Fourteen-year-old Mick doesn’t want to end up like his father, a roughneck union miner working for low wages in the Coeur d’Alene silver-mining district of Idaho. He detests the vigilante attitude of his father’s union and would rather do his fighting with words like his mentor, Mr. Delaney, who runs the town newspaper. But when the radicals of his father’s union blow up the mining company’s ore-concentrating mill, Mick’s dreams blow up with it. Federal soldiers put the town under martial law and arrest every man in it, including Mick and his father. Mick realizes that he’s his family’s only chance for survival. He must escape and do the one thing he swore he’d never do—join the scabs working in the mines. First-time author Mary Cronk Farrell has crafted a gripping historical novel based on a true event that occurred at the turn of the last century. Lessons from this overlooked part of U.S. history will still resonate with readers today. Author’s note.
Mary's love of writing began almost as soon as she learned to read. She grew up on a farm in Deming, Washington with eleven sisters and brothers. There was lots of work to do, like weeding the garden, cleaning the barn, feeding the chickens and washing lots and lots of dishes. But she had time to play in the fields and forest, and read a lot because the family had no TV. She was first published after winning a poetry contest in junior high school.
After graduating with a BA in Communications from Gonzaga University in 1982, she worked as a television news reporter and anchor for ten years in Seattle and Spokane winning numerous awards for excellence from the Society of Professional Journalists.
Mary reelances on a variety of topics for newspapers, magazines and blogs. For eight years she wrote a regular column on family issues syndicated in a number of newspapers.
In her spare time she grows organic vegetables, likes to drink coffee, eat chocolate, visit with friends while drinking coffee and eating chocolate, read books while drinking coffee and eating chocolate...
Fire in the Hole! (Clarion 2004)
VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates)
"A compelling historical novel...both gripping and poignant...fast paced and peopled with vivid, believable characters."
Kirkus Review
"Farrell's debut follows Mick as he works the mine, engineers a rescue of his father, and finds his own path in life. Fictional newspaper articles by Mick's mentor Mr. Delaney and a good author's note contribute historical and legal context for this story of family, dreams, and an important segment of American history. (Fiction. 10-14)
Booklist
Gr. 5-8. "Based on actual events, Farrell's first novel fairly brims with details and mining history. Farrell's characters and their motivations ring true, and the ending leaves hope that things will improve not only for Mick but for everyone. A good choice for historical fiction buffs and readers studying the mining industry and labor unions."
Awards
New York Public Library Best Books for the Teenage 2006
SPUR Award for Best Juvenile Fiction about the American West 2005
Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People 2005
Bank Street College List Best Children's Books 2005
Mary presents workshops for students Kindergarten through 12th grade.
An Explosion of Learning through
Literature
Brings to life an important segment of American history using historical photos, museum quality artifacts and Mary's novel Fire in the Hole! Includes hands-on demonstration of mining tools used before electricity and power drills, historical research technique and process and how to write authentic historical fiction.
The Mother Lode of Plot
and How to Mine It
Students will flesh out a character and learn strategies for developing plot, setting scene and adding detail. They will practice writing and responding, and learn the importance of revision.
Daughters of the Desert: Stories or Remarkable Women from Christian, Jewish and Muslim Traditions with co-authors Claire Rudolf Murphy, Meghan Nuttall Sayres, Sarah Conover, Betsy Wharton (SkyLight Paths 2003)
Publishers Weekly - "The device of using short stories to better establish these women's characters and spiritual motivations works well and should appeal to a wide audience."
Booklist - "An interesting way of showing how three religions spring from the same sandy landscape."
Celebrating Faith: Year-Round Activities for Catholic Families (St. Anthony Messenger Press 2005)
Inland Register-"Mary Cronk Farrell isn't about to saddle Catholic parents with more guilt. Her new book offers busy families support for growth in faith."
Women's and Family Workshops
Daughters of History
Women and girls explore the stories and experiences of their foremothers as a way of coming to greater understanding of their current experience and developing their world view.
Story Power: Use it to Strengthen your Family
Families explore how stories tell us who we are, where we've come from and what possibilities lie ahead. Stories heal, commemorate, inspire, and build powerful connections.
Women Becoming Fully Alive
Meeting women (i.e. Fannie Sellins, Ita Ford, Marian Wright Edelman) whose lives exhibit courage, compassion, authenticity and openness. Exploring ways women cultivate these qualities to live more fully.
