A review by youngthespian42
The Cold Millions by Jess Walter

4.0

I am really not drawn to historical fiction but I was extremely grateful I picked this one up through a book club. Labor history is a subject that I think a lot of my generation struggles to get attached to. We did not get it covered in school very well and the struggle of the workers of the 19th and 20th centuries feel so foreign to us. With the labor moment we are having in America right now this book feels perfect to give our struggle a larger historical context. While there is a bit of Steinbeck-esque lacquer on this novel (which to some I know will be a selling point and to others will be a deficit) there are some extremely compelling female characters as well. The action of the story entertains greatly and serves as a great engine to get some real labor history as well.