The Coal Tower

by Tony Gentry

It's Game Day at the University of Virginia, launching a new school year, when Charlottesville fills to bursting with incoming students, football fans and alumni. Famed neurosurgeon Rainsworth Cannon and his equestrienne wife, their goth teenaged daughter and her train-hopping boyfriend, a cop and his wayward brother, all have been living for this day. But they cannot imagine how at its end their lives will be changed and forever entwined by what goes down at the Coal Tower.

Genres: History

328 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 30, 1988

About the author

Tony Gentry is the author of a novel The Coal Tower, a story collection Last Rites, a poetry collection Yearnful Raves, a book of family history WWII Mortarman: My Father's Service with the 99th Chemical Mortar Battalion, and five young adult biographies (Paul Laurence Dunbar, Alice Walker, Jesse Owens, Dizzy Gillespie, and Elvis Presley).

Tony holds degrees from Harvard College (BA - History & Literature), New York University (MA - occupational therapy) and the University of Virginia (PhD - instructional technology).

Tony's occupational therapy career has focused on neuro-rehabilitation and assistive technology. He lives in Bon Air, Virginia and blogs at tonygentry.com.

Reviews

[Meryem Matar]

The biography Elvis Presley was written by Toney Gentry. Elvis Aaron Presley was born January 8, 1953. His parents were Vernon and Gladys Presley. Elvis had a twin who sadly died in his birth. He was the surviving and the little twin. Vernon, his father, was a farmer, and Gladys, his mother was a factory worker. Elvis’s dad went to prison because he sold a hog for four-dollars which was too little. He made people think it was fourty-dollars. He was not alone, but with two of his friends. The year 1938 was a very difficult year for the Presley family. Elvis’s father worked as a laborer in prison and the farm. The difficulties at that farm were that the place was very sunny and the guardians were too much strict. Elvis and his mother, Gladys sang together and shared their meal with other people of the community. When he sang with his mom, it was the time when he started getting influenced by music and it was the first time he sang. Elvis’s childhood was full of learning music, which he loved so much. June 6, 1956 was the first performance of Elvis. He was amazing with his moves and his voice. He had a lot of fans and was nicknamed “The King of Rock ”. Elvis decided to stop his career and go work at the military. He left his home country to go to Germany. Elvis met Priscilla Bonlieu, which would later be his wife. After two years of working at the military, Presley returned to the US to continue his singing career. Fans were so happy when they heard the news. Elvis soon married Priscilla Bonlieu, and gave birth to a girl whom they named Lisa Marie Presley. Elvis and Priscilla sadly divorced. Presley’s career was not only singing, but acting on movies and commercials. He acted on 33 movies. Elvis Presley sadly died August 16, 1977 because of alcohol. He is now remembered as a hero of pop and acting. As one can see, Elvis Presley lived a very successful life.

This story was strong enough to answer three questions. Before reading this book, I asked myself how was Presley’s childhood and how did he become a great rock ‘n’ rollin’. What I like about this person is that he didn’t give up forever in singing and he worked very hard to accomplish his influence. I think that Elvis Presley is a hero because he had many fans and attracted many people during his songs. He also made special moves and made the rock era much greater. As one can see, Elvis Presley was remembered as a successful hero thanks to his hard work and by achieving his goals.

I would recommend this book to High School students because this biography had many special vocabulary words and less than a High School level would not understand the story without rereading it several times. I would also recommend this book to people who are interested on reading about stars’ lives and famous people and how they have lived a successful life.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

When people say that books take you places you've never been, they're talking about "The Coal Tower."

The Coal Tower comes to life on the page through rich and diverse characters throbbing with hopes and dreams (and a few barely struggling through) whose lives intersect on a pivotal day, Game Day in Charlottesville, VA. Gentry skillfully paints a town through several uniquely personal lenses, all players in a landscape imbued with academics, racism, and social climbing--a tumbleweed of connections that weave a story ripe with relationships that stretch and snap with love, resentment, loyalty, and betrayal. The story builds and builds. The writing is beyond imaginative and beautiful. Many stories reveal the thoughts of characters, but somehow, Gentry infuses those thoughts with a level of detail rarely seen in literature. From famed neurosurgeon Dr. Cannon, to his wife Iris, to Chloe and Lucas, Sid and Mattie, this story reveals with laser clarity the way we all see ourselves and our place in life—how we determine what we have earned and what is owed to us, what we value, and what we figure out along the way, and how sometimes, we are wrong about all of it.

And the ending! Wow. I want more.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book begins like a coal train whose engines ramp up, and with strength and steadfastness begin to pull the long line of cars. Then you are caught in the coal bins and in the lives and minds of the characters in Charlottesville as 3 different worlds begin to take shape. Gentry weaves these different worlds together into a strand that had me turning each page after promising I would stop at the end of the chapter. A great story told by a great story teller. Can't wait for the sequel!

[Chance Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must be the only person who saw this biography of Elvis Presley, published in 1994 and marketed toward upper elementary-aged children, and thought, "I must know what Leeza Gibbons wrote about Elvis."

Ms. Gibbons apparently wrote an intro for many, if not all, books in this series, including on figures such as James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, and Johnny Cash.

Her intro on Elvis is prescient. She writes that children of older generations chose world leaders as Winston Churchill or JFK as their heroes. The 1994 generation chooses heroes like Paula Abdul (great choice) Michael Jackson (not so much), and Burt Reynolds (really? even in 1994?) Today, go to Famous Birthdays dot com and Jimmy Carter (RIP) would be 101 today. He is ranked 6th most famous person born today below Anayah Rice "Instagram Star" at number one and Chrisnxtdoor "YouTube Star" at number four. Julie Andrews (happy 90th!) is number seven.

These are today's heroes.

Anyway, aside from Leeza's prescience, this book is weird AF. Intended for a library's children's non-fiction section, the book's thesis appears to be "Elvis made everyone horny."

The back of the book talks about Elvis's "taunting sexuality [and] seductive face." Page 16 says that the "provocative sexuality of Elvis's dancing shocked and thrilled audiences." A reporter is quoted as saying that watching Elvis was like "watching a striptease and a malted milk machine at the same time." And there are two shirtless photos of Elvis. Wild!

[Daisy Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in a sitting and learned A LOT about Jesse Owens!

[Michelle Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very easy read for entertainment or research purposes about Elvis. Learned some new things about Elvis too.

[Judy Lotas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gentry writes with an ear and a heart. Not a non-poetic sentence in the book. I was mesmerized from beginning; characters rang sad but true. The dialogue was faithful to the way people talk these days--in blurts, and you just don't miss the subject-predicate-object sort of speech you find in most novels. And the author sure knows his stuff, from arcane facts about coal cars to idiomatic southern. Can't believe it's his first novel. Wow.

[Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Coal Tower instantly captivates and immerses the reader into the rich inner lives of each character, the story lines intertwine beautifully and the plot drives steadily forwards until its final destination. Not only that, but the author is able to translate the contrasting beauty and squalor of Charlottesville into a very authentic, and tangible way. When I finished this book I instantly wanted to read it again, knowing that I would pick up on details and viewpoints in a different way the second time I read it. To me, a story which allows the reader to re-visit it again, and approach the storyline with a different perspective each time, is a mark of a truly great novel. I cannot recommend this read highly enough.

[Antonio · Rating 4 out of 5]

i learned alot about jesse owens in this book