Gildeas book offers an admirably compassionate testament.Max Hastings, Sunday Times
A vivid and evocative panorama for those either interested in the final throes of industrial society or who come from such communities.James Graham, The Observer
A superb new book by the Oxford University historian Robert Gildea.John Harris, The Guardian
Gildea has an ear for everyday oratory, and his interviewees come to life on the page. . . . Gildeas assessment introduces rare nuance while remaining moving, drawing out memories of conflict as well as co-operation.Conrad Landon, Times Literary Supplement
Drawing on 148 testimonies, Gildea, a University of Oxford historian, teases out a battle not only between the National Union of Mineworkers and Margaret Thatchers Conservative government, but between different mining traditions and ideologies.Johnathan McAloon, Financial Times
An extensive, enlightening and important oral history of the miners strikes of 198485, interviewing the miners and their families who fought to defend themselves.Murray Scougall, Sunday Post
Gildeas greatest contribution is his commitment to capturing the variety of miners experiences of the dispute.Ewan Gibbs, London Review of Books
An evocative exploration.History Revealed
Gildea uses the breadth of the voices in this book to draw a wider map of the strike. By bringing together accounts from across the UK, he has captured the local and regional differences within the national strike.Lucy Robinson, BBC History Magazine
[ Gildea] provides an exceptionally comprehensive account of the strike and the experiences of communities and individuals before, during, and after, conveying with unusual vividness its sometimes devastating impact.Pat Thane, Society
Robert Gildea has done an outstanding documentary service with this book, [ collating] the memories of nearly 150 individuals from across the six major coalfields.Patrick Hudson, The Tablet
[ A] powerfully told account of a defining period in modern British history Money Week
Shaped more by heartbreak than heroism, Backbone of the Nation is a rich and valuable record, if an unavoidably painful read.Rhian E Jones, History Today
Gildea [ has] allowed these communities to have their voices added to the historical record.Evan Smith, Family & Community History
Hailed as the first oral history of the dispute. . . . Without romanticising the miners and their often dangerous work or papering over hubris and divisions within the ranks, Gildea nails his colours firmly to the mast.Angela Cobbinah, Islington Tribune
How to esteem this book? Let me count the ways . . . It is subtle and perceptive. It is humane and compassionate without being blind to crimes and failings . . . It will be hard to better.Quentin Outram, Scottish Labour History
At last, a book about the strike that gives an honest overview of what happened to miners, their families and communities. We entrusted Gildea with our memories, and he has, in return, told our story with dignity and a historians eye.Siân James, former MP for Swansea East
Gildea has dug deep and struck the richest of seams. By inviting us to listen carefully to the men and women on the strikes frontline, hes created history that is revelatory, gripping, andbest of allinfused with humanity. In short, Backbone of the Nation is a masterpiece.David Hendy, author of The BBC: A Peoples History
Ive been waiting for the definitive oral history of the Miners Strike. This is it: the voices of people I spent a year fighting alongside condensed and preserved with rigour and accuracy.Paul Mason, author of Live Working or Die Fighting
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