Coal River

by Michael Shnayerson

Book Overview

One of America's most dramatic environmental battles is unfolding in southern West Virginia. Coal companies are blasting the mountains, decapitating them for coal. The forested ridge tops and valley streams of Appalachia one of the country's natural treasures are being destroyed, along with towns and communities. An entire culture is disappearing, and to this day, most Americans have no idea it's happening.Michael Shnayerson first traveled to the...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374125147
• ISBN13: 9780374125141
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
• Length: 321 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.3" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Infuriating and Eye-opening!

I read this book after taking a class on Appalachian literature. There were times when I wanted to throw the book and drive to West Virginia just to see what I could do. There were times when I closed the book and cried. An incredible book that everyone in America needs to read. We have no respect for the land and the history that we have, and soon it will all be gone.

hard to put down

The pace of this book is as fast and compulsive as a wicked thriller, but the story happens to be completely true. Shnayerson is a natural spinner and he totally delivers the goods with this tale of good versus evil. The bad guy is the morally autistic coal baron, Don Blankenship, recently selected by Old Trout magazine as the "seventh scariest person in America." He even looks like a villain -- black mustache, lifeless stare -- and spouts social Darwinist cliches while turning tens of thousands of acres of West Virginia's beautiful mountain into a moonscape. Enabling this sociopath are his lawyers, the spineless bureaucrats in various state agencies and the Army Corps of Engineers, some of the most venal judges in America, and the craven policies of the Bush Administration. On the other side of the moral ledger are some amazing people. Injured miners who took huge risks in fighting back. Blankenship's abused maid, who dared to stand up to him. A tenacious, underpaid lawyer named Joe Lovett. Gutsy activists like Judy Bonds, Vivian Stockman, and Ed Wiley. If you think modern life lacks drama, check out this book. There's a real war going on in the mountains of Appalachia -- and, of course, the climate implications of that war will affect the world our grandchildren inhabit. Way to go, Shnayerson, for going to West Virginia and bringing us back this story.

Coal River exposes "dirty little secret"

Coal River is an account of a small group of dedicated brave mountaineers who are more than willing to go toe to toe with a ruthless coal baron. King Coal is not accustomed to having his outlaw mining operations challenged. Hats off to Michael Schnayerson for accurately telling this must read story.

How West Virginia is Being Destroyed in the Name of Greed and the Fight to Stop It

Coal River is the story of the practice of mountaintop removal mining in the Coal River Valley of West Virginia and of the people who tried to stop the practice. It also examines Don Blankenship, CEO and Chairman of Massey Energy who is considered by all involved to be the one person responsible for the most destruction. For those not familiar with the technique, mountaintop removal mining involves literally blasting several hundred feet or more from the top of a mountain so that the coal can be extracted much more easily. The spoils of the removal are dumped over the edge of the mountain into streams that tend to run along the valley floor. That causes pollution and, in many cases, the entire closing of the stream which changes the entire hydrology of the area. In theory, the mountains are supposed to be replaced to a near natural form at the end of mining, but that rarely happens, leaving a moonscape of rock and debris that will take thousands of years to remediate on its own. The coal companies have an agenda and will hardly allow the law to slow them down. After reading the book I felt sick. The mountains of West Virginia are one of the prettiest places in the United States, and yet our government has been caught handing over permits for a process that is clearly illegal under the Clean Water and Clean Air Acts. The courts are of little use....they, too, have been bought by big coal. This story of the courageous fight of the men and women of the valley is must read if you care for the environment of the planet at all. It is well written and very inspirational that such a small number of people were willing to take on Big Coal.

Raping West Virginia

Mr. Shnayerson is a crusader tilting at the relentless hunt for more coal in the out-of-the-way hollows of West Virginia. Strip mining has taken on a new meaning when entire mountains are leveled instead of their mountainsides. The hero of the 300+ page book is local lawyer Joseph Lovett who battles the government and the coal companies for small victories. The book is written in a conversational tone and it is clear that the author is an environmentalist. Given the near total control of West Virginia by the coal companies, that is not a bad thing.