The scapegoat
Subtitle: a novel
By: by Mary Lee Settle.
Edition: 1st ed.
Publisher: Random House
Published: 1980
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 278
Description: In a novel about casual and heedless acts that often lead to unthinkable results, Mary Lee Settle traces the fall of a West Virginia town that was first made rich by coal, then corrupted and destroyed by it. Set in 1912, the story propels readers with astonishing immediacy to a fateful day in a coal miners' strike in which relatives of the Beulah dynasty, only dimly aware of their blood ties, confront one another on opposing sides of the dispute. Emotions escalate to a frenzy of violence as Mother Jones, leader of the striking miners, calls for action in a community devastated by Southern resignation and by guilt associated with selling out to Eastern investors.