Preview of Growing Up in Coal Country Summary:

Bartoletti enjoyed listening to and telling family stories. She collected the oral histories of men and women who grew up in Pennsylvania's anthracite coal region and conducted research at museums and libraries. Silver at Night and Growing up in Coal Country were inspired by the stories of her husband's grandfather, Massimino Santarelli, who emigrated from Italy as a boy and worked in the coal mines for fortyfive years. Growing up in Coal Country tells the stories of miners and their families through oral histories, historical research, and photographs.

"Slowly, I was able to piece together what life was like for the children of coal country... [the] children who lived, worked, and played nearly one hundred years ago... . This is their story." The first half of Growing up in Coal Country describes work at the mines. Chapters 1 through 4 are titled "The Breaker Boys," "Nippers, Spraggers, and Mule Drivers," "Mules...