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Taylor Brown

Author of FALLEN LAND, GODS OF HOWL MOUNTAIN, and REDNECKS

REDNECKS on NPR!

I was over the moon to see this review by none other than Gabino Iglesias turn up on NPR.

“While this is a novel about something that happened more than 100 years ago, it also feels very timely. Even today, many big companies are very anti-union, and their focus on revenue is the same as it was for mine owners. The division between those who work for a living and those who profit the most from that work is still an issue, and makes this action-packed, character-driven novel feel extremely contemporary.”

It actually spent two days on the NPR.org homepage — incredible!

You can read the full review here: www.npr.org/2024/05/23/nx-s1-4976209/taylor-brown-rednecks-book-review

Rednecks was also selected by Strand Books of NYC as their Fiction Pick of the Month, and my interview with Steve Nathans-Kelly of the Chicago Review of Books is now available. I’ll be announcing some upcoming events in Wilmington (NC) and St. Augustine (FL) soon — stay tuned!

REDNECKS: On Tour!

Rednecks is going on tour!

Here’s what we’ve got on the books so far (working to add a few farther afield over the summer). So excited to see friends and readers at some of my favorite stores and visit a few new ones — y’all come on out!

If you can’t make an event, you can preorder a signed copy from any of these stores and I can sign and/or inscribe your book when I’m there. If I’m not coming to your area, you can preorder a signed copy from my hometown store and make a note how you want it inscribed: www.eshaverbooks.com/book/9781250329332.

If the book sells well enough, I’ll be able to add more dates to the calendar — fingers crossed!

Exclusive Excerpt: REDNECKS!

Y’all! The Bitter Southerner has published an exclusive excerpt from Rednecks (out 5/14/24) in their new issue! The prologue and first two chapters are available at the link below, and you can subscribe for this gorgeous print version.

BitterSoutherner.com

A little background: Many years ago, I was leaning in the office door of my friend, mentor, and freelance editor, Jason Frye — a native son of Logan County, WV. Somehow the term “redneck” came up.

“You know where that word comes from?” asked Jason.

 I touched the back of my neck. “Sunburn, from working in the fields.”

 Jason’s eyes sparked over his great iron-shot beard and he leaned toward me, rubbing his hands together. “Boy, you don’t know the half of it.”

 So began my long personal journey into the history of the Battle of Blair Mountain, the largest armed uprising since the Civil War. In 1921, ten thousand coal miners rebelled against the coal companies, which had been using an army of private detectives (“gun thugs”) to keep the miners from unionizing. A million rounds were fired, bombs were dropped on American soil, and only the arrival of the United States Army stopped the violence. The miners wore red bandannas tied around their necks, and people called them “rednecks.”

To quote the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum:

“Although the term ‘redneck’ predates the Mine Wars era, this period is often understood as the birth of the term as slang in America. It was originally used in the popular media to denigrate an Appalachian working class uprising as backwards, uneducated, and dangerous, and the stereotype and negative use of the term persists today.”

Shortly after I began a deep dive into Mine Wars history, I wrote a short story for The Bitter Southerner that was published in 2018. Six years later, I’m so damn excited to share this excerpt of the novel with y’all…and the whole thing when it comes out in May. Talk about full circle! 

Mine Wars Museum Review: “An absolute stick of dynamite.”

I woke up this morning to this review of Rednecks from Shaun Slifer, Creative Director at the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum. I have to say this one means one hell of a lot to me coming from someone who knows the story, material, and minutiae so well.

“That’s the power of fiction…the force of bringing the story right to your gut and making you feel it in a way that a work of straight history may never be able to make ‘real’, including and in particular the most uncomfortable parts. Taylor Brown’s forthcoming novel Rednecks is this kind of book, and it’s an absolute stick of dynamite.”

One of the most rewarding aspects is that Shaun, who designs the museum’s exhibitions and works hands-on cataloguing the museum’s many artifacts from the era, is in a rare position to recognize the deep digging for authenticity and detail that went into the book — the way it was built from the dirt up, from old shell casings and transcripts, obscure photos and actual objects from the battle itself.

“I found myself nodding along at so many little details while reading Rednecks, constantly registering the historical facts and sources that Taylor was working with. I couldn’t help it, I’ve been digesting the minutiae of this history for years, and so I could tell you that Taylor has ‘done his research’, but that’s honestly selling it short. He’s dug about as deep as you can go, pulling experiences from everywhere: from obscure photo captions and court transcripts, oral histories and actual objects on exhibit in the museum, building a novel from the grains of historical reality, piece by piece by piece.”

I just want to thank Shaun and everyone at the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum for all of the work they do to unbury and illuminate this vital piece of history.  Y’all go see them in Matewan!

A pencil pressed into a shell casing, found at Adkins Fork.

And if you haven’t preordered Rednecks yet, you can do it right here: https://read.macmillan.com/lp/rednecks/

Early Review: REDNECKS

I don’t normally share reviews, but I received this very kind early review from a long-time reader, Randal White.

In less than 10 years, author Taylor Brown has developed into a undeniable force. About every two years, he turns out a new novel that one just cannot put down. “The River of Kings” and “Gods of Howl Mountain” are two of my favorite books of recent times. I honestly did not think he would ever be able to reproduce that level of writing again. Then I received an ARC of “Rednecks”, his latest novel (to be published in May 2024). Wow! Was I ever wrong in doubting his ability! I dare say Rednecks is his best work yet.

The book is set in the early 1920’s, in the coal fields of West Virginia. It’s the story of the underdog coal miners against, well, everyone else…the coal barons, the hired thugs of the companies, and even the government. I wasn’t familiar with the “war” that went on there, but am totally shocked at it now. HOW did this happen? It gives me a much deeper appreciation of the struggles and sacrifices of so many to unionize.

This is an incredible story! I guarantee that once you begin reading it, you will not rest until you finish it. Brown has written a great narrative of the war, using many varied characters. Each is well developed and feels real. The way he writes, you can see the landscapes, smell the gun smoke and sweat, taste the fear in the people, hear the guns as well as the silences. It’s all here. You will become immersed in the settings, and actually flinch when a gun goes off in the story.

At the end, you’re exhausted, unaware that anyone could write to make you feel such a range of emotions. And you will sit back in your chair, take a deep breath, and realize how lucky we are today because of the sacrifices of the people before us. I’m glad Brown only releases a book every two years, I honestly need the time in between to recover from the last one!

 

Three Things You Can Do to Support Rednecks

There are three things that would really support the book at this early and important juncture — I’d be so grateful if you considered them.

1. Add Rednecks to your Goodreads shelf.

2. Pre-order a signed copy from E. Shaver Booksellers.
(Or pre-order from your favorite retailer).

3. Forward this email to a friend or share this post on your social media.

Cover Reveal: REDNECKS!

I’m thrilled to share the cover of my next novel, Rednecks, which busts into the wild on May 14, 2024 from St. Martin’s Press.

This novel was born from my Bitter Southerner short story “Rednecks” and is dedicated to my friend and editor Jason Frye of Logan County, WV, who asked the fateful question many years ago: “Do you know where the word ‘redneck’ comes from?”

I touched the back of my neck. “Sunburn, from working in the fields.”

Jason’s eyes sparked over his great iron-shot beard and he leaned toward me, rubbing his hands together. “Boy, you don’t know the half of it.”


Book Details

A historical drama based on the Battle of Blair Mountain, pitting a multi-ethnic army of 10,000 coal miners against mine owners, militia, and the United States government in the largest labor uprising in American history.

REDNECKS is a tour de force, big canvas historical novel that dramatizes the 1920 to 1921 events of the West Virginia Mine Wars — from the Matewan Massacre through the Battle of Blair Mountain, the largest armed uprising on American soil since the Civil War, when some one million rounds were fired, bombs were dropped on American soil, and the term “redneck” would come to have an unexpected origin story.

Featuring real-life and invented characters — men and women, adults and children, Black and white and immigrants from many countries who worked in the dangerous West Virginia coal mines — REDNECKS tells a dramatic story of rebellion against oppression. Taylor Brown introduces crucial point of view characters: “Doc Moo” Muhanna, a Lebanese-American doctor (inspired by the author’s own great-grandfather) who serves the mining camps; Frank Hugham, a Black miner who helps lead the miners’ revolt; Frank’s mother Beulah, who fights to save her home and her son; and true-life folk hero “Smilin” Sid Hatfield, a sharp-shooting sheriff who dares to stand up to the “gun thugs” of the coal companies.

These and other characters come fully to life in a propulsive, character-driven tale that’s both a century old and blisteringly contemporary: a story of unexpected friendship, heroism in the face of injustice, and the power of love and community against outsized odds.

Through inspired portraits of real-life characters including legendary union organizer Mother Jones, to dynamic battle scenes set in the West Virginia hill country, Taylor Brown reimagines one of the most compelling events in 20th century American history.


Three Things You Can Do to Support Rednecks

This is a story thundering to be told, and there are three things that would really support the book at this early and important juncture — I’d be so grateful if you considered them.

1. Add Rednecks to your Goodreads shelf.

2. Pre-order a signed copy from E. Shaver Booksellers.
(Or pre-order from your favorite retailer).

3. Forward this email to a friend or share this post on your social media.

“Jason Isbell is Walking Tall” — Now Online!

Live this week! My interview with four-time Grammy winner Jason Isbell for The Bitter Southerner:

Jason Isbell is Walking Tall

While I went to Nashville to delve into the creative process with Isbell, our conversation would range far beyond this starting point, turning over stones, upending myths, and shedding light on what we all might learn from the artist’s journey.

“I sense we’re verging on something powerful here, a territory I hoped we might explore before I ever stepped foot in [Isbell’s] barn. It’s something I think about a lot, and not just as it pertains to masculinity or gender. So often, it seems that hardness and inflexibility, even stubbornness, are perceived as strengths, when it actually takes more guts, more faith, and more courage to be vulnerable, open, and empathetic. It’s an idea that goes beyond the music or art, pushing into new ways of being.”

With photos by legendary rock photographer Christy Bush, styling by Heather Mary Jackson, and grooming by Robin Geary. Honored to work with such a talented team!

The Jason Isbell Interview: Now in Print!

Several weeks ago, I was asked by The Bitter Southerner to interview four-time Grammy winner Jason Isbell for the cover story of Issue 6. To say I was thrilled would be an understatement.

I discovered Isbell in 2005, when he was member of the Drive-By Truckers and I was a homesick young writer working on my first stories out of little cafés in Buenos Aires. After graduating from the University of Georgia earlier that year, I’d sold my car and used the money to move to Argentina with the intention to teach English as a Second Language (ESL). I ended up writing web content for two cents per word, hopped up on jarritos (double espressos, literally “little jars”) and force of will. In a strange twist of fate, I discovered a couple of Drive-By Truckers songs had come preloaded on my Dell laptop, and I immediately fell in love with their music. As I said in the BS piece:

“Here was a band doing what I aimed to do with my writing: Taking the old Southern stereotypes, lighting sticks of dynamite underneath them, and seeing what truth or beauty or horror might be found amid the dust and wreckage: usually an unforgettable constellation of all three.”

Since then, Isbell has branched out on his own, recording a string of No. 1 hits, earning a reputation for candor on social media, and becoming “Americana music’s favorite son.”

The Bitter Southerner didn’t want just another profile or album review, but something different: two writers talking about writing and art. I traveled to Isbell’s home in Nashville with this intention in mind. In reality, our conversation would range far beyond this starting point, turning over stones, upending myths, and looking for better ways of ways of moving through the world.

I’m damn proud of what came of our time together: “Jason Isbell is Walking Tall.” You can read the full 5500-word piece in Issue No. 6 of Bitter Southerner, available here: https://bsgeneralstore.com/products/bs-magazine-issue-no-6

Huge props to legendary rock photographer Christy Bush for the incredible photographs, Heather Mary Jackson for the styling, and the whole BS family for entrusting me with this story — it was an honor.

New Novel Announcement: REDNECKS

I’m thrilled to share the news that my next novel, REDNECKS, is coming in 2024 from St. Martin’s Press!

What if I told you there was a battle on American soil in 1921 in which more than one million rounds were fired, bombs were dropped from airplanes, and a multiethnic army of 10,000 coal miners wore red neckerchiefs to identify themselves, earning the nickname “Rednecks”…and almost no one outside Appalachia had even heard of it?

This is that story.

Started in 2017, this book was one hell of a beast to write. The main character is inspired by my great-grandfather, a farmer’s son who emigrated from Mount Lebanon to the US in 1889, at the age of 14, alone but for a priest as chaperone, and graduated from the University of Kentucky School of Medicine, becoming a physician and medical examiner in rural Kentucky. I’ve always felt a special connection with him since we share the same birthday.

Great-grandfather making his rounds...on horseback!

The book also includes a cast of real-life characters including Smilin’ Sid Hatfield and Mother Jones, aka “The Most Dangerous Woman in America.”

I’m especially indebted to my friend Jason Frye — a native son of Logan County, WV, where the battle took place — for his stories, encouragement, and editing, and to the WV Mine Wars Museum staff for their recommendations and advice.

To get things right for this book, I not only had to read a library’s worth of books and talk to old-timers on the ground for their stories, but I took my dirt bike high and deep to find the old Blair Mountain battle sites where a car could hardly reach — and where coal companies still restrict access to much of the land.

I could not be more excited to share this novel with y’all.

Wingwalkers 2022: G&G and Upcoming Events!

Happy Friday, folks!  First off, I’m excited to let you know that Garden & Gun put Wingwalkers at the top of their 2022 Summer Reading List — woohoo! Also, I just wanted to keep you abreast of some upcoming events.  I’ll be in Miami, Jackson (MS), Beaufort (SC), and Athens (GA) in August and September. Hope to see some of you on the road!

MIAMI, FL
Thursday, August  11, 7:00pm
Books & Books with James Chapin (Ride South until the Sawgrass)
265 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables, FL 33134
www.eventbrite.com/e/in-person-an-evening-with-taylor-brown-and-james-chapin

JACKSON, MS
Saturday, August  20, Time TBA
Mississippi Book Festival
State Capitol Building, Jackson, MS
https://msbookfestival.com/plan-ahead

BEAUFORT, SC
Tuesday, September 20, 5:00pm
Nevermore Books (in partnership with the Pat Conroy Literary Center)
910 Port Republic Street, Beaufort, SC
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf0A-JJl-F9/

ATHENS, GA
Wednesday, September 21, 7:00pm
Cafe au Libris at the ACC Library
2025 Baxter St, Athens, GA 30606

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