"That You Remember" – The Buffalo Creek Disaster with Author Isabella Reddy
Host: JR Guest: Isabella Reddy, author of That You Remember
JR sits down with acclaimed author Isabella Reddy to discuss her novel That You Remember, a work of historical fiction loosely based on the Buffalo Creek Disaster — a devastating flood that struck Logan County, West Virginia on February 26, 1972, killing 125 people, mostly women and children, after a coal slurry dam owned by the Pittston Coal Company catastrophically failed.
Isabella shares how she spent 10 years researching the story, including visiting the region, reviewing court depositions from the landmark Gerald Stern lawsuit against Pittston, and even going inside coal mines in Beckley, WV and Wales. The spark that drove her to write the novel? A poem recited online by a disaster survivor, whose words — "I can't remember... I can't forget" — moved her to tell the story.
- The Buffalo Creek Disaster: What happened, who was affected, and why it's been overlooked in mainstream history
- Coal culture in southern WV: The deep bond communities have with coal mining, the role of unions (UMWA), and the economic reality of Logan County
- Research process: Visiting Logan County, going into homes, attending memorials (from the 40th to the 54th anniversary), and using her father's personal desk diaries — he once worked for Pittston
- The character of Sarah: A fictional heroine inspired by real people Isabella met — spunky, outspoken, caught between loyalty to her community and a forbidden relationship with a coal operator
- Corporate accountability vs. responsibility: Pittston infamously called the disaster "an act of God" — JR and Isabella discuss what that deflection reveals about corporate ethics
- The Miracle Baby, Carrie Albright: A real survivor of the disaster, thrown to safety by his mother as she was swept away; now a successful man in New York City
- Connections to global disasters: The 1966 Aberfan disaster in Wales, Erin Brockovich, and Dark Waters
- How to support the book and your local library: Purchase the book and provide its ISBN to your state capital to get it placed in every county library
- Amazon and Barnes & Noble
- Request it at your local bookstore or library
- Publisher: Bell Aisle Books (an imprint of Brandy Lane Publishing, Richmond, VA)
- Author's website: thatyouremember.com
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WV Uncommon Place is a variety podcast covering mental health, empowerment, pop culture, and West Virginia — hosted by JR and Stacey.
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