I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own. 

A young man who escapes the public execution of Irish Coal Miners for a conspiracy that never happened must contend with finding a home for his family while taking work from a local union leader who is also a local gangster in author Michael Dunn’s “Anywhere but Schuylkill”. 

The Synopsis

In 1877, twenty Irish coal miners hanged for a terrorist conspiracy that never occurred. Anywhere But Schuylkill is the story of one who escaped, Mike Doyle, a teenager struggling to find a new home for his family before his alcoholic uncle kills one of his siblings. So, he takes a job with a union leader, who’s also a gangster, while secretly courting his daughter. Now the gang leader, cops and rival gang all want him dead.

The Review

This was a brilliant coming-of-age historical fiction novel. The author does a perfect job of capturing the chilling realities of the era, from the brutal and bloody nature of life as a miner to the hardships of working-class Americans and immigrants and the freestyle nature of crime in small, rural towns. The imagery the author utilizes in their writing really brings the grime and visceral setting to life effortlessly in this narrative.

To me, the author’s exceptional detail in both the history and the character development made this a remarkable story. The breathtaking yet shocking imagery helps elevate the culture and history of that era and the protagonist’s struggle both with his family and the people he becomes involved with when looking to help support his family after the tragic loss of the head of their household. The truth of his loss, as well as the themes the author explores in this era, from the racism and addiction that was growing during this time to the corruption of big corporations against middle-class America, made this a compelling story.

The Verdict

Memorable, heartfelt, and captivating author Michael Dunn’s “Anywhere but Schuylkill” is a must-read historical fiction meets coming-of-age story. The twists and turns in the narrative and the rich character dynamics at play here made this a remarkable story to get lost in. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!

Rating: 10/10

About the Author

Michael Dunn writes Working-Class Fiction from the Not So Gilded Age. “Anywhere But Schuylkill,” is the first in his Great Upheaval trilogy. A lifelong union activist, he has always been drawn to stories of the past, particularly those of regular working people, struggling to make a better life for themselves and their families. Stories most people do not know, or have forgotten, because history is written by the victors, the robber barons and plutocrats, not the workers and immigrants. Yet their stories are among the most compelling in America.

They resonate today because they are the stories of our own ancestors, because their passions and desires, struggles and tragedies, were so similar to our own. When Michael Dunn is not writing historical fiction, he teaches high school, and writes about labor history and culture. His labor history has been published in several online and print magazines:

Reform: The Trojan Horse Wheeling into Schools (Labor Notes 7/28/11); The dangers of a

California megaflood (World Socialist Website, 10/25/21); and The Modern School Movement

(Fifth Estate, #411, Spring, 2022).

Michael Dunn