Storming Heaven is Denise Giardina's award-winning second novel, published in 1987. The historical novel is a fictionalized account of the bitter labor conflict that took place in southern West Virginia in the early 1920s, otherwise known as the West Virginia Coal Wars. The author tells the story of the real conflict faced by the miners through the eyes of four main characters, each with different life paths, with their own different point of view. The story told about the real-life hardships faced by coal miners and the resulting conflict is a topic closely covered by The American Journey. Although the story told through the main characters is fictionalized, it provides a historically accurate portrayal of the events that occurred during the early 1920s. The book does an excellent job of describing not only how coal miners consistently resisted the hardships posed to them by invasive coal companies, but also the tactics used by coal companies to ensure that their commercial interests took precedence over conditions of more humane life and work. The story is set in Annadel, a rural town located in Justice County in southwestern West Virginia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The author does a fantastic job bringing the reader into the setting through the story represented by the self-narrated stories of four different characters, which effectively puts the reader in the character's shoes. Additionally, a unique feature is added, with the dialogue written in a Southern dialect presumably specific to the region and period. This feature not only makes the reader feel like they are there at that time and place, but also provides a more interesting read. While the unique style added to the dia...... middle of paper ...... the conditions faced by coal miners and their families as well as the events that led to the uprising. However, more research should be done regarding the West Virginia Coal Wars and the Battle of Blair Mountain. Most reviewers rate this book between three and four out of five, with the majority of reviews being four out of five. The book does a great job of describing the historical events covered, and the author does so while maintaining the entertaining qualities of a fiction book. I would give this book a four out of five because not only is it fun to read while accurately describing historical events, but the author does a great job of keeping the reader's attention on the portrayal of the characters. Overall, I am satisfied with the book and learned much more from it than what was covered in The American Journey.