Rockbuster

By Gloria Skurzynski and Cleo Qian

Book Overview

Is Tommy guilty of his uncle's murder at the hands of anti-union detectives? He thinks so, and the guilt plunges him into despair. His life becomes as dark as the coal mine where he works to support his mother.In the blackness of the mine, Tommy teaches himself to play the guitar; soon he's performing at parties and dances in coal-mining towns throughout eastern Utah. One Christmas Eve, he meets lovely Eugenie, the mine owner's daughter, and writes a song for her. The two sixteen-year-olds fall in love, but because Tommy is a lowly laborer in the mine, Eugenie decides they should keep their meetings secret.After union songwriter Joe Hill is convicted of murder in an unfair trial, Tommy is asked to be Joe's successor, to write the powerful, pro-union songs that will rally working men and women to the union cause. Tommy is torn -- if he accepts, he'll lose his job in the mine and he may lose Eugenie; if he refuses, he'll be turning away from the people he's worked with since he was eleven years old.Riding on a train to Chicago where he'll sing at Joe Hill's funeral, Tommy reviews the crucial events of his life, from his Uncle Jim's death to his love for Eugenie to his last, memorable meeting with Joe Hill. As he sings his final tribute at the funeral, it becomes clear to Tommy what he wants to do with his life. Many of the events in these pages actually happened, including early labor unrest, the two murder trials, and the dramatic execution of Joe Hill.Gloria Skurzynski says, As we live and work in the Internet Age, we forget that a century ago, most people earned their daily bread through hard manual labor. All across the U.S., union organizers roused workers tostrike for safer conditions and higher wages. In the West, songwriter Joe Hill achieved his wish to become a martyr for the union cause. Perhaps Joe finally found that 'pie in the sky, ' a phrase he coined that we still use today.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 068983991X
• ISBN13: 9780689839917
• Release Date: October 2001
• Publisher: Atheneum
• Length: 253 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.9" x 5.8"
• Age Range: 12 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

ROCKBUSTER succeeds on both historical and narrative levels.

Tommy Quinlan's life is filled with the color black. As a worker in a coal mine in the years leading up to World War I, Tommy spends the majority of his time in the dark and emerges from the mine covered in coal dust. His widowed mother spends her days doing laundry for the both the miners and mine owners, trying to wash out the blackness. In Gloria Skurzynski's novel, ROCKBUSTER, Tommy rises above the various hardships that threaten to overwhelm him and refuses to see the world in simple black and white. Instead, he looks beyond the stereotypes that cause conflicts between miners and mine owners. Tommy's life is punctuated by tragedy. First, his father was killed in a mining accident. Then, on the way to the trial of a union leader, Tommy's beloved uncle is killed by Pinkerton detectives for his part in various union activities. As if that weren't enough sadness for one young life, Tommy's mentor, Peter, loses a leg in a mining accident. Through all of these trials, as well as through a layoff at the mine, Tommy is sustained emotionally and financially by his talent for playing the guitar and singing. Indeed, Tommy is so talented that he is chosen as the new voice for the union --- after union hero and folk singer Joe Hill is condemned to death. Joe Hill is a historical figure whose real-life trials provide an important backdrop to the action of ROCKBUSTER. One of the great strengths of the book is the subtle ways in which Skurzynski reveals historical detail. Instead of filling the pages with all the things she discovered about early 20th century coal mining towns, Skurzynski lets the details work into the story naturally. From small details (Tommy's search for an outhouse after a snow storm) to larger historical events (Tommy attends the trials of Hill), Skurzynski teaches history without slowing the story. That's good, because Tommy's story is a good one. While it is made up of some fairly common themes --- young man overcomes hardship to help his family, win the girl and discover his destiny --- Tommy is a compelling character whom the reader comes to see as a friend. His joys and sorrows are felt by the reader, and his indecision about his future is agonizing for the reader as well. His commitment to bridging the gap between the haves and the have-nots leads to a logical and satisfying conclusion to the novel. ROCKBUSTER succeeds on both historical and narrative levels and should be enjoyed by anyone drawn to strong characters and good storytelling. --- Reviewed by Rob Cline (RJBCline@aol.com)

A must read!

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this book, despite the setting of age level, was to my liking. Gloria Skurzynski is a wonderful author. This book talks about the the differences between the working class and the upper class of the 1900's. It also talks about love, poverty, and regret. I implore you, especially if you are between the ages of 12 and 14, to buy this book. You will be amazed by the messages it conveys.

Winning book!

Rockbuster has just been included on the Tayshas list for recommended books for Texas high school students. Teaching himself guitar while working in the pitch-black of the mines gives Tommy a chance to get out of the hell underground--the hell that the new labor unions of the early 1900s is trying to relieve. Tommy's uncle dies for the unions, but Tommy sees their flaws clearly and must decide how his loyalties lie to his family, his girlfriend, and himself. The author has a done a superb job with history, growing up, shouldering guilt and responsibilities, falling in love, and living in the 1900s.