This is an open letter to Bathsheba Monk, author of the article Coal Miner's Granddaughter which appeared in the New York Times Magazine section on April 2nd, 2006.


Dear Ms. Monk,

I am outraged at your portrayal of Tamaqua in your piece and find it to be highly inaccurate. Additionally, I read an article in the Times News, the local paper for the Tamaqua area, which published your reported response to LCCC administration. Unfortunately, your responses only perpetuated my rage.

Do you honestly believe that the people of Tamaqua would never see this piece? Several stores in the borough of Tamaqua sell the New York Times. Surely you are aware that the NY Times is one of the largest publications in our country. Surely you are aware that the publication is available on the Internet. I myself found your article when I typed the words "Tamaqua" and "t-shirt" into my search engine in an attempt to locate a novelty gift item for a friend who has moved to another state. It seems that by that time, local reporters also discovered it as later I read the article in the Times News the same day.

Your article poses a brilliant question. Exactly who DO you think you are? It is condescending people like you who make it difficult for those of us who leave the area to answer questions regarding our roots without judgment. I, too, have left the area to reside in Bethlehem, the Philadelphia suburbs and most recently the Reading area. I have traveled to many countries in recent years and have been lucky enough to drive through all 48 of our continental states. I can think of numerous times since my departure of the Tamaqua area when people asked me where I grew up and found myself offering slight variations of the truth. "The Poconos," I would say, "or just slightly north of Allentown." I found myself somewhat embarrassed because I was afraid of how others perceive the area to which I was born. Today, I am ashamed that I let people like you get the best of me.

Although Tamaqua might seem like a depressed little town to some, I believe it to be a diamond amongst the coal. We can mortgage beautiful homes for less than what you pay for a small apartment rental. I have seen the lights of Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower, but it pales in comparison to the beauty of Lake Hauto or Tuscarora State park on an autumn day. I have made life long friends in this community and have seen other groups of friends to be thicker than thieves. Rarely will you find this in other areas. It seems that the people who leave the area are the ones who were never really revered in the first place.

I enjoy reading updates on the improvements to the community and am anxious to visit to see their progress. We have well educated community leaders who have returned to the area after leaving prestigious universities (we don't all go to LCCC) with the only wish to turn the community into something wonderful for future generations. And while I feel that sometimes holding on to your past too closely can be somewhat dangerous, if everyone were encouraged to leave Tamaqua, we would lose our history and our heritage. I am grateful for these citizens as I may one day wish to return to the area to retire. I am glad these leaders are looking out for the future of the community and keeping it from becoming a ghost town.

The Times News article reported that you admitted to knowing very little about the area. That is a true shame. How can you be sure you are moving forward if you don't even know where you have already been? I would encourage you to visit Coaldale's Number Nine Museum, take a hike up the Blue Mountain or stop in one of our local establishments for a beer. You will learn a lot about the area's culture, beauty and people. It might be an eye opening experience for you. Locals are always happy to share their stories. It might give you a little more appreciation for your ancestry.

Incidentally, I also noticed that in this article and several others that you frequently misspell the word Hazleton, despite your claims of being originally from there. As most area natives know, a lawyer originally misspelled the name of the town itself in its incorporation documents. The mistake went unnoticed until it was too late. Again, it seems that even in all your worldliness, you have much to learn.

It was also reported that the students in your classroom prompted you to amend your views. I believe this statement is a cop out. That message is not clearly represented in your piece. If that was your intent, it leaves your writing with something to be desired.

As for your article itself, I find a few things interesting. You seem to have bad feelings about laughing with your antique collecting friend, yet you are in a similar position when you make your disparaging remarks. There really was no need to lock your car doors as the "fat kid" approached. I would be surprised if half of the town locked the front doors of their houses at night. That's another charm of small town life. You depict your students as uninspired and underachieving, but who are you to judge their dreams? Our communities need cops and contractors. Without them, criminals would run amuck and we would not have homes or stores. Some might even venture to say that their jobs are more important and crucial to society than the job of a critical writer.

Most importantly and perhaps surprisingly, I am delighted at your choice of the word "flinty" to describe the locals. A quick look in the dictionary would lead you to believe that this word refers to something that would help you catch a spark. Well, Ms. Monk, you certainly sparked a fire in me. And I realized today that I should be proud of who I am, my town and my heritage. I will embrace my roots as I have come to realize that they are a part of what made me the successful and zealous professional that I am today.

The greatest attributes of a true coal cracker are ones honesty, bravery and loyalty. I would love to wish you the best of luck in your endeavors, but that would be insincere.


Yours,

A PROUD Coal Miner's Granddaughter