Us and Them

A stand-alone sequel to Trapper Boy (CBU Press 2012), Us & Them is set in late-1920s Sydney Mines. It’s the story of 16-year-old JW Donaldson, who interrupts his high school education to work in the coal mine to help support his family. An accident awakens JW to how dangerous conditions are and how management cares little for the men and boys who work underground. Both of Hugh R. MacDonald’s novels were selected by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s Best Books for Kids and Teens (spring editions 2013, 2017). Hugh is also a singer and songwriter. His song, “Trapper Boy,” which he wrote prior to the novel of the same name, has been added to the repertoire of the world famous Men of the Deeps Coal Miners’ Chorus.