First published 2010
Loyal Ledford tends the furnace at Mann Glass factory in Huntington, West Virginia, working swing shifts as an orphan trying to make his way. He falls for Rachel, the boss's daughter who works as a company nurse with her straight posture and black hair. Pearl Harbor changes everything. Ledford goes to war, returns home, and marries Rachel. Back at his old job, he starts a family but grows restless under his boss's thumb. The Bonecutter brothers, his cousins, own land that speaks to something deep in Ledford's soul. He leaves the glass factory behind and creates The Marrowbone Marble Company on their property. The company becomes more than a business. It turns into a gathering place for civil rights activists and poverty fighters during the 1950s and 1960s. People come seeking change and refuge. This draws dangerous attention from those who want things to stay the same. Ledford must defend what he has built and protect his family from the violence that follows. His journey from lost veteran to community leader plays out against the social upheaval transforming America.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, social-issues, activism
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: community, found-family
Setting: Huntington, West Virginia, Mann Glass Factory
Period: 1950s, 1960s
368 pages · Hardcover · Ecco