April 15, 2019
Russell’s latest historical, a carefully researched rendering of the Copper Country strike of 1913–1914, pays meticulous attention to detail that is often fascinating but occasionally tedious. Charlie Miller comes to Calumet, a company town on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, to organize the local copper miners, and his rhetoric inspires idealistic Annie Clements to lead the Women’s Auxiliary of the Western Federation of Miners, Local 15, despite her husband’s disapproval. After a worker is fatally injured—an all-too-common event—the miners vote to strike. As weeks turn into months, the Women’s Auxiliary works tirelessly to keep the miners and their families fed and clothed and to keep everyone’s spirits up. The painstakingly comprehensive narrative and omniscient point of view make for a deliberate pace, but they also ensure readers completely understand what happened. The tale is often bleak, but it serves as a worthwhile counterpoint to historical writing centered on “great men.” Agent: Jane Dystel, Dystel, Goderich, & Bourret.
