Anywhere but Schuylkill

by Michael Dunn

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 find a new home before his alcoholic uncle kills one of his siblings. He takes a job with a union leader, who is also a gangster, while secretly courting his daughter, and quickly learns that the gang leader, cops and rival gang all want him dead.

393 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 25, 2023

Reviews

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed for my blog.

Some of my readers will appreciate the difficulty of my search for 19th century historical fiction set in the United States. Those who share my desire to read about this era have probably found loads of Civil War fiction and not much else. Because of this, I was excited to have the opportunity to read Anywhere But Schuylkill by Michael Dunn for this Coffee Pot Book Club tour!

I read this novel with a little bit of previous knowledge of the hardships of coal mining in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, but not of this specific event. (For another fantastic series set in coal mining country, see the Ava & Claire series by Karen Heenan.) It can be a challenge to keep track of all the players in this drama, but it is worth it to gain greater appreciation for the impossible situations faced by the men and boys working in the mines and their families.

Mike Doyle was forced to grow up quickly, as were most of the children living in the mining towns of the late 19th century. This was the part of the book that touched me the most. Mike and his younger brother, Bill, wanting to "be men" and support their family, when their ages barely hit double digits.

"He staggered under the weight, which seemed a hundred times more than just Bill, as though he was carrying a house that was crumbling apart, trying to keep his family from tumbling out."

And that's exactly what is expected of them, especially after their father is killed in a mining accident. I probably don't want to know the average life expectancy of a coal miner. I cringed more than once at the conditions they worked under as expertly described by this author.

"As they descended, sparkling black walls slid past them, spiked with rusty nails and burnt shards, a nightmare sky spinning out of control."

Mike was confused by different groups and loyalties and who was actually concerned about his life and interests, and who could blame him? The kid was making adult decisions with little education or assistance, so, of course, he made some mistakes.

"But how could he say no to these guys? They'd just killed two men. He couldn't risk angering them. Couldn't risk becoming one of them either."

The Long Strike of 1875 ends in the tragedy of the execution of twenty men, supposedly for terrorism, but really for daring to stand up for themselves and demand living wages. Mike Doyle escapes this fate but loses almost everything except his life. Where will he go next? Anywhere but Schuylkill.

Read this and other book reviews on my blog. Thank you to Coffee Pot Book Club for my copy of this novel. Opinions are my own.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the Civil War ended in the United States, it did not mean the end of human misery. The industrial revolution had pitched into high gear. The revolution was powered by coal. But the coal was mined by human labor, the work was dangerous, and the pay was scant. As the 1870's got underway Mike Doyle was thirteen years old and working hard, hand sorting the coal at a mine in Pennsylvania. This novel is action-packed from the very start, when a fire in the mine kills Mike's father deep in the mine. Mike then moves with his remaining family to stay with relatives, also a miner family, in Schuykill County, Pennsylvania.

In his new home Mike is lucky enough to be placed in a better job, caring for the mules that move the coal from the mine to market. He gets involved in the labor movement, which is fragmented by ethnic groups, and with some men who control local saloons and mini crime syndicates. Showing the difficulty of the lives of the miners, the corruption of the industrial system, and and the difficulty of getting fair wages through a union movement, there is always action, never lecturing the reader. This is also a story of families, friendship, and personal pain, set in an American era that generated ideas for reforms that mostly would not be implemented until the New Deal during the Great Depression.

This is a great labor novel, as good as any I have read. Given the current revival of pro-union sentiments, from Starbucks to Amazon to General Motors, I hope it will be widely read.

[Jeff Weiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having been to Schuylkill County many times over the years and hearing stories about life in the mines, I had to read this book. The author did a great job weaving in the mines, the laborers and life in the 1870's.

My ancestors (German/Dutch) working in the mines for several generations made sure that my father and Uncle received an education to escape the mines.


Anywhere But Schuylkill is the first of a trilogy and I can't wait for book 2.

[Mara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anywhere But Schuylkill is the kind of book that latches onto you and won’t let go. Powerful. Tragic. With sensory descriptions so vivid and rich you can literally taste them, smell them, feel them chilling your bones. An absolute must-read!

The book takes place in the 1870s, at the beginning of the first Great Depression, when scores of banks and railroads were going under, and armies of unemployed tramps were scouring the country for jobs, or handouts. It is the story of Mike Doyle, a teenager who works with his father in the local coal mine. In spite of the meager pay and dangerous conditions, he is proud that he is contributing to his family, “like a real man,” and relishes the time he gets to spend with his father each morning as they walk to the colliery. But then disaster hits. A fire kills over one hundred men, including his father. And he is forced to move with his mother and siblings into the home of his cruel, alcoholic Uncle Sean. Almost immediately Mike realizes they cannot stay, or one of them will die. So, he makes it his mission to earn enough money to move his family into their own place. But every time he thinks he’s making progress, something else happens that sets him further back. First, it’s a wage cut, and a subsequent strike. Then it’s shady alliances with gangsters in the union. And all the while there is the brutality and intrigue of undercover cops, spies, vigilantes, and rival gangs, unleashed by the coal bosses to keep the desperate work force subservient and in need.

Michael Dunn writes in the tradition of the great working-class writers that came before him. Indeed, his horrific descriptions of the mine pits, the barbarism of child labor, the racism, hunger, and destitution, were as haunting as anything in Upton Sinclair’s, The Jungle. While the following lines, from early in the book, reminded me so much of the scene from Grapes of Wrath, when the Joad family was moving to California:

Avondale was fading behind them, the little patch houses growing smaller and smaller, the hills giving way to golden pastures and lazy cows. . . Mike . . . turned to looked straight ahead again. They were approaching Nanticoke. It looked the same as Avondale. Hills pockmarked with mine pits. Tall, rumbling breakers, farting out smoke as they lapped up hunks of coal with their long black tongues. Their bellies filled with boys. . . Some missing fingers or hands. All doubled over like hunchbacks with consumption.

Sadly, this history seems to be repeating itself today. And that is another reason to read Anywhere But Schuylkill. This book really has something to say about the human condition, in general, and more specifically about inequality and injustice. But I don’t think this is Dunn’s main point. Rather, throughout the story I found myself inspired by the protagonist’s innate goodness, his unshakable determination, his honor, resilience, and loyalty to family and friends. I was rooting for all of them until the end.

And the side characters were awesome, even the animals, like Betz the mule, who refuses to eat or drink, or do a lick of work, until Mike feeds her tobacco. But then there is Tom Hurley, Mike’s best friend, equal parts tough guy and clown. Or his kid brother Bill, a know-it-all and show off, and constant thorn in Mike’s side. Or his sister Tara, brilliant, sweet, and morbid as Wednesday Addams. Or Muff, the job shark and political fixer, who offers Mike a job caring for his gamecocks, so long as he keeps his hands off his beautiful and clever daughter, Hannah. I loved them all and can’t wait for the sequel, which, I read, features Tara as the main character.

Anywhere But Schuylkill is a powerful literary feast, a tale of hardship and resilience that plucks at your heart strings. Epic, reflective, absorbing and beautiful. So good that I think I’ll read it again.

[G.A. Matiasz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mike Doyle is a thirteen-year-old breaker boy in the mines of Pennsylvania when we first meet him at the beginning of Anywhere But Schuylkill. Less than four years later Mike’s “[b]een working ten hours a day in the pit. Another six at the tavern. Still haven’t saved a penny!”

The relentless poverty of life in the Appalachian coal fields at the beginning of the late nineteenth century Coal Wars is but one brutal aspect of this gripping work of historical fiction by Mike Dunn. The backbreaking sixteen-hour/six-days-a-week regimen of the miners is littered with deadly cave-ins, gas explosions, black lung disease, "blackdamp", and other disasters in the collieries. Mike’s father, an honest union man, is killed in the Avondale mine fire, his brother loses a foot in a painful accident, and the extended family is forced to move into the home of a strikebreaking “blackleg” alcoholic uncle who beats and physically abuses them. The struggling immigrant workforce is pummeled by economic cycles of panic and depression, and riven with ethnic conflicts as Irish, Welsh and German miners compete against each other as rival gangs fighting over ever decreasing pay and benefits.

Then there's the desperate struggles of the miners to unionize for better wages and conditions. These escalate into running, often armed battles against the coal barons, banks and railroads organized in the monopolistic Anthracite Board of Trade and protected by local cops, the Coal and Iron Police, and Pinkerton Detectives. Corporal punishment, company violence and periodic police massacres are realities vividly depicted by the author along with the misery of the miners' daily lives. Dunn ably conveys all these factors as pushing his main characters Mike Doyle and Tom Hurley from peaceful strikes, pickets and blockades to threatening scabs, vandalism and outright murder.

Dunn makes powerful use of the sensory world of the 1870s, richly weaving it together with the slang of the period. He grounds this historical fiction in real characters like Doctor Luks, a compassionate small town doctor who gives his patients care and drugs often at cost or for free. The author bases his work on the historical efforts of coal baron Frank Gowen to smash the Workingman's Benevolent Association by infiltrating spies into the union, eliciting false testimony and whipping up public hysteria against the fabricated menace of the Mollie Maguires. No real evidence of crimes against the accused miners or, for that matter, of the reality of the Mollie Maguires exists. Yet twenty men were convicted and hung in 1877 in one of the largest trumped-up mass execution of labor militants. Dunn's novel is a compelling read in the fine tradition of realistic working class literature.

[Linnea Tanner · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 Irish man 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.

[Bonnie DeMoss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a wonderful piece of historical fiction! The research is just astounding and the author’s expert knowledge of these events is evident. The reader is transported to 19th century Pennsylvania and the sights, sounds, and smells of that time come alive through Michael Dunn’s writing. When our main character Mike goes into a coal mine, we can see the dark tunnels through the light of the miners’ lamps, and we can smell the sweat of the men next to him. When he is forced to walk through a picket line as a “blackleg,” we can feel the hate and desperation of those who are striking for better wages and treatment. And most of all we can see him lined up with a group of young, hungry boys forced to work for almost nothing.

The descriptive, realistic writing is impressive. For example, the following passage shows what it’s like to be a “breaker boy” in a coal mine. “Pulling his shirt over his nose, he proceeded through the diagonal maze of chutes that crisscrossed the room. Each had ascending rows of boys sitting side by side above them on thin planks, as if they were on bleachers at a ballgame, except instead of facing home plate and enjoying the game, they all faced uphill, hunched over, their arms and legs darting in and out, like cockroaches rummaging for food.” Difficult and horrific situations such as discrimination, forced labor, and child abuse are shown truthfully. The desperation of young boys in horrible situations is written so well that the reader feels as if they are experiencing it. The author masterfully paints a vivid picture of the time, place, and events. It is very difficult to completely recreate a historic event in writing, place the reader in the middle of it, and make them feel as if they are there. This author has done it, and in his debut novel! This is the first in a trilogy and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

[Roberta Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anywhere but Schuylkill by Michael Dunn is a brutal, engrossing novel set in the Pennsylvania coal mines of 1877, the tarnished underside of a so-called gilded age. The author's gifted prose immersed me in its pages from the very beginning when 13-year-old Mike Doyle and his Da march past miners and a platoon of cops to descend into the bowels of the earth.

Mike starts out as a breaker boy, working long hours separating rocks, clay and soil from newly mined coal. After his father dies in a mine explosion, he and his family move in with an aunt and her abusive husband. For the next four years, Mike attempts to rise in mine job rankings but faces impossible odds. Fights break out between Irish and Welsh gangs and coal barons block workers' attempts to unionize.

It is, of course, a coming-of-age novel, not only of a boy but a people. Having escaped famine and oppression back home, many 19th-century Irish were determined to survive by any means possible. If that meant child labor, so be it. If it meant working under hazardous conditions where injury and death were more likely than not, that was the price they must pay. If it meant chicanery, thievery, even murder, they might be up for it. Like adolescents caught up in gang life, refugees who became oppressors rarely succeeded.

There are some lighter moments to be sure. Michael Dunn's rich descriptions of harvest celebrations, friendship, and young love brighten and add texture to the narrative. And then there are the women standing behind the men so desperate to unionize. At first they seem an abused but unobtrusive lot who give birth, nurture, cook, and clean, only to repeat the cycle. With each round they lose identity but acquire enough resourcefulness to help others escape a desperate situation. The fate of Mamai, Aunt Mary, Tara, and Hannah can only be told in a sequel. I hope one will soon be forthcoming!

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romantic and realistic, Dunn's gritty novel pleases

Anywhere but Schuylkill by Mike Dunn is a gripping historical novel based in the hard-scrabble coal country of Pennsylvania during the last decades of the 19th century. With this book Dunn gives us the story of young Mike Doyle, the first part of a planned trilogy. Dunn’s characters take the reader inside the rough lives of mostly Irish immigrant families fighting for better wages and humane working conditions. Mike Doyle’s immigrant bildungsroman engages historical threads of U.S. labor history and 19th century Irish rebellion which gives the incidents in Pennsylvania a greater depth and global resonance. Dunn’s greatest strength is in the descriptive narration, with many lovely paragraphs setting the scene and skillfully revealing characters’ motivation and the local histories of the events in which they find themselves. Dialogue is generally lifelike and convincing and the only places where the book strays into “romance” territory are a few ill-advised passages describing adolescent Mike’s growing but conflicted attractions. These are ironed out by the volume’s end which leaves us hungry for more of Mike’s adventures in what another social class called the “gilded age” of turn of the century America. One strange choice was the glossary at the back, which was helpful but, in the e-book, came as a surprise rather than the useful reference it might have been in a print format. Working the terms and significant dates into the text would have made a much richer, if denser, narrative. I enjoyed Mike Dunn’s first book and I’m eagerly awaiting his work in the future.

[A Look Inside: Reviews and Interviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Anywhere but Schuylkill" by Michael Dunn immerses readers in a gripping historical fiction narrative set amidst the coal mines of Pennsylvania in 1877. Through the journey of Mike Doyle, a young Irish coal miner, Dunn paints a vivid portrait of a world rife with injustice, survival, and redemption.

Dunn's strength lies in his ability to craft richly drawn characters and evoke the harsh realities of Schuylkill County. Readers are transported to a landscape where poverty, violence, and corruption loom large, yet amidst the darkness, glimmers of resilience and humanity emerge.

At its core, "Anywhere but Schuylkill" delves into themes of courage, identity, and the quest for a better life. Mike's evolution from a fugitive to a young man determined to forge his own destiny is both compelling and inspiring.

The novel's exploration of loyalty, betrayal, and redemption will captivate fans of historical fiction. Dunn skillfully weaves together elements of suspense, romance, and political intrigue to create a narrative that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

As Mike navigates dangerous alliances and adversaries, readers are drawn into a world where every decision carries weighty consequences.

"Anywhere but Schuylkill" stands as a testament to Dunn's masterful storytelling and his ability to illuminate the human experience in all its complexity. This novel leaves a lasting impact, resonating with readers long after they've turned the final page.

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Review

This was a brilliant coming-of-age historical fiction novel. The author does a perfect job of capturing the chilling realities of the era, from the brutal and bloody nature of life as a miner to the hardships of working-class Americans and immigrants and the freestyle nature of crime in small, rural towns. The imagery the author utilizes in their writing really brings the grime and visceral setting to life effortlessly in this narrative.

To me, the author’s exceptional detail in both the history and the character development made this a remarkable story. The breathtaking yet shocking imagery helps elevate the culture and history of that era and the protagonist’s struggle both with his family and the people he becomes involved with when looking to help support his family after the tragic loss of the head of their household. The truth of his loss, as well as the themes the author explores in this era, from the racism and addiction that was growing during this time to the corruption of big corporations against middle-class America, made this a compelling story.

The Verdict

Memorable, heartfelt, and captivating author Michael Dunn’s “Anywhere but Schuylkill” is a must-read historical fiction meets coming-of-age story. The twists and turns in the narrative and the rich character dynamics at play here made this a remarkable story to get lost in.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great novel! On the one hand, the storyline is very interesting as well as informative as to life around and in the coal mines; on the other hand, the plot is thrilling and full of tension! Indeed, trying to get improvement on salaries and life conditions can lead to much violence within the families and outside... How can you judge someone who does not want to take part in a strike, when it means no money for food? How can you just accept the abject conditions of working and living? The story revolves around these themes, and to even more violence and disputes among the ones fighting.... The end is however a bit of a cliff hanger! Is there maybe a book 2? Nevertheless, I really enjoyed it!
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I am leaving voluntarily an honest review.

[Heidi Ennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down! This is a powerful story of the misery and courage of miners and their families during the late 1800’s. The book is well researched and well written. I highly recommend it. This author is someone to keep an eye on. He has the history background and weaves in fictional characters that you grow to care for. That is a gift. A hard book to read, but we cannot forget the plight and the fight of the men and women that have gone before us in this country. I look forward to Michael Dunn’s next story and what it will teach me about America and blood and tears that built her.

[Daniel Frontino Elash · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite historical novels bring a sense of daily life to grand historical events, and "Anywhere But Schuykill" delivers. The protagonist is highly sympathetic, and a useful glossary makes the bits of 19th century and trade-specific language accessible. I feel like I got a real peek at a distant time and place, and given recent trends to reintroduce child labor, this book is both timely and a perhaps-inadvertently cautionary tale. Recommended!

[Sugarpunksattack Mick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anywhere but Schuylkill by Michael Dunn is a fantastic working class novel covering the heroic struggles of workers in the mine region of Pa. I love the setting, I love the back ground, and the very historically accurate depiction of the region. We need more novels that capture the history of working class struggles.

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mike Dunn’s vivid writing transports you back in time. It’s as if you’re right there with the main character (Mike Doyle) in the harsh conditions he lived through. I admired his resilience and rooted for his survival. I highly recommend this book.

[Steve Kastama · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book on a recommendation of a friend. Finished it in two sittings. Definitely worth checking out.

[Susan Faloon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this novel from the author and Historian Press through NetGalley. This is my own unsolicited opinion. In all honesty, this is more and less than I expected. It was more vivid in description, heartbreaking in the reality of what an oppressive life the coal miners and children fought to survive through. It is intense. When I say less, the full story wasn't there yet from the blurb about innocent miners being executed. I finally understood there is more to be written.
In the 1880's after the civil war life was far different from what we know today. It was heartbreaking in the coal mine country of Pennsylvania. Hopeless. Yet this incredible people; men, women and children trudged forward day after day. Author Michael Dunn paints the dark picture, fills the lungs with coal dust and the screams of the next child to lose a limb.
It's an incredible, well written story. It reflects a reality that is hard to take at times. Definitely gritty and raw. It's not romantic or pretty.
Characters involved in strikes after wage cuts, terrible work conditions, police violence, spies and managerial abuse are written to tell their stories. The author does a great job leaving himself behind.
Important mentions:
Pinkertons (Gave me an eye-opening insight)
Molly Maguires Ancient Order of Hiberians
Workingman's Benevolent Association 1868 (one of the nation's first industrial unions)
There may be triggers for some readers, horrendous abuse, offensive language, sexual innuendo and violence.