Going Into Labor

In early American history, labor unions were a curiosity rather than a prominent feature, confined largely to skilled trades in big cities and on the railroads. Not until the late 1870s and prosperous 1880s, when political philosophy began to shift toward collectivism and the "progressive era," did national trade unions gain a real foothold. Since labor unions have been at the forefront of our news of late, I thought it would be interesting to search for some good fiction titles that deal with the labor movement in the United States.


Island Walkers by John Bemrose
Living among the other mill workers in the Island, a working-class Ottawa neighborhood, the Walker family faces new challenges as the threat of a mill closure looms.

Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell
Mary, daughter of a trade unionist, is attracted to Henry Carson, son of a mill owner, but when Henry is murdered and Jem Wilson, Mary's admirer, becomes the chief suspect, she must reexamine her loyalties.

Thunder on the Mountain by David Poyer
A strike against an abusive oil company in Depression-era Pennsylvania threatens to lead to violence as strike leader W.T. Halvorson confronts company owner Daniel Thunner and professional strikebreaker Pearl Deatherage, and CIO organizer Doris Golden arrives on the scene.

Scapegoat by Mary Lee Settle
In the sequel to Know Nothing, set in June of 1912, the possibility of a miners' strike in a small West Virginia town concerns several groups of people.

The Given Day by Dennis Lehane
Follows the experiences of a family whose lives mirror the political unrest of an America caught between its well-patterned past and an unpredictable future.

Storming Heaven by Denise Giardina
In the Battle of Blair Mountain, West Virginia, in the early 20th century, coal miners fight for unionization under the leadership of Rondal Lloyd and Carrie Bishop, a nurse who helps him before and after her husband's death.