The town of Black Bear Creek is well past its glory days and ravaged by the mining industry on which its people depend. The characters in Joshua Cross’s debut story collection struggle to survive against rampant poverty while their drinking water is poisoned and the mountains around them are stripped away. Spanning decades, these are stories of life shattering injuries inflicted by working in the mines. Of men and women forced to be so hard they are frequently surprised by their own vulnerability. Despite the bleak backdrop, these are stories about how they find ways to love and hope and fight. Buy this book from our affiliate Bookshop.org.