Cascadia summer book bingo: The Cold Millions by Jess Walter
This week while I'm traveling in Chicago, I'm posting reviews of books I've read for Cascadia Democratic Action's Summer Book Bingo – feel free to join me in reading books about Cascadia and by Cascadian authors. Download your bingo sheet here. Looking for suggestions in each category? You'll find them here! If you complete a sheet, send a photo to cascadiademocratic@protonmail.com or mail it to Cascadia Democratic Action, PO Box 20022, Seattle, WA 98102 to be entered in a drawing for some cool Cascadia gear!
The Cold Millions, Jess Walter
Continuing a streak of historical novels set in the Pacific Northwest, I thoroughly enjoyed Spokane-based novelists Jess Walter's The Cold Millions. The year is 1909 and labor battles are erupting in Spokane between the IWW "Wobblies," corporate strike-breaking goons, and corrupt local police. Walter's masterful novel traces the path of two brothers from hobo camps to vaudeville shows to bloody clashes over wages and working conditions.
At the heart of the page-turning story are real-life historical figures, including the young firebrand labor leader Elizabeth Gurley Flynn. I didn't know much about this radical feminist who had a knack for using newspaper coverage to her movement's advantage. Walter's accounts of police beatings, unlawful imprisonment and show trials on charges of "conspiracy" make it clear that our current situation has roots in the not-so-distant past. Labeled seditious for standing up for free speech and decent pay, the non-violent Wobblies fought for what we take for granted today: a 40-hour-work week, weekends off, an end to child labor, and a living wage.
The Wobblies also knew the power of a general strike. We'll need to learn more from them as the movement for Cascadia autonomy grows.
Walter is a local gem, who produces finely crafted, very readable novels every couple years. He's best known for Beautiful Ruins, a 2012 comic novel that skips between Hollywood, Italy, Portland, and Idaho. His most recent, So Far Gone, examines divides of politics between a cranky old liberal and his children and grandchildren, who become entangled with right wing militias in the mountains outside Spokane.
Walter is definitely worth checking out if you've never read his work.
Thanks for reading! Keep loving and keep fighting. --Andy
Do you appreciate Cascadia Journal's exclusive reporting on the ways the Pacific Northwest is pushing back against US fascism? If you have the means, please consider a paid subscription of just $5 per month. Each subscription helps me produce original reporting and opinionated notes on Cascadia's fight to build a more resilient and autonomous bioregion. And to those who already subscribe, thank you! --Andrew
