more copper.

Plot

The plot moves quickly forward, building tension with each new conflict between miners and management. While those familiar with the history can predict the story's direction, they will never guess the author's O Henry twist on the final page, a piece of true literary genius.

Buy, read, share

For historical fiction fans, I heartily recommend buying and reading this book, then passing it to others to enjoy, or encouraging them to get their own copy, since you'll likely want to place this on your "keeper" shelf.

Disclaimer

The author of Copper Empire provided a complimentary copy in thanks for advice freely given by this reviewer during the publishing process. The opinions expressed are strictly the reviewer's honest reaction and were in no way solicited or remunerated by the author.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great historical fiction book! Starts out fast and keeps your interest. You feel as if you are a part of the town of Red Jacket and experiencing the strike along with the miners. Donna provides a lot of historical detail of the events including the tragedy at Italian Hall.