Overview

Cultural historian Jeff Biggers takes us to the dark amphitheatre ruins of his family’s nearly 200-year-old hillside homestead that has been strip-mined on the edge of the first federally recognized Wilderness Site in southern Illinois. In doing so, he not only comes to grips with his own denied backwoods heritage, but also chronicles a dark and missing chapter in the American experience: the historical nightmare of coal outside of Appalachia, serving as an exposé of a secret legacy of shame and resiliency.

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9780809333868

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Reviews

This is a world-shaking, belief-rattling, immensely important book. If you're an American, it is almost a patriotic duty to read it. --Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love Part historical narrative, part family memoir, part pastoral paean, and part jeremiad against the abuse of the land and of the men who gave and continue to give their lives to (and often for) the mines, [ Reckoning at Eagle Creek ] puts a human face on the industry that supplies nearly half of America's energy... it offers a rare historical perspective on the vital yet little considered industry, along with a devastating critique of the myth of 'clean coal.' -- Publishers Weekly [An] enriching history and an important look at the staggering human and environmental costs of mining. -- Kirkus Reviews Biggers offers much that's new, especially concerning events in the coalfields of southern Illinois, where his grandfather worked in the pits, where strip mining began, where Mother Jones organized workers, and where some of our nation's fiercest labor battles were fought. --Scott Russell Sanders, Orion Magazine

This is a world-shaking, belief-rattling, immensely important book. If you're an American, it is almost a patriotic duty to read it. --Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love Part historical narrative, part family memoir, part pastoral paean, and part jeremiad against the abuse of the land and of the men who gave and continue to give their lives to (and often for) the mines, [Reckoning at Eagle Creek] puts a human face on the industry that supplies nearly half of America's energy...it offers a rare historical perspective on the vital yet little considered industry, along with a devastating critique of the myth of 'clean coal.' -- Publishers Weekly [An] enriching history and an important look at the staggering human and environmental costs of mining. -- Kirkus Reviews Biggers offers much that's new, especially concerning events in the coalfields of southern Illinois, where his grandfather worked in the pits, where strip mining began, where Mother Jones organized workers, and where some of our nation's fiercest labor battles were fought. --Scott Russell Sanders, Orion Magazine

This is a world-shaking, belief-rattling, immensely important book. If you're an American, it is almost a patriotic duty to read it. --Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love Part historical narrative, part family memoir, part pastoral paean, and part jeremiad against the abuse of the land and of the men who gave and continue to give their lives to (and often for) the mines, [ Reckoning at Eagle Creek ] puts a human face on the industry that supplies nearly half of America's energy... it offers a rare historical perspective on the vital yet little considered industry, along with a devastating critique of the myth of 'clean coal.' -- Publishers Weekly [An] enriching history and an important look at the staggering human and environmental costs of mining. -- Kirkus Reviews Biggers offers much that's new, especially concerning events in the coalfields of southern Illinois, where his grandfather worked in the pits, where strip mining began, where Mother Jones organized workers, and where some of our nation's fiercest labor battles were fought. --Scott Russell Sanders, Orion Magazine

Part historical narrative, part family memoir, part pastoral paean, and part jeremiad against the abuse of the land and of the men who gave and continue to give their lives to (and often for) the mines, [Reckoning at Eagle Creek] puts a human face on the industry that supplies nearly half of America's energy...it offers a rare historical perspective on the vital yet little considered industry, along with a devastating critique of the myth of 'clean coal.' -- Publishers Weekly [An] enriching history and an important look at the staggering human and environmental costs of mining. -- Kirkus Reviews Biggers offers much that's new, especially concerning events in the coalfields of southern Illinois, where his grandfather worked in the pits, where strip mining began, where Mother Jones organized workers, and where some of our nation's fiercest labor battles were fought. --Scott Russell Sanders, Orion Magazine

Author Information

Jeff Biggers has worked as a writer, educator, radio correspondent and community organizer across the US, Europe, Mexico and India. Winner of an American Book Award, a Foreword Magazine Book of the Year Award and a Lowell Thomas Award for Travel Journalism, his work has appeared in scores of magazines, newspapers and national public radio programs. He blogs frequently for the Huffington Post and Grist. His website is www.jeffbiggers.com. Biggers' new book, Reckoning at Eagle Creek: The Secret Legacy of Coal in the Heartland, was first published in January 2010.

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