Abstract
David Bullock brings the reader a wide array of knowledge and information in his new book, Coal Wars: Unions, Strikes, and Violence in Depression-Era Central Washington. This modest book (fewer than two hundred pages of text), educates the reader on everything from the science behind coal mining, to the regional politics of Washington State, to the relevant issues of the various political parties. At times, the amount of information can seem overwhelming to someone unfamiliar with these topics. However, Bullock uses a clever narrative device that both softens the barrage of facts and also personalizes the broader trends and occurrences that he discusses.
Beginning on the first page of the first chapter, Bullock introduces the reader to the Swanson family. The husband, Herman, works in one of the coal mines. We also meet his wife Mildred and their three children. While this is an actual family, as we are shown their picture, Bullock imagines the dialogs between the parents, observations by Herman and Mildred, as well as specific hardships faced by the family.
While the existence of the family is true, as is the background we are given about them, the fictional—but possible—creations of Bullock bring the harsh facts he gives his readers a greater humanity. For example, Bullock writes, Herman read the flyer over several times that evening before throwing it in the fire. “Anna,” he commented, “You know, we’re going to be in for a whole lotta trouble here. These people are not gonna back down they just keep pushing, but there’s no way they can stand up to John L. and the NWI and win. I just don’t understand why so many people are ready to give up on the United Mine Workers.” “Well, I don’t know, Herman,” Anna responded quietly. She rarely challenged Herman directly on a major decision, but she couldn’t ignore the anti-UMWA sentiment pervading her community. “A lotta people are talking, saying the Union hasn’t been doing that much for us. What if these Western Miner fellas are right? What if they have the votes? Where are you gonna be then? You know the mine is gonna hire good workers no matter what side wins out.” “That’s not what they’re telling us at the mine . . .” (p. 104)
Sometimes, these stories of Herman, Anna, and their friends and family are intersected into factual descriptions of historic events. For example, when Bullock contrasts Herbert Hoover and the Great Depression with Franklin Roosevelt and his alphabet soup of initiatives, we see the Swanson family sitting in their front room listening to Roosevelt on the radio. Other times, these stories are used to convey information or perspectives, such as the different opinions around various issues, as in the above example.
Although these dramatized fictional insertions make the text more accessible to outside readers, they also make quick gleaning of the information in the book more challenging. If a reader wanted to skim through a chapter or section of the book to find a particular fact, one has to wade through quite a bit more material than would be necessary in a leaner telling of this period in history. Additionally, because the chapters begin with prose about what the Swansons and their neighbors are experiencing, sometimes the reader must read past lengthy fictional segments before even learning what the chapter is actually about. The interweaving of the fictionalized portions with the nonfiction might also confuse some younger readers as to the truth and seriousness of the book’s focus.
Nevertheless, ultimately I believe these stories of the Swanson family add much more than they detract. Moreover, the greater accessibility of this book makes it appropriate for labor studies, history, sociology, and labor education. While it might not be able to be the primary text for a course, it would be an excellent, readable supplement for students to ponder.