Making Sense of the Molly Maguires

Rating:
Summary: Excellent, very well-researched book
Review: A very well-researched and detailed account of the Molly Maguires in Pennsylvania. Cuts through the myths and concentrates on the facts. Gives a very good depiction of life in the coal region at the time (much of the language, culture, etc. is still present in the region today). Also good background information on the Mollies origins in Ireland. A very scholarly work.

Rating:
Summary: SHOCKING DETAIL
Review: After reading Mr. Kenny's account of the Mollys, I have a much better understanding of what really transpired in the coal fields of Eastern Pennsylvania over 100 years ago. Going beyond the typical view of the Mollys as a band of drunken criminals of Irish origin, Kenny tells of the political and corporate corruption that existed in the 1850s to 1880s. While not displaying total sympathy for the Mollys - since many did fit the stereotypical image, Kenny's accounts will change one's perspective of this group. Well worth reading.

Rating:
Summary: Kenny really did his homework
Review: His explanation of the beginning of the union and the people it involved was very clear.There were a lot of details on the exploitation of mineworkers of that era. This is a one the best on the subject.

Rating:
Summary: knowledge can be enjoyable
Review: How is it possible that the Molly Maguires could be made boring! It's about real life and real people! History is exciting. This book is a cold and lifeless list-the way many of us were taught history in school. I wanted to learn about the Molly Maguires but this book was a disaster. The print was very small-get a magnifying glass-I'm serious.Were I taking a course in school and this was one of the textbooks and I had a decent professor then thats ok. This reads like some long boring detailed document.There should be some sort of warning. I'm not blaming any one but somewhere there should be an explanation about not just if a given reader liked a book but what kind of book it is.

Rating:
Summary: knowledge can be enjoyable
Review: How is it possible that the Molly Maguires could be made boring! It's about real life and real people! History is exciting. This book is a cold and lifeless list-the way many of us were taught history in school. I wanted to learn about the Molly Maguires but this book was a disaster. The print was very small-get a magnifying glass-I'm serious.Were I taking a course in school and this was one of the textbooks and I had a decent professor then thats ok. This reads like some long boring detailed document.There should be some sort of warning. I'm not blaming any one but somewhere there should be an explanation about not just if a given reader liked a book but what kind of book it is.

Rating:
Summary: Full consideration of a complex historical event
Review: Kenny digs into the broader social and historical forces that operated in the Irish coal miners and the community in which they found themselves. The events under review are themselves shocking. Like the 9/11 attacks, they seem almost incomprehensible because of their violence and the drama surrounding the events. The Molly Maguries were more than simple killers -- the women's clothing, for example, is a clue that something beyond a simple murder. Kenny gives his explanation of WHY events unfolded as they did.
Kenny has a scholarly point to make and academic readers will be rewarded with Kenny's solid analysis. This is a serious work on a serious subject. It is well worth a bit of intellectual effort. It also makes a fine addition to the reading list of an upper level undergraduate or graduate history course. However, the general reader with an interest in Irish-American history, labor history, and/or European immigrant history will also find this book interesting and informative.

Rating:
Summary: Secret Societies Knee-Deep in Coal Dust
Review: One of the better interpretations of this turbulant era in the coal belt. Kevin Kenny explores the complicated society relationships and both factual and circumstantial evidence that led to the the conviction of some of the ringleaders. Unlike the 1970 movie "The Molly MacGuires," this book assures the reader that series of violent events over a number of years was no simple story to tell. The subsequent convictions of some of the coal miner leaders was hotly contested in its day. Add this book to your collection if you are a student of 1800's Pennsylvania or the treatment of Irish immigrant miners during the period of the Molly MacGuires.

Rating:
Summary: Secret Societies Knee-Deep in Coal Dust
Review: One of the better interpretations of this turbulant era in the coal belt. Kevin Kenny explores the complicated society relationships and both factual and circumstantial evidence that led to the the conviction of some of the ringleaders. Unlike the 1970 movie "The Molly MacGuires," this book assures the reader that series of violent events over a number of years was no simple story to tell. The subsequent convictions of some of the coal miner leaders was hotly contested in its day. Add this book to your collection if you are a student of 1800's Pennsylvania or the treatment of Irish immigrant miners during the period of the Molly MacGuires.

Rating:
Summary: The best book on the subject done so far.
Review: The Molly Maguire Era is one of the most tangled and complex in United States history. Kevin Kenny has done a masterful job of untangling the complexities and cross currents involved here. There was more evil than enough on both sides of the conflict. New evidence compiled in the last twenty years puts a very different light on this woeful period of American history.

Rating:
Summary: The who, what and why of the Mollies finally explained.
Review: The who, what and why of the Mollies has been muddied by time and myth. Kenny clarifys the mud and myth in this straightforward, honest assessment of the Molly Maguires and those who were obsessed with their demise. A truly excellent work and a must for anyone interested in Molly lore.