Storming Heaven

In 1921, an army of 10,000 coal miners took up arms and threatened to overthrow the governments of two counties in West Virginia. They were met by U.S. Army gas and bombs. Here is the story of how it happened--and where it all went wrong. Brilliant, diamond-hard fiction, heartwrenching, tough and tender.--Los Angeles Times Book Review

Annadel, West Virginia, was a small town rich in coal, farms, and close-knit families, all destroyed when the coal company came in. It stole everything it hadn't bothered to buy--land deeds, private homes, and ultimately, the souls of its men and women. Four people tell this powerful, deeply moving tale: Activist Mayor C.J. Marcum. Fierce, loveless union man Rondal Lloyd. Gutsy nurse Carrie Bishop, who loved Rondal. And lonely, Sicilian immigrant Rose Angelelli, who lost four sons to the deadly mines.

They all bear witness to nearly forgotten events of history, culminating in the final, tragic Battle of Blair Mountain--when the United States Army greeted 10,000 unemployed pro-union miners with airplanes, bombs, and poison gas. It was the first crucial battle of a war that has yet to be won.