How Green Was My Valley

Richard Llewellyn “How Green Was My Valley” The Macmillan Co., 1939, 494 pp.

I read this book because of a recommendation by Christopher Hitchens, late author of “Hitch 22”. In “Hitch 22” he stated that “How Green Was My Valley” was one of the greater influences on his life. I, on the other hand, had never heard of it nor of the movie of the same name. Yet my wife was assigned this book as required reading when she was a freshman in high school—she went to a much better school than I, we were never assigned anything with this many pages. I found the sentiments expressed in this book quite similar to those of Steinbeck’s “In Dubious Battle, 1936” and “Grapes of Wrath, 1939”—two books that I read twice while in high school in spite of not being assigned to read them by my teachers. (Note: we had all of Steinbeck’s books in our house—my Mother told me in no uncertain terms that they were not for me to read, I have them all in my house now).
“How Green Was My Valley” is set in a Welsh coalmining village in the last quarter of the 19th century. Life is hard for all, including the Morgan family. The story is told through the eyes of the youngest Morgan, Huw. The father Gwyllim and the older sons all work in the dangerous and unhealthy coal mine where they are exploited by absentee owners. The sons become involved in organizing a union. The daughter Angharad marries the son of the mine owner even though she is in love with the minister. And so on…