Hawk's Nest (novel)
Encyclopedia
Hawk's Nest is a novel written by West Virginia
author Hubert Skidmore
, published in 1941. A fictionalized account of one of America's greatest industrial disasters, it is an account of the Hawks Nest Tunnel Disaster in which hundreds or thousands of men were sickened and died as a result of silicosis
they contracted while digging the tunnel under unsafe conditions. The novel follows the lives of many representative characters as their health begins to fail, and as their health complaints are ignored by Union Carbide
, the contractor which dug the tunnel and installed the hydroelectric plant.
The characters in Hawk's Nest are broadly representative: ruined West Virginia farmers work alongside Dust Bowl
refugees, eastern European immigrants and even middle class men ruined by the Depression. In the historical disaster, African American
men accounted for the largest percentage of deaths, and Skidmore acknowledges that fact even though the African Americans in Hawk's Nest are secondary characters.
One of Skidmore's characters, a dying teenager, begs doctors to perform an autopsy
on his body so that the cause of his illness can be discovered and so that other workers might be saved. In her 1938 poem, "Book of the Dead," Muriel Rukeyser
tells an identical story.
Hawk's Nest was republished in 2004 by the University of Tennessee Press
and has gained some small amount of popularity since reappearing. An often repeated story claims that the book's first edition was pulled from many shelves due to pressure from Union Carbide Co., the company responsible for the countless deaths recounted in the novel.
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
author Hubert Skidmore
Hubert Skidmore
Hubert Skidmore was an American author. His twin brother was novelist Hobert Skidmore, and he was married to the novelist Maritta Wolff, author of Whistle Stop and a fellow student at the University of Michigan, in 1942. He died in a house fire in 1946...
, published in 1941. A fictionalized account of one of America's greatest industrial disasters, it is an account of the Hawks Nest Tunnel Disaster in which hundreds or thousands of men were sickened and died as a result of silicosis
Silicosis
Silicosis, also known as Potter's rot, is a form of occupational lung disease caused by inhalation of crystalline silica dust, and is marked by inflammation and scarring in forms of nodular lesions in the upper lobes of the lungs...
they contracted while digging the tunnel under unsafe conditions. The novel follows the lives of many representative characters as their health begins to fail, and as their health complaints are ignored by Union Carbide
Union Carbide
Union Carbide Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company. It currently employs more than 2,400 people. Union Carbide primarily produces chemicals and polymers that undergo one or more further conversions by customers before reaching consumers. Some are high-volume...
, the contractor which dug the tunnel and installed the hydroelectric plant.
The characters in Hawk's Nest are broadly representative: ruined West Virginia farmers work alongside Dust Bowl
Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl, or the Dirty Thirties, was a period of severe dust storms causing major ecological and agricultural damage to American and Canadian prairie lands from 1930 to 1936...
refugees, eastern European immigrants and even middle class men ruined by the Depression. In the historical disaster, African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
men accounted for the largest percentage of deaths, and Skidmore acknowledges that fact even though the African Americans in Hawk's Nest are secondary characters.
One of Skidmore's characters, a dying teenager, begs doctors to perform an autopsy
Autopsy
An autopsy—also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy , autopsia cadaverum, or obduction—is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present...
on his body so that the cause of his illness can be discovered and so that other workers might be saved. In her 1938 poem, "Book of the Dead," Muriel Rukeyser
Muriel Rukeyser
Muriel Rukeyser was an American poet and political activist, best known for her poems about equality, feminism, social justice, and Judaism...
tells an identical story.
Hawk's Nest was republished in 2004 by the University of Tennessee Press
University of Tennessee Press
The University of Tennessee Press is a university press associated with the University of Tennessee.UT Press was established in 1940 by the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees.The University of Tennessee Press issues about 35 books each year...
and has gained some small amount of popularity since reappearing. An often repeated story claims that the book's first edition was pulled from many shelves due to pressure from Union Carbide Co., the company responsible for the countless deaths recounted in the novel.