Inspired by her in-laws' recollections of working in coal country, Susan
Campbell Bartoletti has gathered the voices of men, women, and children
who immigrated to and worked in northeastern Pennsylvania at the turn of
the century. The story that emerges is not just a story of long hours,
little pay, and hazardous working conditions; it is also the uniquely
American story of immigrant families working together to make a new life
for themselves. It is a story of hardship and sacrifice, yet also of
triumph and the fulfillment of hopes and dreams.