MINGO
Harman Claytor Corrigan & Wellman congratulates Jeff Barnes on his first novel Mingo. Mingo tells the story of brothers separated in 1908 when their mother dies in the hard-scrabble mountains of southern West Virginia. Durwood, the younger brother, is sent to Richmond to live with well-to-do relatives while older brother Bascom is left behind to dig coal with their father. When the estranged brothers reunite in 1920 on the day of the Matewan Massacre, they find themselves on opposite sides of an impending mine war. Ideologically entrenched and blaming the other for their estrangement, the brothers hurtle toward a final showdown at the Battle of Blair Mountain, the largest armed insurrection in U.S. history after the Civil War.
“… a moving and thought-provoking page turner.”
Lee Smith, bestselling author of The Last Girls and Fair and Tender Ladies
“An unforgettable coming of age story that sets brother against brother in the 20th century coal wars. Jeff Barnes is a natural storyteller.”
Kelly Corrigan, Host of “Tell Me More,” PBS, and New York Times bestselling author of The Middle Place and Glitter and Glue
“Mingo is a worthy memorial to … tough times in the Southern Appalachians.”
Dean King, nationally bestselling author of Skeletons on the Zahara and The Feud: The Hatfields & McCoys: The True Story
“Mingo is the like the mining of coal itself, explosive and powerful, darkness emerging into light. Barnes has found a rich seam.”
David L. Robbins, New York Times bestselling author of War of the Rats and Isaac’s Beacon
“Barnes’ first novel is a top-shelf ‘page turner’ which holds the reader close from the emotional opening to the final, explosive conclusion.”
Larry Hypes, Bluefield (WV) Daily Telegraph
“Full of detail and well-drawn characters, Mingo is a highly satisfying read wrapped in a sneaky-good history lesson.”
Paul Fletcher, Virginia Lawyers Weekly
Available on Amazon or your favorite bookstore.
