Rednecks: A Novel by Taylor Brown

Rednecks is a tour de force, big-canvas historical novel dramatizing the West Virginia Mine Wars of 1920-1921, culminating in the Battle of Blair Mountain. In this largest labor uprising in American history, 10,000 multi-ethnic coal miners clash with mine owners, state militia, and the U.S. government. One million rounds were fired, bombs dropped on Appalachia, and the term “redneck” found its unexpected origin.

Taylor Brown's Rednecks brims with high-stakes drama, telling a powerful story of rebellion against oppression. In a land where coal companies use violence to prevent unionizing, Lebanese-American doctor "Doc Moo" Muhanna (inspired by Brown’s great-grandfather) toils amid the mining camps' blood and injustice. Frank Hugham, a Black World War I veteran, leads a miners' revolt with fellow veterans, risking everything for justice. Doc Moo risks his life and career to treat sick and wounded miners, while Frank's grandmother, Beulah, fights to save her home and grandson.

Real-life figures burn bright among the hills: the fiery Mother Jones, an Irish-born labor organizer known as "The Most Dangerous Woman in America," struggles to guide the miners ("her boys") amid rebellion. Sharp-shooting police chief "Smilin" Sid Hatfield stands up to the coal companies' "gun thugs," becoming a folk hero of the mine wars.

Award-winning novelist Taylor Brown brings to life one of the 20th century's most compelling events, reminding us of the hard-won origins of today's unions. Rednecks is a propulsive, character-driven tale that’s both a century old and blisteringly contemporary: a story of unexpected friendship, heroism against injustice, and the power of love and community against all odds. ❤️📚❤️