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Ash and Bread: Life and Labor in America's Coal Towns
By John Frances
Coal dust. Homemade bread. One built the country. The other kept its people alive.
Ash and Bread is a deeply human, immersive journey into the heart of America's forgotten coal towns — the patch communities of Pennsylvania where generations of immigrants lived, worked, prayed, and endured.
From the breaker boys and the company stores to the steel lunch pails, church picnics, and basement coal bins, author John Frances brings to life the true stories of ordinary people who did extraordinary things just to survive. Through vivid storytelling, historical accuracy, and emotional depth, this book paints an unforgettable portrait of the working-class families who powered America with their labor — and paid the price in sweat, blood, and silence.
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If you're drawn to books like Hillbilly Elegy, The Worst Hard Time, or Working in the Shadows, this is a must-read.
This is more than coal mining history.
It's a tribute to the people who built a world from ash and bread — and left a legacy carved into the American soil.
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