Coal Miner's Bride

A Coal Miner's Bride is the diary of Anetk Kaminska. Anetk is a 13 year old girl who lives in Poland with her brother and grandmother. Her mother died and her father went to America to find a better life. Anetks father sends ship tickets and a letter that said he meet a man in the coal mines who wants a wife and he will pay the way for her to come to America. So Anetk, her brother, and grandmother are going to go to America. But in Poland Anetk meet Leon who saved her when he kills a man who was attacking her. Anetk grandmother is scared that Anetk and Leon will be killed so Anetk, her brother, and Leon leave for America. After a long ship ride they finally make it to America and Anetk and her brother make it to Lattimer, were her father is working in a coal mine, but Leon got split up from them when they sent him a different way at Ellis Island.

A few days after arriving in Lattimer Anetk meets her future husband Stanley Grawryth and his three daughters. Anetk was shocked, first of all she didn't even want to marry this man and now she is also going to be a mother. Anetk and Stanly are married on July25. About a month after they are married Stanly is killed in a mining accident. Anetk takes in borders for money. She takes in her father, brother, and Leon who was able to stay in America.

Strikers including Leon march down the streets of Lattimer and anti strikers open gun fire and kill many of the men. Anetk runs to see if Leon is ok but can not find him. She kneels on the ground and prays that Leon is not died. The book ends with a man coming behind her and giving her a hug.

In the Epilogue it says that Leon and Anetk were married and had one girl together. In 1965 Anetk suffered a stroke and died. A heartbroken Leon passed away the next day.

I really liked this book. A gave a good description of how hard it was to be a coal miner and being a coal miners wife.