The Sleepers - Paperback

by Molly Sturdevant (Author)

July 1893. In the lofty terrain of America's highest silver-mining town, Congress's sudden gold standard sends silver-- and the lives tied to it-- plummeting. Frances Byrne, a woman of fierce independence, labors in her print shop with the quiet conviction that steady work will secure her home, her family, and her place in an unraveling world. As her mostly Irish-immigrant neighborhood edges toward unionization, Frances keeps her head down, resisting the clamor of political action. When her home and shop fall under the watchful eyes of Pinkerton spies, her convictions are tested, and her attachment to the idea of rugged individualism begins to crack. When the conflicts plaguing Leadville come to a head, Fran is pushed to the forefront, navigating shifting loyalties, love, loss, and the transformation toward collective power.

Author Biography

Molly Sturdevant's writing ranges widely in form. Her poetry, essays, and short stories include several Best of the Net and Pushcart nominations, and she has been a finalist for The Montana Prize for Fiction. As a Western Federation of Miners Union scholar, Sturdevant writes to explore class consciousness and shared power. Her record is also strong as a study of place and environment, focusing on the landscapes and histories of the Mountain West and Midwest.