Daughter of the Hills: A Woman's Part in the Coal Miners' Struggle

by Myra Page, Deborah S. Rosenfelt (Afterword), Alice Kessler-Harris (Introduction)

This novel offers a powerful account of family life and labor conflicts, told through the eyes of a tough, resilient Appalachian woman who is, according to Richard Wright, "one of the most impressive proletarian characters in our literature." Daughter of the Hills exposes the economic conditions of the working class and the scarcity of opportunities for working-class women, but also tells the story of a loving marriage that endures despite severe hardships.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

268 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1950

About the author

Writer, union activist, and communist Dorothy Markey (nee Dorothy Page Gary) was born in Newport News, Va., in 1897. Under the name Myra Page, Markey was an active political journalist and writer in the 1930s. In the early 1940s, she taught writing at the Writers' School sponsored by the League of American Writers in New York City. During the 1950s and 1960s, she wrote and published the juvenile biographies. Dorothy Markey died in 1993.

(from http://www2.lib.unc.edu/mss/inv/p/Pag...)

Reviews

[Corinne Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

The subtitle of this book is A Woman's Part in the Coal Miners' Struggle. I don't know if that's what made me pick it up at the thrift store, or if it's because of the strong-looking redhead on the cover of my copy. Either way, while browsing, I read the author's note in the front and I was hooked.

Daughter of the Hills was written in the 1930s. Our author tells us that it is based on the real-life story of a woman named Dolly Hawkins, who lived her life in a coal mining town in Appalachia. The narrative begins when Dolly is on the cusp of being an adult, caring for her brother while he works at the mine, prior to World War I. Then John Hawkins swaggers into town and steals her heart in about five seconds, even though its tough for her to admit it. And really, as much as Daughter of the Hills is a story of a mining town and the struggles of its people, it is also just really the story of coalminer's wife Dolly, her love of John and the hardships of their lives together. Dolly's own family history and lore as such an integral part of her self that those pieces are a part of her story too, one generation's experiences bleeding into and inspiring or corrupting the next.

Beautiful, beautiful book. The love story was so brilliantly rendered, it made the excitement and terror of new love so real. The mining life is so harsh, so terrible, there was a scene that actually made me teary with the stress of being a miner's girl, just waiting to find out what happened down there in the deep mountain. I loved the cohesiveness of the town, the way it felt like a giant family, crazy and frustrating and yet completely dependent on each other. I loved the glimpse it gave me into a way of life where people really used dyed sugar sacks to make curtains, children snuck rides in coal cars going up the mountain and families sent their 11 year olds to work so that the family could eat. I kept thinking to myself, "people actually lived this kind of life."

It brought to mind other wonderful books, most particularly How Green Way My Valley and Mrs. Mike. Books just dripping with a sense of place and time, where I am transported and soon the vernacular and dialect are as comfortable as my own. I suppose this type of novel isn't for everyone but apparently it sure is for me.

[Caroline Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Myra Page was a woman who sassed fate. I can’t wait to read more of her work.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heart-wrenching tale of the life a coal-mining family. The feeling of helplessness and tragedy mixed with joy of family life was beautifully told from the voice of Dolly Hawkins Cooper, a real life coalmining wife.

[Lucille GaGivens · Rating 3 out of 5]

31/2⭐️s Heritage read for me.
My grandfather was a coal miner in the same area of this story’s setting. My grandmother’s life as a newly married young mother as described by the main character was similar. My father (90yr) also shared his childhood experiences “livin in the hills”, and it was fun to hear similarities and to ask questions. Most interesting was hearing an abandoned dialect return to my father as he told stories. Even odder was that I could easily understand both his dialect and the main character’s in the story.
Readers may have difficulty with dialect, but enjoy learning about the culture of a miner’s wife.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet story that weaves romance with miner's uprising in the Progressive era against "penitents" or penal labor (mostly black) forced into the mines to limit free labor's power. Also story of a woman coming to her voice in and out of love. Author was blacklisted--prole lit but gave me a hankering for TN (without the backbreaking labor of course).

[Alaina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a beautiful poetic book that remained grounded even at its most lyrical. The protagonist, Dolly, is an extraordinary (and ordinary?) woman. I finished it in the subway, and her simple heroism left me in tears as I walked to work.