Coalfield Jews: An Appalachian History by Deborah R. Weiner (review)

the bravura realist style that he learned in Munich. She irgues that : 1 later shift iii Twachtman' s style, from sooty realism to sensitivity to poetic nuances in nature 50)a change scholars usually attribute to his stay in Francebegan earlier iii paintings such as 11/ inter iii Cincillitatitea.1 883) that he created while residing with his inlaws in the new Cincinnati suburb ofAvon dde . Springtinle ( ca.1 884)is one of the rnost important works Twachtman created during his 188385 stay in France. That the painter Frank Duveneck presented the painting to the Cincinnati Art Museum underscores that artists were Twachtmans strongest supporters. Similarly,Joseph Gest, the artist who served as director of the Cincinnati Art Museum,gave Twachtman a oneman show in 1901. These few examples involving Cincinnati exemplify how the painstakingly assembled details of Peters' s research feed her larger themes. 7710 plentiful illustrations are just one of the qualities of John Tioacbtman that readers will appreciate. No reproduction, however, can do justice to Twachtman: s paintings, so take this as fair warning that picking up this book will surely inspire a visit to a museum in which Twachtman' s paintings are on view. Feav Shellman Coleman University of Cincinnati Deborah R.Weiner. Coa' jiddJetos:An Appalacbian History. Urbana: University c, f Illinois Press,2006. 264 pp. ISBN 0252073355 ( paper), $ 25.00. A generation of scholars has worked to break down the stereotype of Appalachia as a homogenous and isolated region. However,studies of the complexity and diversity of the coal fields have slighted the smalltown middle classes for the drama of conflict between operators and miners. Indeed, the reigning paradigm of Appalachian industrialization focuses on company towns, where class relations were perhaps most sharply defined. Deborah Weiner's study of coalfield Jews reveals how inadequate that paradigm is for understanding the regions transformation. Jews, she argues, discovered a niche in the " formidable system" of- coal industry domination,allowing them to carve out opportunities while simultaneously enabling Appalachian working people to " fashion a AN APPALACHIAN HISTORY 1* 11 4* 4.'» 4,* 1. IMI/ . t = 32' 1. j modern Americ·an lifestyle and identity through the purchase of inexpensive commodities " ( 82).Iii short, this distinct minority helped transform the region and, in the process,was itself transformed. Weiner: s story begins with the concurrent processes of Jewish migration from European shtetls and Appalachi: in industrialization . Coal development sprinkled this rugged terrain with boomtowns that often doubled as county seats and transshipment centers for the industry. Meanwhile, emerging Jewish mercantile firms grabbed the opportunity to tap this " frontier" market for consumer goods with an army of peddlers, some of whom seized their own chance at entrepreneurship in the coalfields. these newcomers rapidly carved out a crucial economic role as middlemen, building upon their ethnic legacy that included economic adapt·ability,a high tolerance for financial risk taking, : ind abilitv to start a business 011 . 1 slioestring" ( 48). Jewish merchants walked an economic and political tightrope,satisfying consumers and building enterprises,while remaining careful not to run afoul of the company store and the powerful coal operators. If Weiner's book 78 01110 VALLEY HISTORY BOOK REVIEWS BOOK REVIEWS lias a weaktiess, it is the limited attention she gives to tlic impossible position of middlemen in the region' s stark and violent class relations. Once in Appalachia,Jews needed to build commutilties knowing that they would remain a small minority. Only in a few towlls were they able to attract sizeable numbers. In most, thev h,let t(, negotiate limitations that affected their religious observ· ances,their diets, the opportunities for their children to find sttitable mates, and the creation of satisfactory social lives. Remarkably,and despite stel CO types that suggest a diflicult time amid a Lcilerally int(, ler, int popiil,itic,n, Jews m.111aired to fulfill . 1 variety of roles in coalfield tc, wns, from leading citizen to bootlegger tc)brothel keepen Weiner's study relies on court records, newspapers, and rich or: i] histories, atid her writing brings to life the fascinatine life stories of young men and women who escaped the pogroms and poverty off: 111-(, pe foi : 1 chance at security iii remote...