The Face Of Decline Summary

Mandy Sanguigni
Dr. Cuff
Book Review Assignment
November 5, 2016

“The Face of Decline: The Pennsylvania Anthracite Region in the Twentieth Century”
Provide a complete Book Citation here

Imagine a time when life was simpler. Imagine a community that comes together, where everyone knows each other and very possibly all work together. This was the scene of the Pennsylvania Anthracite coal region at the beginning of the twentieth century. The discovery of anthracite coal in Pennsylvania in 1900 led to the development of a robust coal industry in the eastern part of Pennsylvania that grew rapidly and contributed greatly to the history and economy of Pennsylvania. The book “The Face of Decline” written by _______________ provides a well written
The authors use statistics that can be found in history textbook to support the specific events discussed throughout the book. For example; the book references circumstances in the Great Depression that had direct impacts on the mining community. The author backs up important events through prior knowledge and supported by several examples discussed in the reading. The authors show through pictures that convince the audience that the authors know about the specific struggles in the Pennsylvania anthracite region. According to Barret, (2007), the author talks about “four broad elements to explain specific collapse which include; the depletion of the most accessible coal seams, the decline in the domestic market due largely to the introduction of oil and natural gas, mechanization, and the circumscribed geography of the market in an era when a global reach became vital to survival.” This means that the authors were trying to analyze the economic strategies through local communities and the government. I believe that the authors wrote this book because the authors wanted readers to understand the meaning of these events and the problems in Pennsylvania. Many of the mining communities’ struggles were able to be resolved, but others take time and patience to solve. Some of the failures of the community and the government are
According to Cornell University Press, (2006), towards the end of the review it discusses how the authors “portraying a vivid detail not only the many human dimension of the downfall of the hard coal industry but also the mining families’ conservable resilience in meeting adversity.” The authors provide evidence to support their position and show the reader they have historically accurate information and their position and argument has merit. First, the authors use verifiable knowledge available through history textbooks and libraries when summarizing the events during the initial commercialization of anthracite coal. This was important because if a reader did not have prior knowledge about the topic they would not understand the importance of the events described by the authors. In my opinion, this book was written in an easy and clear manner. The author discussed the events in a manner that allowed a reader to understand the topic without having direct or previous information about anthracite coal or the mining industry. The authors wanted to convey the topic fully to the reader and allow the reader to grasp information completely. Another way that the authors carry the message to the reader is through the tone of the writing. The authors tone made it easier to read because you felt what the author was trying to convey to the audience. This made understanding the message and purpose behind