They were children. But they were never allowed to be.

In the coal towns of Pennsylvania, boys as young as six spent their days high above the mines, sorting slate from coal with bare hands and broken spirits. They sat in dust-filled breakers, under the rule of steam whistles and iron-fisted overseers?breathing coal, bleeding for pennies, and growing old before they ever had a chance to be young.

The Breaker Boys by John Frances is a gripping, emotional, and deeply researched account of the children who powered America's industrial rise?at an unthinkable cost. Blending vivid storytelling with historical accuracy, this book gives voice to the boys long erased from the pages of history.

From the first fall down the chute to the final breath taken with blackened lungs, their stories are brought to life with reverence and truth. This is more than a history book?it's a reckoning.

If you believe in remembering the forgotten, this is a story you'll never forget.