Book Blurb:
Out of the Darkness is based on the true story of a nineteenth-century child coal miner rising out of the ashes of poverty and tragedy to change the world. It’s the story of greed, love, sacrifice, faith, and the courage to push aside fear and jump into the refiner’s fire where the finest qualities of character are forged.
In 1837, seven-year-old Thomas Wright followed in his family's footsteps into one of England’s most dangerous coal mines. He struggled with childhood fears, working twelve-hour days, six days a week in the darkness 500-feet below ground. That was until disaster struck in one of England’s most horrific accidents that changes the direction of his life and the course of history.
This is the fast-moving story of a young boy overcoming the iron-fisted rule of the massively wealthy lord of the land, who not only owned much of South Yorkshire’s coal mines and the villages in which the miners lived, but the mortgage on their lives. With the help of his family, he confronts the tyrannical system of industrial slavery, His Lordship’s brutal psychopathic enforcer, and a society that fostered the oppression of the working class. From his desperate beginnings, we follow Tom on a path to a brilliant career, his love affair with a strong-willed woman, and his courageous fight to help change the course of industrial slavery in England.
It's a masterfully told story of the great sweep of human desire for freedom and liberty; not just for himself, but for his children and his children’s children. Like many immigrants in the mid-nineteenth century, Thomas Wright was drawn to what Abraham Lincoln called, “the last best hope on earth,” and has left a vast American legacy, including his seven-year-old great, great, great, great grandson Cole, pictured on the front cover of this book.
Book Buy Link: https://geni.us/FLuNIDV
Author Bio:
I’m often asked how I became a writer and where the inspiration for my first novel came from. Like most boys growing up on the wrong side of the tracks, I was never one to allow schoolwork get in the way of my education -- how to make jumpin' ramps for my bike, fishin' rafts for the creek, or playin’ hooky to go down to the beach when the surf is good. I tried my best to follow the admonition of Mark Twain, “Never put off until tomorrow, what you can do the day after tomorrow.” I made it my hard and fast rule, to never take my schoolbooks home from Bell Avenue Elementary. In my mind, procrastination of my homework to do what was really important ... was worth it.
You'd be surprised how much stimulation of the creative mind there is in the fertile ground of playin’ hooky with other disobedient boys. Oh, eventually, I did buckle down and do what society demands. I got a college education and dove into the corporate world for financial success. But always, in the back of my mind, my goal was to build a place somewhere on a quiet, secluded beach with plenty of surf. And time to uncover and explore the whim of inspiration in my creative soul.
Eventually, I did find that deserted beach and built my santuary from the world, entirely off-the-grid, because life is not a dress rehearsal. The best of it is here and then it’s gone. Frequently, I retire from civilization for days to surf and write; not seeing another soul along this deserted stretch of beach pounding with surf. With saltwater from my morning surf still in my ears, I often sit basking in the warmth of a southerly breeze, listening to Bocelli, the inspiring sounds of crashing waves ... and just write. Drawing on inspiration from my unrepentant youth, my family, a lifetime of experiences, and of course, Elon Musk’s satellite internet, my thoughts are transported to another time and place. Unconsciously or maybe consciously, millions of outside sources influence the creative part of my mind. Ideas stollen from others make my stories possible. I feel a sense of pride in the accomplishment of cobbling together the ideas of thousands of others who have gone before; superstitiously imagining this discoloration of the story's origins is entirely my creative masterpiece. I suppose my pride in the creation of an original work like Out of the Darkness, is largely misplaced, unwarranted. Nevertheless, I would not trade away the insatiable compulsion of writing a thought provoking novel like Out of the Darkness. It has been a fulfilling, faith-building experience like no other.
Editorial Review:
“It seems like I’ve waited me whole life to be a coal miner.” So says Tommy Wright in 1837, on his seventh birthday, living in a coal miner’s shanty with his family. He uses part of his first wage from the coal mine to buy his siblings pieces of candy, as any child would do at the age of seven, after a week working 12 hour days underground in the darkness with only rats, filth, and a faltering candle – and coal - for company. “Out of the Darkness” is an incredible story, made more powerful because it is based to varying degrees on the author’s own family history in South Yorkshire, England, with several of the characters being based on Jacinto’s family tree.
It is hard for the reader not to shut their eyes at some points; hoping that in fact the appalling mine conditions, the devastating accidents, the illness and poverty are not really true, that they are only figments of the author’s imagination and not grounded in research and recorded history. How can it be possible that not so very long ago young children, young men, fathers, brothers, had no other option but to work underground in dreadful conditions, perhaps dying of black lung, with their surviving families condemned to ruin?
“Out in nature fawns were playing in the woods, young birds rustling in their nests, and in the big houses little children pressed against their mother’s breast for comfort. But in the coal mine, fearful little boys and little girls faced an unwelcoming world of darkness, devoid of tenderness, where they were left in tears. With the innocence of youth left behind, these pale, discouraged, hopeless children would drag their burdens through dark underground tunnels, danger at every turn and fear in every foreboding corner. They were destined for early graves. For some, they looked forward to a heaven with no coal mines, where fear was no more, imagining their days filled with picking flowers in the sunshine.”
The story centres around Tommy, around his fierce, loving mother who values education and proper English, his drunkard father, his siblings, his wider family and his friends. His parents love him, and his family are close, but a horrific catastrophe casts a long and lasting shadow over Tommy’s life and the entire family. Poverty is never far away, in stark contrast to the magnificence of the nearby Wentworth Woodhouse stately home with its hundreds of rooms and army of staff. It seems true escape from the mines will never be possible.
Throughout the recounting of Tommy’s life experiences, the narrative is raw and uncompromising, and full of emotion. The reader will find themselves silently hoping that somehow, at seven, Tommy (and his friends and father) can leave the mine, that his mother’s hopes for him will prevail and through some miracle his intelligence will be nurtured, and his childhood saved. Tommy’s father, not a bad man, is fighting his own demons and is desperate to protect his wife and family while trapped in a cycle of poverty that has been his community’s lot for generations. To dream of more, to want more, is so dangerous – and seems out of reach. Jacinto cleverly weaves social changes into the story, including the gradual improvement in workplace conditions and the political impetus that eventually led to change in the mining industry. But that is all too late to change the horror of Tommy’s experience, and that of other children like him.
“The panic began to ease, but Tommy held on tight to keep his hands from shaking. The only audible noises were the creaking cable rolling over the pulleys and the clang, clang, clang of the cage against the rough-hewn rock walls of the mine shaft. As they lowered deeper into the bowels of what seemed the center of the earth, the stuffy air warmed, smelling of coal. Water seeped in from all sides of the shaft, soaking the cage and dripping down on him.”
“Out of the Darkness” incorporates a wide range of supporting characters, some of whom are historical figures from the author’s family, or based on them. English village life is wonderfully well-described. The landowner, the merchants, the families, all have distinct, personable roles in the story which add to the overall narrative. The discussion between two young girls as they wonder what life will hold for them is a particular highlight. The dialogue between Tommy’s siblings, and other children in his circle, is especially vivid, and the recounting of their candy purchase will surely bring a smile to the reader amidst so much hardship. It seems childhood is not completely lost after all! The references to local dialect are realistic and just enough to give the reader a flavor of how the locals speak (for example: “Mam” instead of “Mom”, “me” instead of “my”) without being overdone.
The story continues as Tommy grows into a young man, his engineering proficiency obvious and finally recognised for the genius it is. It seems that Tommy will now be free, free to fall in love, to follow his dreams, even planning to migrate to America. Finally, there is hope that things will be different.
Jacinto’s tale is highly readable and enthralling to the end, with twists and turns, including terrible tragedy and great love. The narrative balances the social issues of the times and the human story extremely well, ensuring neither overpowers the other. The reader is left reflecting on how much of life is totally outside of an individual’s control, no matter how many plans and hopes we each have. The powerful and deeply moving storyline of “Out of the Darkness” also serves as a memorial to those who came before, and the unimaginable struggles they faced to survive. A great read – five stars!
As a side note, “Out of the Darkness” offers an earlier (fictionalised) perspective of Wentworth Woodhouse, for those interested or aware of the 20th century history of Wentworth Woodhouse and the alleged impact of the later mining on the House itself.
*****
"Out of the Darkness" by David A Jacinto receives 5 stars from The Historical Fiction Company
Award:
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