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The Badger Riot
In 1959, the small town of Badger was the centre of a labour confrontation that forever changed the social and political landscape of Newfoundland. For two and a half months, loggers had been striking for better wages and working conditions. Led by the International Woodworkers of America (IWA), the strike reached its climax when national and provincial police forces stormed the town in an attempt to break the impasse. The Badger Riot tells the story of the deadly melee that followed. This work of fiction captures for the first time the horror of a small community of people still reeling in shock from a tragedy that could have been prevented.
The number one selling book in Atlantic Canada for 2008.
Winner of the 2010 Heritage and History Award.
The number one selling book in Atlantic Canada for 2008.
Winner of the 2010 Heritage and History Award.
300 pages, Paperback
Published September 3, 2008
4 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 31, 2013
"J. A. Ricketts's The Badger Riot is a rare combination for a historical novel: It is gripping and accurate. It is historical fiction done right." -- Globe and Mail
"I found myself transfixed by the story as presented by Ms. Ricketts. Though the characters are fictional they are so well done that you feel you are seeing the events unfold through their eyes. You get an acute sense of the riot which is the true mark of good historical fiction." -- The Pilot
"While the book is a work of fiction, Ricketts’s human drama stays true to the facts. Her novel relates political and historical events surrounding the strike, and makes use of eye-witness accounts, but these are embedded within a family story of the author’s imagining." -- The Western Star
"Ricketts is very good at setting a scene, choosing details that stay with you." -- The Chronicle Herald
"The Badger Riot (Flanker Press) is a book that's hard to put down. Perhaps it's because you know that the terrible evening is coming, but it's also a page turner because of the compelling characters . . ." -- The Newfoundland Herald
"Dedicated to the people of Badger and the loggers of Newfoundland, the novel is as riveting as the violent image of the riot that remains embedded in [Ricketts's] mind." -- The Workers' Voice
"For readers interested in the story of Badger, the struggle for labour reforms and Newfoundland's move into the modern world, this is an excellent book." -- Atlantic Books Today
"It’s actually a riveting piece of fictionized history that will have you turning pages, caught up in the building tension." -- Lori's Book Nook
"The sense of time, place, character and action is vivid and compelling, and the story is very hard to put down." -- Resource Links
"One of my favourite local novels of recent years . . ." -- The Northeast Avalon Times
"A truly remarkable novel, which could be accurately described as an epic." -- The Guardian
"A strong sense of place is created by the use of dialect as well as evocative descriptions of the natural grandeur of the area and its native past. The tension generated by a long strike is well-crafted, and when their newly formed union is abruptly decertified—an unforeseen betrayal by a well-liked politician—the reader is as stunned and dismayed as the strikers." -- The Historical Novels Review
"I found myself transfixed by the story as presented by Ms. Ricketts. Though the characters are fictional they are so well done that you feel you are seeing the events unfold through their eyes. You get an acute sense of the riot which is the true mark of good historical fiction." -- The Pilot
"While the book is a work of fiction, Ricketts’s human drama stays true to the facts. Her novel relates political and historical events surrounding the strike, and makes use of eye-witness accounts, but these are embedded within a family story of the author’s imagining." -- The Western Star
"Ricketts is very good at setting a scene, choosing details that stay with you." -- The Chronicle Herald
"The Badger Riot (Flanker Press) is a book that's hard to put down. Perhaps it's because you know that the terrible evening is coming, but it's also a page turner because of the compelling characters . . ." -- The Newfoundland Herald
"Dedicated to the people of Badger and the loggers of Newfoundland, the novel is as riveting as the violent image of the riot that remains embedded in [Ricketts's] mind." -- The Workers' Voice
"For readers interested in the story of Badger, the struggle for labour reforms and Newfoundland's move into the modern world, this is an excellent book." -- Atlantic Books Today
"It’s actually a riveting piece of fictionized history that will have you turning pages, caught up in the building tension." -- Lori's Book Nook
"The sense of time, place, character and action is vivid and compelling, and the story is very hard to put down." -- Resource Links
"One of my favourite local novels of recent years . . ." -- The Northeast Avalon Times
"A truly remarkable novel, which could be accurately described as an epic." -- The Guardian
"A strong sense of place is created by the use of dialect as well as evocative descriptions of the natural grandeur of the area and its native past. The tension generated by a long strike is well-crafted, and when their newly formed union is abruptly decertified—an unforeseen betrayal by a well-liked politician—the reader is as stunned and dismayed as the strikers." -- The Historical Novels Review
July 25, 2011
Really well written! Gives a great storytelling into the "tragedy" of Newfoundland's past.
February 10, 2025
I picked this one up last time I was in Central Newfoundland. Very well written account about a small quiet town caught up in the greater scheme of corporate exploitation and the loggers' labour movement, from the perspective of the families and townspeople affected. I enjoyed the characters and was rooting for them loggers.
January 30, 2022
Well written Easy to picture yourself in the town of Badger.
January 4, 2013
A historical non-fiction story based on my hometown. I'm just not a fan of this genre. Either give me ficton, or give me history, but don't embellish the past. The history of this story is a tragic story that has gone untold in written form, so I am glad it was finally put into print, it's just not for me.
March 20, 2014
I wanted to read this book because I have family ties to the area that the story is set in. For the first part the book is very slow, as they introduce all of the characters and the interactions between them, the story becomes very detailed. But once the riot reaches it's peak, the author beautifully explains the chaotic moments of a riot. All in all, one of my favorite books.
Currently reading
October 23, 2009So far, so good.......
July 25, 2011
Couldn,t stop till I finished it , based on a true incident that happened in my lifetime .
March 1, 2014
This book was amazing and so intriguing to read. Being from Newfoundland it truly opened my eyes and knowing that a member if my own family was there when it happened. This is a definite must read.
January 24, 2017
Historical fiction based on the loggers stike in the small community of Badger in the late fifties. A well done rendering of a sad time in the history of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews