{"product_id":"they-say-in-harlan-county-alessandro-portelli-9780199934850","title":"They Say in Harlan County: An Oral History","description":"Made famous in the 1976 documentary \u003cem\u003eHarlan County USA\u003c\/em\u003e, this pocket of Appalachian coal country has been home to generations of miners--and to some of the most bitter labor battles of the 20th century. It has also produced a rich tradition of protest songs and a wealth of fascinating culture and custom that has remained largely undiscovered by outsiders, until now. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cem\u003eThey Say in Harlan County\u003c\/em\u003e is not a book \u003cem\u003eabout\u003c\/em\u003e coal miners so much as a dialogue in which more than 150 Harlan County women and men tell the story of their region, from pioneer times through the dramatic strikes of the 1930s and '70s, up to the present. Alessandro Portelli draws on 25 years of original interviews to take readers into the mines and inside the lives of those who work, suffer, and often die in them--from black lung, falling rock, suffocation, or simply from work that can be literally backbreaking. The book is structured as a vivid montage of all these voices--stoic, outraged, grief-stricken, defiant--skillfully interwoven with documents from archives, newspapers, literary works, and the author's own participating and critical voice. Portelli uncovers the whole history and memory of the United States in this one symbolic place, through settlement, civil war, slavery, industrialization, immigration, labor conflict, technological change, migration, strip mining, environmental and social crises, and resistance. And as hot-button issues like mountain-top removal and the use of \"clean coal\" continue to hit the news, the history of Harlan County--especially as seen through the eyes of those who lived it--is becoming increasingly important. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWith rare emotional immediacy, gripping narratives, and unforgettable characters, \u003cem\u003eThey Say in Harlan County\u003c\/em\u003e tells the real story of a culture, the resilience of its people, and the human costs of coal mining.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Alessandro Portelli\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0199934851\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780199934850\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Oxford University Press, USA\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/16\/2012\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 464\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.35lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.10h x 6.10w x 1.30d","brand":"Alessandro Portelli","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43992893063423,"sku":"9780199934850","price":43.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_811e90a8-f1e7-42ca-80f7-a87cfd88433c.jpg?v=1683321389","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/they-say-in-harlan-county-alessandro-portelli-9780199934850","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}