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Flesh & Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy
On March 25, 1911, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City burst into flames. The factory was crowded. The doors were locked to ensure workers stay inside. One hundred forty-six people—mostly women—perished; it was one of the most lethal workplace fires in American history until September 11, 2001.
But the story of the fire is not the story of one accidental moment in time. It is a story of immigration and hard work to make it in a new country, as Italians and Jews and others traveled to America to find a better life. It is the story of poor working conditions and greedy bosses, as garment workers discovered the endless sacrifices required to make ends meet. It is the story of unimaginable, but avoidable, disaster. And it the story of the unquenchable pride and activism of fearless immigrants and women who stood up to business, got America on their side, and finally changed working conditions for our entire nation, initiating radical new laws we take for granted today.
With Flesh and Blood So Cheap, Albert Marrin has crafted a gripping, nuanced, and poignant account of one of America's defining tragedies.
But the story of the fire is not the story of one accidental moment in time. It is a story of immigration and hard work to make it in a new country, as Italians and Jews and others traveled to America to find a better life. It is the story of poor working conditions and greedy bosses, as garment workers discovered the endless sacrifices required to make ends meet. It is the story of unimaginable, but avoidable, disaster. And it the story of the unquenchable pride and activism of fearless immigrants and women who stood up to business, got America on their side, and finally changed working conditions for our entire nation, initiating radical new laws we take for granted today.
With Flesh and Blood So Cheap, Albert Marrin has crafted a gripping, nuanced, and poignant account of one of America's defining tragedies.
182 pages, Library Binding
First published January 1, 2011
About the author
Albert Marrin
58 books77 followersAlbert Marrin is a historian and the author of more than twenty nonfiction books for young people. He has won various awards for his writing, including the 2005 James Madison Book Award and the 2008 National Endowment for Humanities Medal. In 2011, his book Flesh and Blood So Cheap was a National Book Award Finalist. Marrin is the Chairman of the History Department at New York's Yeshiva University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 336 reviews
May 18, 2022
Well Written
“Flesh and Blood So Cheap” is a very thorough book about an incident that happened in New York were over 100 factory workers were killed.
The book goes beyond just a story of the fire itself but actually sets up the environment in which the workers were forced to live, work and somehow survive. This includes the political economic and as well as the structural aspects of the times.
Great pictures good references. All-around a really good book
“Flesh and Blood So Cheap” is a very thorough book about an incident that happened in New York were over 100 factory workers were killed.
The book goes beyond just a story of the fire itself but actually sets up the environment in which the workers were forced to live, work and somehow survive. This includes the political economic and as well as the structural aspects of the times.
Great pictures good references. All-around a really good book
April 9, 2019
Short & perfect for all ages (well, 10 & up) Marrin describes the Triangle Fire very briefly & then goes back to describe how it came to be. He discusses immigration & the immigrants, why they came here, what they did once they arrived & why.
People didn't immigrate to the US on a lark. The conditions the Russian Jews & southern Italians left were horrible. These were the main victims & villains of the Triangle fire. Reforms were facilitated by, of all places, Tammany Hall which was formed by Irish immigrants who had fled starvation in the middle of the 19th century & had also known tough times once they landed.
At the end of the book, he discusses how we've now pushed the problem over-seas a century later, BUT he gives a great, balanced account. He points out that while 'sweat shop' is used as a pejorative, it's also (for all its horror) a step up for many. Unfortunately, that was true back in the early 1900s, too.
It's a short, but comprehensive sketch of the history & issues. Very well narrated & highly recommended.
People didn't immigrate to the US on a lark. The conditions the Russian Jews & southern Italians left were horrible. These were the main victims & villains of the Triangle fire. Reforms were facilitated by, of all places, Tammany Hall which was formed by Irish immigrants who had fled starvation in the middle of the 19th century & had also known tough times once they landed.
At the end of the book, he discusses how we've now pushed the problem over-seas a century later, BUT he gives a great, balanced account. He points out that while 'sweat shop' is used as a pejorative, it's also (for all its horror) a step up for many. Unfortunately, that was true back in the early 1900s, too.
It's a short, but comprehensive sketch of the history & issues. Very well narrated & highly recommended.
February 11, 2017
Marrin's book is for young adults, but anyone can benefit from the information it contains. One of my favorite parts of reading it was the carefully selected pictures that matched the sights being describe.
Yes, it does contain a lot of the same facts and stories other books on the Triangle Fire have, but there is also information you may not know. Martin focuses his time outside of the main events on immigrant life and leisure. At the end of the book, he also looks into organized crime in the garment industry as well as the rise of sweatshops over seas and even their resurgence in New York City.
If you want a quick read about American labor in the early 20th century, this is an informative and well written book. The bibliography will also help you decide what to read next.
Yes, it does contain a lot of the same facts and stories other books on the Triangle Fire have, but there is also information you may not know. Martin focuses his time outside of the main events on immigrant life and leisure. At the end of the book, he also looks into organized crime in the garment industry as well as the rise of sweatshops over seas and even their resurgence in New York City.
If you want a quick read about American labor in the early 20th century, this is an informative and well written book. The bibliography will also help you decide what to read next.
May 28, 2011
When I first heard about this book, I wondered how bad it was that I was skeptical about this story being written by a man. It's sexist of me, but I feel like... this one is ours, you know?
But I still think I approached it with a mostly open mind. How much is self-fulfilling prophecy? This is probably the driest version of the story I've ever read, and it felt like the author almost took pains at every step to remind the reader that a few of the victims were men. Pages and pages were spent on powerful men in the aftermath. Not that the author neglects the women activists before and after; they're there and they're detailed. But... there's just nothing very impactful about their presence in this volume.
It isn't a book about Triangle at all; it's a book about Italian and Jewish immigration and working conditions and unions at the turn of the century in New York. Very little is said about the fire or the Triangle factory until page 104 of 163 narrative pages. The rest is immigration, general working conditions, unions, and strikes. Did the author trade a bit on the high interest level of the Triangle subject, and the flashy "Flesh and Blood" title? I definitely see the need for some background; most nonfiction of this breed has it. But it's usually a lengthy introductory chapter or two, not the bulk of the book.
Reading the book, I kept thinking uncomfortably about how much the situation in New York in the early twentieth century resembled some of what I've seen in developing countries right now, and about who made the clothes I'm wearing right this minute. The author addresses this in the last chapter, but it came across to me very much as an apologia for modern-day foreign sweatshops. That there are worse things a person could be doing is not an excuse for poor wages and poorer working conditions. It seemed a very strange end to a book about garment unions.
Overall: nothing special about the writing or presentation here. Pass on both Newbery and Sibert.
But I still think I approached it with a mostly open mind. How much is self-fulfilling prophecy? This is probably the driest version of the story I've ever read, and it felt like the author almost took pains at every step to remind the reader that a few of the victims were men. Pages and pages were spent on powerful men in the aftermath. Not that the author neglects the women activists before and after; they're there and they're detailed. But... there's just nothing very impactful about their presence in this volume.
It isn't a book about Triangle at all; it's a book about Italian and Jewish immigration and working conditions and unions at the turn of the century in New York. Very little is said about the fire or the Triangle factory until page 104 of 163 narrative pages. The rest is immigration, general working conditions, unions, and strikes. Did the author trade a bit on the high interest level of the Triangle subject, and the flashy "Flesh and Blood" title? I definitely see the need for some background; most nonfiction of this breed has it. But it's usually a lengthy introductory chapter or two, not the bulk of the book.
Reading the book, I kept thinking uncomfortably about how much the situation in New York in the early twentieth century resembled some of what I've seen in developing countries right now, and about who made the clothes I'm wearing right this minute. The author addresses this in the last chapter, but it came across to me very much as an apologia for modern-day foreign sweatshops. That there are worse things a person could be doing is not an excuse for poor wages and poorer working conditions. It seemed a very strange end to a book about garment unions.
Overall: nothing special about the writing or presentation here. Pass on both Newbery and Sibert.
May 20, 2022
If you don’t know about this incident I would highly recommend you take a few hours and listen to this. It’s one of those bits of history that I think had a longer and farther reaching effect than you realize. It is so sad and so tragic. And though I’ve learned about this before, this telling was more in-depth. I really liked hearing the back story of the Italian and Jewish immigrants. How interesting to learn where the phrase “beyond the pale” came from…there are people who have had some sad, hard lives.
I loved that Marrin continued the story after the fire to some of the affects that came from policies made. Sadly I think the only solution for all the injustices out in the world is going to be found within the hearts of man...every policy has a loophole or the possibility to be exploited. A person’s character and willingness to pay the price of doing what’s right is the best policy and unfortunately that can not be mandated by any government.
3.5 stars
I loved that Marrin continued the story after the fire to some of the affects that came from policies made. Sadly I think the only solution for all the injustices out in the world is going to be found within the hearts of man...every policy has a loophole or the possibility to be exploited. A person’s character and willingness to pay the price of doing what’s right is the best policy and unfortunately that can not be mandated by any government.
3.5 stars
March 11, 2021
So interesting! I love reading history books. This one was short but very informative about the Triangle fire. I had no idea how many women influenced reform in workplace conditions. I loved that it covered background of the people who worked there and their history then went all the way to present day sweat shops. Great listen!
March 5, 2014
On March 25, 1911 a New York City clothing factory caught fire and 146 people, mostly women, died. Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy by Albert Martin is full of information, not just about the Triangle Fire, but of its victims, unions and workplace reforms, immigration, politics, and other topics that help the reader truly understand the tragedy.
I read this book on my computer through the Chicago Public Library ebook program. I recommend to anyone listening to this book on audio or reading it digitally to also have the book available so as to not miss the many photographs that help bring the story to life. I had the physical book in front of me as well as the ebook and I poured over these photographs.
What I loved about this book was how detailed it was. It doesn't just dive into the Triangle Fire. It starts with immigration and the living conditions of poor southern Italians and Russian Jews and why they emigrated to America. Marrin did a great job of building the story and giving his readers a look at the whole picture.
I would use this book with older readers like middle or high school students. I would not give it to them to read front to back, but rather to use relevant parts of it for a research project. The author gives many details of what life was like for poor immigrants in NYC in the early 20th century. A student studying that time period could use a lot of the information presented in the book.
I read this book on my computer through the Chicago Public Library ebook program. I recommend to anyone listening to this book on audio or reading it digitally to also have the book available so as to not miss the many photographs that help bring the story to life. I had the physical book in front of me as well as the ebook and I poured over these photographs.
What I loved about this book was how detailed it was. It doesn't just dive into the Triangle Fire. It starts with immigration and the living conditions of poor southern Italians and Russian Jews and why they emigrated to America. Marrin did a great job of building the story and giving his readers a look at the whole picture.
I would use this book with older readers like middle or high school students. I would not give it to them to read front to back, but rather to use relevant parts of it for a research project. The author gives many details of what life was like for poor immigrants in NYC in the early 20th century. A student studying that time period could use a lot of the information presented in the book.
March 26, 2021
I love this authors books. Full of information and history. I’m not sure I could sit and read this. I definitely prefer the audio. Keeps me totally interested. Like a documentary for your ears. They aren’t too long either.
Background on immigrants, labor unions, unsafe working conditions, women’s rights, sweatshops, unfair wages and more.
The tragedy of the triangle shirtwaist factory is appalling. I loved the socialite women taking control and making things happen on behalf of the workers. So many admirable women taking roles in the women’s suffrage movement. I want to learn more about Rose Schneiderman. I liked hearing about Alva Belmont. Last year I was able to visit the
Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument in Washington D.C. and that was really neat.
Many inspiring women!
Edit: first read April 3, 2020
listened to this again for book group. 110 yr anniversary
Background on immigrants, labor unions, unsafe working conditions, women’s rights, sweatshops, unfair wages and more.
The tragedy of the triangle shirtwaist factory is appalling. I loved the socialite women taking control and making things happen on behalf of the workers. So many admirable women taking roles in the women’s suffrage movement. I want to learn more about Rose Schneiderman. I liked hearing about Alva Belmont. Last year I was able to visit the
Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument in Washington D.C. and that was really neat.
Many inspiring women!
Edit: first read April 3, 2020
listened to this again for book group. 110 yr anniversary
March 31, 2021
3.5 stars.
Tragic and informational! I think this would be a great read for teenagers as an eyeopener to how hard some of their ancestors may have worked to make a better life for themselves and their families here in the USA, it must have been so hard.
Tragic and informational! I think this would be a great read for teenagers as an eyeopener to how hard some of their ancestors may have worked to make a better life for themselves and their families here in the USA, it must have been so hard.
March 23, 2021
I loved this book. I love history and learning about people’s lives and stories. I just kept thinking the whole time how lucky I am to have not had to live in those circumstances. Such brave immigrants s leaving their families behind. Being separated and treated so terribly by greedy factory owners. I am so encouraged by the strong women “fur coat brigade” I read another book about the Triangle Fire and liked it too. Such a tragedy.
April 2, 2018
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire was a preventable tragedy. The deadliest workplace fire in New York until 9/11, its aftermath led to workplace reform as subsequent strikes demanded laws to protect workers.
Marrin recounts the events and conditions that lead to the creation of NYC sweatshops, explains the causes of the fire, and narrates the investigations that followed.
Marrin recounts the events and conditions that lead to the creation of NYC sweatshops, explains the causes of the fire, and narrates the investigations that followed.
March 22, 2017
Not my cup of tea.
May 7, 2019
Less about Triangle, more about Jewish and Italian immigrants, unions in the early 20th century, and Tammany. Not a terrible book, but misleading in the title.
January 13, 2017
I didn't know this was a YA book until I borrowed the kindle version from my library. I'm glad I didn't know because I probably wouldn't have read it and that would have been my loss.
The book is solid all around. The author provides the right amount of background history to set the stage, he tells the story very well and he does a very nice job describing the aftermath of the fire and its impact on the garment industry labor environment in the near and long term. There are lots of very useful photos throughout the book and the material is well sourced.
If you're going to a cocktail party in the near future and you want to have something different and interesting to talk about you should strongly consider reading this book.
The book is solid all around. The author provides the right amount of background history to set the stage, he tells the story very well and he does a very nice job describing the aftermath of the fire and its impact on the garment industry labor environment in the near and long term. There are lots of very useful photos throughout the book and the material is well sourced.
If you're going to a cocktail party in the near future and you want to have something different and interesting to talk about you should strongly consider reading this book.
September 6, 2020
Very well researched book. Some parts were hard to get through because it was so sad the way people died in that building.
March 6, 2011
Flesh and Blood So Cheap by Al Marrin was an easy-to-read book chocked full of information about the Triangle Shirtwaist Company Factory Fire. I have been fascinated by the Triangle Factory fire since I read Ashes of Roses by Mary Jane Auch several years ago. I think one of the reasons I find it so fascinating, and what I believe will also make it feel relevant to young adult readers, is that most of the women who worked in the factory were between 14 and 20 years old. These girls struggled through unbelievable working and living conditions to support themselves and their families. It is inspiring to read about these ordinary young women who worked and sacrificed to try to improve working conditions, sometimes being verbally abused and even beaten by police officers while doing their shifts on the picket line. Some of them were arrested for striking and others were blacklisted from working in the garment district ever again.
Flesh and Blood So Cheap took an interesting and unique approach to the factory fire. While the books I’d read on the topic in the past focused on the individual experiences of the workers, Flesh and Blood So Cheap looked at the bigger picture. The author explored many contributing factors to the tragedy, including the reasons people emigrated to America, what their living conditions were like once they arrived, the demand for ready made garments, and the factory owners’ motivations. The chapters on the fire itself were matter-of-fact but still extremely moving. Marrin described the exact conditions within the building which contributed to the large number of
casualties. The book did not end with the tragic fire. Marrin discusses the push for reforms and unionization which was inspired by the disaster at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in the years that followed. Many of the survivors went on to be leaders of unions and other labor organizations. I was surprised to learn that the female workers’ plight was also tied to the fight for women’s suffrage. All of these elements contribute to a comprehensive picture of the tragedy and it’s place in American History.
I was highly satisfied by this book and was amazed by the amount of information it conveyed in a really accessible format. The book was clearly written and well-supported with photographs and an impressive bibliography.
I would recommend pairing this book with the following historical fiction titles: Ashes of Roses by Mary Jane Auch, Lost by Jacqueline Davies, Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix, and Threads and Flames by Esther M. Friesner.
Flesh and Blood So Cheap took an interesting and unique approach to the factory fire. While the books I’d read on the topic in the past focused on the individual experiences of the workers, Flesh and Blood So Cheap looked at the bigger picture. The author explored many contributing factors to the tragedy, including the reasons people emigrated to America, what their living conditions were like once they arrived, the demand for ready made garments, and the factory owners’ motivations. The chapters on the fire itself were matter-of-fact but still extremely moving. Marrin described the exact conditions within the building which contributed to the large number of
casualties. The book did not end with the tragic fire. Marrin discusses the push for reforms and unionization which was inspired by the disaster at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in the years that followed. Many of the survivors went on to be leaders of unions and other labor organizations. I was surprised to learn that the female workers’ plight was also tied to the fight for women’s suffrage. All of these elements contribute to a comprehensive picture of the tragedy and it’s place in American History.
I was highly satisfied by this book and was amazed by the amount of information it conveyed in a really accessible format. The book was clearly written and well-supported with photographs and an impressive bibliography.
I would recommend pairing this book with the following historical fiction titles: Ashes of Roses by Mary Jane Auch, Lost by Jacqueline Davies, Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix, and Threads and Flames by Esther M. Friesner.
December 8, 2020
Prior to 9/11 this was known as the vilest fire-disaster to have hit America.
It was the 25th of March, 1911, a pleasurable springtime afternoon. A fire broke out in a garment factory near Washington Square in New York City's Greenwich Village. Within minutes, the whole eighth floor of the ten-story tower was alive with flames.
Onlookers, drawn by the pilaster of smoke and the uproar of converging fire wagons, watched defenselessly and in dismay as dozens of workers screamed from the ninth-floor windows.
They were trapped by flames, a collapsed fire escape and a locked door. Firefighters desperately cranked a rescue ladder, which rose slowly skyward—then stopped at the sixth floor, fully extended. Pressed by the advancing blaze, workers began leaping and tumbling to their deaths on the sidewalk.
Other workers perished in the flames, still others plunged into an open elevator shaft, while behind the factory two dozen fell from the rickety fire escape. In all, 146 workers, most of them immigrant young women and girls, perished in the Triangle
Shirtwaist Factory fire. For 90 years it stood as New York's deadliest workplace disaster.
In a story of the hazardous working conditions in the textile industry, ‘Flesh and Blood So Cheap’ recounts the disastrous, appalling, and preventable deaths of 146 people, most of them women, in one of the most calamitous workplace fires in American history.
The narrative style is mesmeric.
“Hearts pounding, the friends ran across the square, joining the crowd racing toward the smoke. Moments later, they came upon a scene that seared itself into their souls. By twos and threes, workers, some with their hair and clothes on fire, were jumping from the windows. “We got there just as they started to jump,” Perkins recalled in 1961, the fiftieth anniversary of the disaster. “I shall never forget the frozen horror which came over us as we stood with our hands on our throats watching that horrible sight, knowing that there was no help.… The firemen kept shouting for them not to jump. But they had no choice; the flames were right behind them, for by this time the fire was far gone.”
Within minutes, 146 workers died, broken on the sidewalk, suffocated by smoke, or burnt in the flames. Most were young women ages fourteen to twenty-three, nearly all recent immigrants, Italians and Russian Jews. Dubbed the “Triangle Fire,” for ninety years it held the record as New York’s deadliest workplace fire. Only the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center took more lives.”
The immigrant garment workers were trapped inside the factory because its doors were locked, ensuring that workers stayed put. In the repercussion of this calamity, reforms were finally enacted.
The Triangle Fire occurred during the greatest mass movement of people in history. People leave their homeland for various reasons, or “pushes,” as historians call them. Pushes include natural disasters, crop failures, poverty, war, persecution, or simply the desire for change. Those who leave go to places they think will offer a better, happier, more interesting future. We call such reasons “pulls.” Thus, in the years 1870 to 1900, about twelve million immigrants arrived in the United States, nearly all from Europe. During the next decade, 1901–10, another nine million—75 percent of the total of the previous three decades—reached our shores. Most of these entered through New York City.
The author continues:
To make matters worse, work was often dangerous, even deadly. In 1911, for example, over 50,000 people died on the job—that is, about 1,000 each week, or 140 a day, every day. This figure includes boys and girls who worked in every major industry from coal mining to textile manufacturing. (In 2008, by contrast, 5,071 American adults died of work-related injuries and diseases.)
If you were hurt or killed at work, that was too bad. The “safety net” we now take for granted did not exist. No health insurance or Medicare. No old-age pensions or Social Security. No unemployment benefits. No laws regulating hours and wages, safety and sanitation.
The book is so aptly titled – indeed, so cheap is flesh and blood. The author ruminates that work rules were humiliating. Talking, laughing, or singing wasted time, so anyone caught breaking the rule against “noise” paid a fine. Yet women had to put up with loudmouthed bosses. “The bosses in the shops are not what you would call educated men,” said Clara Lemlich, a future strike leader. “They yell at the girls and they ‘call them down’ even worse than I imagine slaves were in the South.… They swear at us and sometimes they do worse—call us names that are not pretty to hear.”
As if insults were not enough, other abuses cost money. Employers charged workers for everything they used: needles, thread, chairs, electricity, lockers to store their hats.
Workers said bosses who charged for these things had “one-cent souls.” Some deducted a half day’s pay for coming to work a half hour late. Failure to work fast enough, or to produce enough, brought instant dismissal, as did work that did not meet the owner’s high standards.
The Triangle Fire shocked Americans as no other job-related tragedy ever had. For many, it became a powerful emotional symbol of what seemed wrong about America. In doing so, it raised big questions in a way that gave force to a moral crusade. Was labor a product, something bought and sold like a stick of chewing gum or a newspaper?
Or was labour something different—something human? What was our country coming to when workers, often young children, died so horribly? Must things go on this way? What changes were needed to realize the promise of America? How should these changes come about? Who should lead the drive for change?
School textbooks usually focus on “famous” names—kings, presidents, politicians, generals—as the shapers of history. Yet these are only part of the picture.
The names of others, often equally important, seldom get the recognition they deserve. American history textbooks may, for example, mention Frances Perkins in a few sentences. For in the 1930s, she became secretary of labor, the first woman to hold a cabinet position, under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. We look in vain for other names—Jacob Riis, Clara Lemlich, Rose Schneiderman, Mary Dreier, Alfred E. Smith, Alva Belmont, and Anne Morgan, to mention a few. It is as if they had never existed or done anything worth remembering. Still, each in their own way, they helped create the America we know today.
Aided by archival black-and-white photographs, Albert Marrin does a masterful job of describing this era, before labor unions and government regulation, when greedy companies could act with impunity.
It was the 25th of March, 1911, a pleasurable springtime afternoon. A fire broke out in a garment factory near Washington Square in New York City's Greenwich Village. Within minutes, the whole eighth floor of the ten-story tower was alive with flames.
Onlookers, drawn by the pilaster of smoke and the uproar of converging fire wagons, watched defenselessly and in dismay as dozens of workers screamed from the ninth-floor windows.
They were trapped by flames, a collapsed fire escape and a locked door. Firefighters desperately cranked a rescue ladder, which rose slowly skyward—then stopped at the sixth floor, fully extended. Pressed by the advancing blaze, workers began leaping and tumbling to their deaths on the sidewalk.
Other workers perished in the flames, still others plunged into an open elevator shaft, while behind the factory two dozen fell from the rickety fire escape. In all, 146 workers, most of them immigrant young women and girls, perished in the Triangle
Shirtwaist Factory fire. For 90 years it stood as New York's deadliest workplace disaster.
In a story of the hazardous working conditions in the textile industry, ‘Flesh and Blood So Cheap’ recounts the disastrous, appalling, and preventable deaths of 146 people, most of them women, in one of the most calamitous workplace fires in American history.
The narrative style is mesmeric.
“Hearts pounding, the friends ran across the square, joining the crowd racing toward the smoke. Moments later, they came upon a scene that seared itself into their souls. By twos and threes, workers, some with their hair and clothes on fire, were jumping from the windows. “We got there just as they started to jump,” Perkins recalled in 1961, the fiftieth anniversary of the disaster. “I shall never forget the frozen horror which came over us as we stood with our hands on our throats watching that horrible sight, knowing that there was no help.… The firemen kept shouting for them not to jump. But they had no choice; the flames were right behind them, for by this time the fire was far gone.”
Within minutes, 146 workers died, broken on the sidewalk, suffocated by smoke, or burnt in the flames. Most were young women ages fourteen to twenty-three, nearly all recent immigrants, Italians and Russian Jews. Dubbed the “Triangle Fire,” for ninety years it held the record as New York’s deadliest workplace fire. Only the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center took more lives.”
The immigrant garment workers were trapped inside the factory because its doors were locked, ensuring that workers stayed put. In the repercussion of this calamity, reforms were finally enacted.
The Triangle Fire occurred during the greatest mass movement of people in history. People leave their homeland for various reasons, or “pushes,” as historians call them. Pushes include natural disasters, crop failures, poverty, war, persecution, or simply the desire for change. Those who leave go to places they think will offer a better, happier, more interesting future. We call such reasons “pulls.” Thus, in the years 1870 to 1900, about twelve million immigrants arrived in the United States, nearly all from Europe. During the next decade, 1901–10, another nine million—75 percent of the total of the previous three decades—reached our shores. Most of these entered through New York City.
The author continues:
To make matters worse, work was often dangerous, even deadly. In 1911, for example, over 50,000 people died on the job—that is, about 1,000 each week, or 140 a day, every day. This figure includes boys and girls who worked in every major industry from coal mining to textile manufacturing. (In 2008, by contrast, 5,071 American adults died of work-related injuries and diseases.)
If you were hurt or killed at work, that was too bad. The “safety net” we now take for granted did not exist. No health insurance or Medicare. No old-age pensions or Social Security. No unemployment benefits. No laws regulating hours and wages, safety and sanitation.
The book is so aptly titled – indeed, so cheap is flesh and blood. The author ruminates that work rules were humiliating. Talking, laughing, or singing wasted time, so anyone caught breaking the rule against “noise” paid a fine. Yet women had to put up with loudmouthed bosses. “The bosses in the shops are not what you would call educated men,” said Clara Lemlich, a future strike leader. “They yell at the girls and they ‘call them down’ even worse than I imagine slaves were in the South.… They swear at us and sometimes they do worse—call us names that are not pretty to hear.”
As if insults were not enough, other abuses cost money. Employers charged workers for everything they used: needles, thread, chairs, electricity, lockers to store their hats.
Workers said bosses who charged for these things had “one-cent souls.” Some deducted a half day’s pay for coming to work a half hour late. Failure to work fast enough, or to produce enough, brought instant dismissal, as did work that did not meet the owner’s high standards.
The Triangle Fire shocked Americans as no other job-related tragedy ever had. For many, it became a powerful emotional symbol of what seemed wrong about America. In doing so, it raised big questions in a way that gave force to a moral crusade. Was labor a product, something bought and sold like a stick of chewing gum or a newspaper?
Or was labour something different—something human? What was our country coming to when workers, often young children, died so horribly? Must things go on this way? What changes were needed to realize the promise of America? How should these changes come about? Who should lead the drive for change?
School textbooks usually focus on “famous” names—kings, presidents, politicians, generals—as the shapers of history. Yet these are only part of the picture.
The names of others, often equally important, seldom get the recognition they deserve. American history textbooks may, for example, mention Frances Perkins in a few sentences. For in the 1930s, she became secretary of labor, the first woman to hold a cabinet position, under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. We look in vain for other names—Jacob Riis, Clara Lemlich, Rose Schneiderman, Mary Dreier, Alfred E. Smith, Alva Belmont, and Anne Morgan, to mention a few. It is as if they had never existed or done anything worth remembering. Still, each in their own way, they helped create the America we know today.
Aided by archival black-and-white photographs, Albert Marrin does a masterful job of describing this era, before labor unions and government regulation, when greedy companies could act with impunity.
February 13, 2012
The death of 146 factory workers, most of them women, in 1911 sparked changes in working conditions across the country. This book, published 100 years after the Triangle Fire in New York City, describes the disaster that needlessly took so many lives, and as such, it serves as a tribute to how much things have changed for the working poor. And yet, Marrin also makes it clear that sweatshops continue to operate in this country as well as other developing countries, making it likely that a similar tragedy will occur. His inclusion of the voices of survivors and reformers as well as politicians gives the story an immediacy that will surely entice readers. But this book is much more than a recap of the Triangle Fire. In fact, most of the narrative's seven chapters are devoted to a description of the living and working conditions that led to the tragedy as well as a historical examination of the massive immigration movement at the turn of the centry. As these newcomers to the United States sought homes and livelihoods, they often ended up working in deplorable conditions for low wages. Although the fire itself was tragic and Marrin provides just enough details to break readers' hearts, the book also pays tribute to the changes the tragedy spurred. The author painstakingly describes the solidarity in women allying with unions as well as the unions' later corruption. Most eye-opening of all, though, may be Marrin's assertion that it was more profitable for many factory owners at that time to file claims with insurance companies for losses rather than to improve a building's safety. This book, filled with black and white period photographs, is highly recommended.
May 16, 2013
1,100 garment factory workers died in Bangladesh recently when the company building collapsed. These workers made about $38 a month each to sew clothes for the Western world. They didn't want to come to work that tragic day because they'd seen the growing crack in the floor. But the contractor told them if they didn't come to work, they might lose their jobs.
I'd been meaning to read Flesh & Blood So Cheap by Albert Marrin since it was honored as a National Book Award Finalist a few years ago and ordered it after hearing about this tragedy.
The book is not as gripping as Hopkinson's new book about the Titanic disaster. It's not the kind of book that YA or tweens will pick up and WANT to read. That's why I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.
But it's an important book nonetheless because it resonates with current problems in the garment industry.
I'd been meaning to read Flesh & Blood So Cheap by Albert Marrin since it was honored as a National Book Award Finalist a few years ago and ordered it after hearing about this tragedy.
The book is not as gripping as Hopkinson's new book about the Titanic disaster. It's not the kind of book that YA or tweens will pick up and WANT to read. That's why I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.
But it's an important book nonetheless because it resonates with current problems in the garment industry.
September 17, 2014
The events that led up to the tragic Triangle Fire and the aftermath is the story of poor immigrants, mostly southern Italians and Russian Jews who settled in crowded tenements in New York City and worked in the sweatshops and eventually the garment factories run by greedy bosses who had no regard for their workers. Sadly, history keeps repeating itself with the sweatshops around the world and the recent fire in the Bangladesh garment factory.
I appreciated the research that went into this book--the many pictures, quotes, facts, and stories of the people--from the workers to the socialites who cared.
I appreciated the research that went into this book--the many pictures, quotes, facts, and stories of the people--from the workers to the socialites who cared.
May 2, 2012
Sad true tale of the garment industry in America turn of the century. Documents the horrible conditions women and children faced and sometimes died in. Discusses the Triangle Fire where factory locked doors, a common practice, claimed approximately 147 lives. No one was charged. Black and white photographs inside, some very candid. Visual treat for those interested in old firefighter pictures. A little morbid subject matter but informative. Quick read.
September 19, 2011
So far, very good.
I always learn something new while reading Children's nonfiction. Last night I learned the origins of "beyond the pale."
I always learn something new while reading Children's nonfiction. Last night I learned the origins of "beyond the pale."
December 29, 2020
On March 25, 1911, “a sparkling early- Spring afternoon” (1) “146 workers died, broken on the sidewalk, suffocated by smoke, or burnt in the flames. Most were young women, ages fourteen to twenty- three, nearly all recent immigrants, Italians and Russian Jews. Dubbed ‘The Triangle Fire’ for 90 years it held the record as New York’s deadliest workplace fire.” (3)
This is an illustrated, mostly photographs, social history, for teens, encompassing poverty, immigration, Anti- Semitism, the history of New York and its neighborhoods, the history of workers unions, strikes, Tamany Hall, feminism, wealthy women working alongside poor women, to get better conditions and the vote. And racism. Black women weren’t asked to work as garment workers—even scabs. It’s also about the fire and the reaction to the fire. The owners of the factory, Max Blanck and Isaac Harris were not held to account. In fact, their insurance company paid them $410.95 for each fire victim, out of which they paid victims’ families $75 for each life lost. BRRH #1, read a YA nonfiction. Borrowed from interlibrary loan.
This is an illustrated, mostly photographs, social history, for teens, encompassing poverty, immigration, Anti- Semitism, the history of New York and its neighborhoods, the history of workers unions, strikes, Tamany Hall, feminism, wealthy women working alongside poor women, to get better conditions and the vote. And racism. Black women weren’t asked to work as garment workers—even scabs. It’s also about the fire and the reaction to the fire. The owners of the factory, Max Blanck and Isaac Harris were not held to account. In fact, their insurance company paid them $410.95 for each fire victim, out of which they paid victims’ families $75 for each life lost. BRRH #1, read a YA nonfiction. Borrowed from interlibrary loan.
March 23, 2011
Friday, March 25 is the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Fire, one of the worst industrial disasters in American history. Quite a few books for young people have been published on the topic, both historical fiction and non-fiction. The most recent, just released this spring by award-winning non-fiction writer Albert Marrin, brings the tragic events of that spring afternoon to life by setting the fire in a sweeping historical narrative that encompasses not only the events that led up to the fire, but what happened afterwards.
In a moving preface, Marrin sets the stage for the disaster, describing the beautiful spring day as would have been experienced by Frances Perkins, then a 31-year old social worker (later the first female cabinet member under FDR) who witnessed the disaster first-hand, changing the course of her life forever as she became committed to ensuring that such preventable tragedies would never happen again.
As Marrin points out, the Triangle Fire is part of a much larger story--the story of the greatest mass immigration in history, when millions of impoverished immigrants, mostly Italians and Russian Jews, poured into New York City and elsewhere. More than 3 out of 4 people lived in poverty, and work in factories and elsewhere was often dangerous--with no safety net such as we take for granted today. In some detail, with abundant archival photographs and maps, he discusses the reasons this immigration took place, with extreme poverty and natural disasters (including a devastating tsumani in Sicily) forcing millions of Italians to leave their homeland, while poverty and religious hatred pushed the Jews from Russia's Pale of Settlement. Marrin describes in detail the culture immigrants found once they arrived--not streets of gold, but tenements, squalor, and hard work.
To establish the context for the fire, he also describes the growth of the ready-to-wear industry in New York and the improvements in garment-making technology and changing women's fashions that led to the decline in sweatshops and the rise of the factory. With jobs moving to factories, suddenly it was easier to form unions, and the same year the Triangle Waist Company opened, so did the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. In 1909, the "uprising of the 20,000" united garment workers in the largest strike by women ever seen until then, finally forcing the public to take notice. The women's reform movement, led by the wealthy women of the Mink Coat Brigade, provided important support for the strikers.
Was the Asch Building, where the Triangle Factory was housed, a disaster waiting to happen? Not at first glance--the building was modern and fire-proof, built of steel and concrete, equipped with fire alarms and fire hoses. The New York fire department was highly trained and nearby. But safety precautions weren't cost effective for factory owners--sprinklers cost money, fire drills were a waste of time, and workers were considered expendable.
Although the building was fireproof, the contents were not--including the highly flammable fabric, and of course the people inside. No one knows exactly how the fire started--probably from a cigarette butt tossed into a scrap bin--but within seconds the fire was out of control. The details are well-known; those who were able to take the stairs from the 8th floor got out alive, yet the 9th floor stairway was locked, trapping those inside. Workers on the 10th floor, or those who reached it from below, were able to survive by getting to the roof and then over to the next building, but in the meantime those trapped leaped to their deaths, many of them ablaze. Of 500 employees who report that day, 146 perished, mostly young girls.
Marrin does an excellent job describing the aftermath of the fire as well; outraged citizens' impassioned protests led to the formation of The New York Factory Investigating Commission, which carried out the state's most thorough study of worker safety and health done to date. Frances Perkins was the chief investigator, and after four years of investigations, the legislature passed 34 groundbreaking new laws, ordering fire extinguishers, automatic sprinklers, fire drills, proper sanitary conditions, and more, as well as hiring 123 full-time inspectors to make sure that these laws were enforced.
Alas, the days of sweatshops and unsafe factories and not behind us, despite these efforts. In his final chapter, Marrin discusses the "new" sweatshops of New York, where the workers are largely Asian immigrants and Hispanics, and the abysmal conditions of garment factories in the developing world, where conditions much like those at the Triangle Factory continue to exist, leading to disasters such as the 2010 fire at the Garib and Garib Sweater Factory in Bangladesh, which killed 21 workers.
Marrin writes: "School textbooks usually focus on "famous" names--kings, presidents, politicians, generals--as the shapers of history. Yet these are only part of the picture. The names of others, often equally important, seldom get the recognition they deserve...It is as if they had never existed." In this volume, Marrin takes an important step toward rectifying their invisibility.
Indeed, this book represents the best in narrative non-fiction for young people (or for adults who would like a succinct introduction to the history of the event and the issues raised). I have already seen some pre-Newbery buzz for this title, and I feel sure that the Sibert Award Committee will be taking a close look at it as well. It's a must-have for school and public libraries, and an excellent book for adults looking for an introduction to this topic as well as young people.
In a moving preface, Marrin sets the stage for the disaster, describing the beautiful spring day as would have been experienced by Frances Perkins, then a 31-year old social worker (later the first female cabinet member under FDR) who witnessed the disaster first-hand, changing the course of her life forever as she became committed to ensuring that such preventable tragedies would never happen again.
As Marrin points out, the Triangle Fire is part of a much larger story--the story of the greatest mass immigration in history, when millions of impoverished immigrants, mostly Italians and Russian Jews, poured into New York City and elsewhere. More than 3 out of 4 people lived in poverty, and work in factories and elsewhere was often dangerous--with no safety net such as we take for granted today. In some detail, with abundant archival photographs and maps, he discusses the reasons this immigration took place, with extreme poverty and natural disasters (including a devastating tsumani in Sicily) forcing millions of Italians to leave their homeland, while poverty and religious hatred pushed the Jews from Russia's Pale of Settlement. Marrin describes in detail the culture immigrants found once they arrived--not streets of gold, but tenements, squalor, and hard work.
To establish the context for the fire, he also describes the growth of the ready-to-wear industry in New York and the improvements in garment-making technology and changing women's fashions that led to the decline in sweatshops and the rise of the factory. With jobs moving to factories, suddenly it was easier to form unions, and the same year the Triangle Waist Company opened, so did the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. In 1909, the "uprising of the 20,000" united garment workers in the largest strike by women ever seen until then, finally forcing the public to take notice. The women's reform movement, led by the wealthy women of the Mink Coat Brigade, provided important support for the strikers.
Was the Asch Building, where the Triangle Factory was housed, a disaster waiting to happen? Not at first glance--the building was modern and fire-proof, built of steel and concrete, equipped with fire alarms and fire hoses. The New York fire department was highly trained and nearby. But safety precautions weren't cost effective for factory owners--sprinklers cost money, fire drills were a waste of time, and workers were considered expendable.
Although the building was fireproof, the contents were not--including the highly flammable fabric, and of course the people inside. No one knows exactly how the fire started--probably from a cigarette butt tossed into a scrap bin--but within seconds the fire was out of control. The details are well-known; those who were able to take the stairs from the 8th floor got out alive, yet the 9th floor stairway was locked, trapping those inside. Workers on the 10th floor, or those who reached it from below, were able to survive by getting to the roof and then over to the next building, but in the meantime those trapped leaped to their deaths, many of them ablaze. Of 500 employees who report that day, 146 perished, mostly young girls.
Marrin does an excellent job describing the aftermath of the fire as well; outraged citizens' impassioned protests led to the formation of The New York Factory Investigating Commission, which carried out the state's most thorough study of worker safety and health done to date. Frances Perkins was the chief investigator, and after four years of investigations, the legislature passed 34 groundbreaking new laws, ordering fire extinguishers, automatic sprinklers, fire drills, proper sanitary conditions, and more, as well as hiring 123 full-time inspectors to make sure that these laws were enforced.
Alas, the days of sweatshops and unsafe factories and not behind us, despite these efforts. In his final chapter, Marrin discusses the "new" sweatshops of New York, where the workers are largely Asian immigrants and Hispanics, and the abysmal conditions of garment factories in the developing world, where conditions much like those at the Triangle Factory continue to exist, leading to disasters such as the 2010 fire at the Garib and Garib Sweater Factory in Bangladesh, which killed 21 workers.
Marrin writes: "School textbooks usually focus on "famous" names--kings, presidents, politicians, generals--as the shapers of history. Yet these are only part of the picture. The names of others, often equally important, seldom get the recognition they deserve...It is as if they had never existed." In this volume, Marrin takes an important step toward rectifying their invisibility.
Indeed, this book represents the best in narrative non-fiction for young people (or for adults who would like a succinct introduction to the history of the event and the issues raised). I have already seen some pre-Newbery buzz for this title, and I feel sure that the Sibert Award Committee will be taking a close look at it as well. It's a must-have for school and public libraries, and an excellent book for adults looking for an introduction to this topic as well as young people.
January 27, 2024
I have had a keen interest in the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire since I first learned of it as a young girl. Having recently watched Ric Burns's documentary about NYC, my interest was piqued once again. My school librarian was culling this title from the stacks so I grabbed it. While I didn't learn much new information, the writing in this book was fantastic, especially when considering its intended audience is young / middle school readers. Very clear explanations of many terms and also told in a gripping manner to keep readers interested. I completely enjoyed it!
July 14, 2023
A short and informative audio book!
May 5, 2014
Can you imagine working a 14 hour day 6 days a week, well that's what happened in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. The Triangle Fire happened in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, a factory that made a kind of dress. It happened on March 25, 1911 at 4:40pm, about 5 minutes before the workers were supposed to leave work. 146 people died and 71 were injuried. Flesh & Blood So Cheap by Albert Marrin captures the story of this fire. This book goes back to talk about the people that worked in the factory. Mostly Jews and Italians worked in the factory trying to make a living. They came to America to find a better life and ending up in not very nice working conditions. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was one of the worst working places, with the owners locking the doors during the day and treating them horribly all the time. The book talks more about people that tried to help working conditions and a strike that happened. The strike was trying to get the workers more rights and lasted a very long time.
This book is all true, also called a non-fiction book. A non-fiction book, like this one, tells a story about something that actually happened or something that is factual. Non-fiction books can be many different topics from Abraham Lincoln to how women got the right to vote. This book is structured in a way that there is a table of contents and looks kind of like a fiction book. There are big chapters that then have little sections in them that focus on small things. There are many pictures of different people and places that are important to the book; these pictures help show what the part of the book is talking about.
I really enjoyed this book, because I was able to learn about something important in American history. I didn't only learn about the fire, but the things leading up to it. I think that this added a lot to the book and made it very detailed and interesting. Something that helped me understand what happened was the way it was layed out. The layout made it so you could understand everything that lead up to it and the things that happens after the fact. The book was a little too detailed for me; I thought it went into too much detail with certain things. Other then that I really enjoyed the way the author wrote the book and how he layed it out. The author didn't seem to really have a side to the subject matter which was nice, because you could have your own opinion. I think this book added a lot to my understanding of what working conditions use to be like and opened my eyes. I would suggest reading this book to anyone who wants to learn about how life was different in the early 1900s. I would rate this book 3 out of 5 stars because I enjoyed the topic, I just thought that it went in a little too much detail with certain things.
This book is all true, also called a non-fiction book. A non-fiction book, like this one, tells a story about something that actually happened or something that is factual. Non-fiction books can be many different topics from Abraham Lincoln to how women got the right to vote. This book is structured in a way that there is a table of contents and looks kind of like a fiction book. There are big chapters that then have little sections in them that focus on small things. There are many pictures of different people and places that are important to the book; these pictures help show what the part of the book is talking about.
I really enjoyed this book, because I was able to learn about something important in American history. I didn't only learn about the fire, but the things leading up to it. I think that this added a lot to the book and made it very detailed and interesting. Something that helped me understand what happened was the way it was layed out. The layout made it so you could understand everything that lead up to it and the things that happens after the fact. The book was a little too detailed for me; I thought it went into too much detail with certain things. Other then that I really enjoyed the way the author wrote the book and how he layed it out. The author didn't seem to really have a side to the subject matter which was nice, because you could have your own opinion. I think this book added a lot to my understanding of what working conditions use to be like and opened my eyes. I would suggest reading this book to anyone who wants to learn about how life was different in the early 1900s. I would rate this book 3 out of 5 stars because I enjoyed the topic, I just thought that it went in a little too much detail with certain things.
January 19, 2018
I grabbed this on a whim when I saw it at the library. I'm divided between giving it a 3 and a 4, but I am rounding up, mostly because of the final chapter and because of the attention paid to individuals and their contributions.
This is a mid-grade book good for older elementary students or maybe middle school students. The book is well-organized and briefly describes the reasons behind waves of Russian Jews and Italian Catholics coming to New York in the late 19th and early 20th century but doesn't really delve deeply. More details are given about the working conditions in the NY garment industry as well as the start of the labor movement, leading up to the main tragic event of the book, the Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire.
Enough of the grim details of the fire are outlined -- locked exit doors, rickety and unstable fire escapes, narrow stairwells, people jumping out of windows -- that it paints a clear picture, but it avoids being too grisly and vivid. Still, this might not be a good choice for a child with a vivid imagination to read right before bed, or without someone to discuss it.
The aftermath of the fire gets into politics and touches on Tammany Hall corruption and even organized crime's involvement with unions. Then we come full circle to sweatshops again, both inside and outside the US.
The book definitely feels like it has a strong liberal stance and is trying to stay politically correct while reporting on events that were absolutely nowhere close to pc. I found this a little annoying, but I understand the choices made and I'm not sure I would have done better. As I mentioned earlier, I particularly felt they did a good job in the last chapter, showing that we can't always assume that there is a choice between good and bad -- sometimes there are only choices between two bad things or one awful thing and one less-bad thing. It talks about working conditions in garment factories in developing countries and why even those conditions may be considered good in comparison to the available alternatives. It doesn't tell the reader what to think about this, but shows multiple sides of the issue. I wish that this type of multifaceted treatment was given to more of the topics in the book, but I guess I might be asking a lot of a mid-grade history book.
I also enjoyed the variety of photographs included in the book, and the sidebars about various people or topics. I wish those sidebars were not written in light grey italic font on white paper, though. But again, I guess it's aimed at readers with younger eyes than mine. :-)
edit: after more thought, I rounded it down because one chapter isn't really good enough to make up for lack of depth in other parts.
This is a mid-grade book good for older elementary students or maybe middle school students. The book is well-organized and briefly describes the reasons behind waves of Russian Jews and Italian Catholics coming to New York in the late 19th and early 20th century but doesn't really delve deeply. More details are given about the working conditions in the NY garment industry as well as the start of the labor movement, leading up to the main tragic event of the book, the Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire.
Enough of the grim details of the fire are outlined -- locked exit doors, rickety and unstable fire escapes, narrow stairwells, people jumping out of windows -- that it paints a clear picture, but it avoids being too grisly and vivid. Still, this might not be a good choice for a child with a vivid imagination to read right before bed, or without someone to discuss it.
The aftermath of the fire gets into politics and touches on Tammany Hall corruption and even organized crime's involvement with unions. Then we come full circle to sweatshops again, both inside and outside the US.
The book definitely feels like it has a strong liberal stance and is trying to stay politically correct while reporting on events that were absolutely nowhere close to pc. I found this a little annoying, but I understand the choices made and I'm not sure I would have done better. As I mentioned earlier, I particularly felt they did a good job in the last chapter, showing that we can't always assume that there is a choice between good and bad -- sometimes there are only choices between two bad things or one awful thing and one less-bad thing. It talks about working conditions in garment factories in developing countries and why even those conditions may be considered good in comparison to the available alternatives. It doesn't tell the reader what to think about this, but shows multiple sides of the issue. I wish that this type of multifaceted treatment was given to more of the topics in the book, but I guess I might be asking a lot of a mid-grade history book.
I also enjoyed the variety of photographs included in the book, and the sidebars about various people or topics. I wish those sidebars were not written in light grey italic font on white paper, though. But again, I guess it's aimed at readers with younger eyes than mine. :-)
edit: after more thought, I rounded it down because one chapter isn't really good enough to make up for lack of depth in other parts.
September 1, 2016
This book was actually more interesting than the adult book I read about this fire several years ago. Marrin not only relates the story of the Triangle Waist Factory fire of 1911, but also places it in the context of society at the time--of the Italian and Russian immigrants, of the garment industry, and of New York City politics. He discusses the rise of the labor unions and how this fire affected the garment industry unions in New York. Marrin introduced me to influential union ladies about whom I knew nothing--people like Anne Morgan, Alva Belmont, Mary Dreier, Clara Lemlich, and Rose Schneidermann. I have to read more about these women! They showed that immigrant women could make themselves be heard and could improve their working conditions. I also learned more about how the infamous Tammany Hall operated, and about those who, like Alfred E. Smith, defied it. A very interesting period in New York history. Lastly, I learned about a Yiddish poet, Morris Rosenfeld, whose poetry I would like to explore. I just love it when a book leads me to new people and places to read about.
What may perhaps be the most important chapter, however, is the last one, in which Marrin discusses the return of sweatshops around the world that has accompanied the influx of cheap immigrant (legal and illegal) labor into American cities and the outsourcing of manufacturing by American companies to Third World countries providing cheap labor. He makes an argument that, while working conditions are not the best, sweatshops do provide many jobs for people in these countries who would otherwise have no work. Their salaries may be pathetically small by our standards, but by the standards of those countries the salaries are good. Nevertheless, I think everyone deserves the best conditions possible in which to earn their living, and certainly conditions could improve in sweatshops.
As I read this book, I realized that this year marks the 100th anniversary of the Triangle fire, which I'm sure is why it was published in 2011. I've also noticed that a number of other books on the fire, both non-fiction and historical fiction, have been published recently, so I'll surely be exploring those as well. Marrin mentioned that the building is still standing and now houses a museum about the fire, which I'd love to visit some day. I highly recommend this book as a terrific place to start reading about this tragic fire and its aftermath. It was a finalist for this year's National Book Award, and I hope it will win a Newbery too.
What may perhaps be the most important chapter, however, is the last one, in which Marrin discusses the return of sweatshops around the world that has accompanied the influx of cheap immigrant (legal and illegal) labor into American cities and the outsourcing of manufacturing by American companies to Third World countries providing cheap labor. He makes an argument that, while working conditions are not the best, sweatshops do provide many jobs for people in these countries who would otherwise have no work. Their salaries may be pathetically small by our standards, but by the standards of those countries the salaries are good. Nevertheless, I think everyone deserves the best conditions possible in which to earn their living, and certainly conditions could improve in sweatshops.
As I read this book, I realized that this year marks the 100th anniversary of the Triangle fire, which I'm sure is why it was published in 2011. I've also noticed that a number of other books on the fire, both non-fiction and historical fiction, have been published recently, so I'll surely be exploring those as well. Marrin mentioned that the building is still standing and now houses a museum about the fire, which I'd love to visit some day. I highly recommend this book as a terrific place to start reading about this tragic fire and its aftermath. It was a finalist for this year's National Book Award, and I hope it will win a Newbery too.
December 28, 2011
Excellent nonfiction book about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911. I've always found this period of history, and this particular event, fascinating, and I really enjoyed this comprehensive look at both. Thoroughly researched and footnoted, with liberal use of photographs on nearly every page, this book covers much before and after the fire, giving the history of Jewish and Russian immigration to New York City (why they left, not just that they came in droves), explaining the living and working conditions of the poor in the "dumbbell tenements" (I hadn't ever heard that term before, describing the shape of the apartment buildings that had an air shaft between them), and how the NYC garment industry rose up so fast and loose. This background is well done for middle grade and up readers, giving them the facts they need to place the events in context. Then comes the description of the fire, done very matter-of-factly, not in a sensational way, and the book goes on to describe the reforms that came about as a result of the fire. But I liked that it didn't end there; the last chapter finished up the history of the NYC garment industry as the mob and the Mafia infiltrated; then explained how cheap foreign imports have totally changed the industry, and ended with descriptions of modern day sweatshops in developing countries--even in 2010, one hundred years later, women died in a factory fire under some of the same circumstances as those Triangle girls, which gives an eerie full-circle aspect to the story of the fire. If you're thinking this sounds boring, do not, because the book is very well written and far from "dry."
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