Discover Well-Read Black Girl Books and the projects reshaping publishing →

Handpicked recommendations to other books that have a similar writing style or theme to Coal

Coal by Barbara Freese

Coal

A Human History

by Barbara Freese
  • Critics' Consensus (3):
  • Readers' Rating (2):
  • First Published:
  • Jan 1, 2003, 320 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Feb 2004, 320 pages
  • Rate this book

About This Book

Read-Alikes

Read-Alikes Full read-alike results are for members only

If you liked Coal, try these:

  • The Secret Wisdom of the Earth jacket

    The Secret Wisdom of the Earth

    by Christopher Scotton

    Published Jan 2016

    More about this book

    Read Reviews

    Timely and timeless, this is a dramatic and deeply moving novel about an act of violence in a small, Southern town and the repercussions that will forever change a young man's view of human cruelty and compassion.

  • Banana jacket

    Banana

    by Dan Koeppel

    Published Jan 2009

    More about this book

    Read Reviews

    A gripping biological detective story that uncovers the myth, mystery, and endangered fate of the world’s most humble fruit - the banana.

  • The Heartless Stone jacket

    The Heartless Stone

    by Tom Zoellner

    Published Jun 2007

    More about this book

    Read Reviews

    A journey across six continents to uncover the secrets behind one of our most luxurious and costly status symbols. Diamonds are not particularly rare in nature. Nor do they have any intrinsic value. So how did they become the birdcages for our deepest feelings of romantic love and commitment? The answers will surprise you, as this book takes a ...

  • Big Coal jacket

    Big Coal

    by Jeff Goodell

    Published Apr 2007

    More about this book

    Read Reviews

    As oil prices increase, Coal has effectively become the default fuel for electricity generation in the twenty-first century. Goodell debunks the faulty assumptions underlying coal's revival and shatters the myth of cheap coal energy.

  • Baker Towers jacket

    Baker Towers

    by Jennifer Haigh

    Published Dec 2005

    More about this book

    Read Reviews

    A compelling story of love and loss in a western Pennsylvania mining town in the years after World War II.

  • The Green Age of Asher Witherow jacket

    The Green Age of Asher Witherow

    by M. Allen Cunningham

    Published Oct 2005

    More about this book

    Read Reviews

    A rich, coming of age tale set during the boom and bust years of an immigrant coal mining town in 19th-century California.

  • Salt jacket

    Salt

    by Mark Kurlansky

    Published Feb 2003

    More about this book

    Read Reviews

    Deftly leading readers around the world and across cultures and centuries, Kurlansky takes an inexpensive, mundane item and shows how it has influenced and affected wars, cultures, governments, religions, societies, economies & food. An entertaining, informative read.

Join free to see the complete list of recommendations.
How we choose read-alikes

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $60 for 12 months or $20 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

BookBrowse Book Club

  • Book Jacket
    When No One Else Will
    by Amanda Skenandore
    1940s Chicago nurse risks everything at an illegal women’s clinic during a high-profile trial of courage and sisterhood.
  • Book Jacket
    A Pair of Aces
    by Marie Benedict, Victoria Christopher Murray
    Two women on opposite sides of the law team up to bring down gangster Lucky Luciano in this gripping novel.

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket
    The Reimagining of Thornwood House
    by Jaleigh Johnson
    A witch and her ward discover a magical walking house and find the true meaning of home.
  • Book Jacket
    Summer's Never Over
    by Darby Bozeman
    A woman revisits a Southern summer camp where a counselor's death may not have been an accident.
  • Book Jacket
    The Jellyfish Problem
    by Tessa Yang
    A marine biologist rescues a Maine island menaced by a giant glowing jellyfish in this inventive debut.
  • Book Jacket
    Feast
    by Catherine Kurtz
    In 19th-century France, a girl with a magical taste becomes a duc’s poison taster amid nobility and danger.
Who Said...

In war there are no unwounded soldiers

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Book
Trivia
  • Book Trivia

    Can you name the title?

    Test your book knowledge with our daily trivia challenge!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

Q S, S

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.