In 1912-1913 West Virginia, a coalfield strike was called to organize the miners. Evicted from their company homes, many moved to a nearby town, swelling the population from fewer than 300 to over 3,000. They refused to return to work, choosing to live in coarse tents, the only shelter available. Ten months into the strike, a coal operator commissioned an armored train to shoot up the sleeping community late one night.

The Gallagher family lived through the event. Young Valentina, angered over the ruthlessness of the coal operators and the death and destruction from the escalating violence, wanted to help create a change for her family and friends. She often defied her parents and worked to bring the nation's eyes to the travesty of a group of people whose voices were being overlooked and forgotten. But what could a 13-year-old girl do to try to create change?

Valentina's story is fiction. However, it is based upon the events that occurred in what is recognized as the longest labor dispute in American history.

About the Author

Katy J. Smith is a retired elementary school teacher in West Virginia. She is also a National Board Certified Teacher in Reading and Literacy. She and her husband live in Montgomery and Huntington, and they have one daughter and two grandchildren. Katy is the daughter of a coal miner and enjoys her family legacy of coal mining and all things Appalachia. Her hobbies include reading, writing, cooking, and traveling.