by Margaret Peterson Haddix Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers ISBN: 978-1416911722 352 pages Uprising is a riveting book. Haddix does an excellent job describing the terrible events leading up to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire that took the lives of 146 people, mostly poor working girls. Until September 11, 2001, it was the greatest workplace disaster in New York City history. What makes the book especially moving is that it is told through the voices of three very different girls whose paths crossed due to the Shirtwaist Strike of 1909. Called the Uprising of the 20,000, female garment workers went on the picket line for better working conditions, wages, and union protection. The strike grabbed the attention of many around the country and helped re-energize the women's suffrage movement. Through the characters of Yetta, a feisty union supporter, Bella, a new immigrant trying to survive and send money to her family in Italy, and Jane, a rich socialite who is struggling to find where she belongs, the story highlights the strike and fire from several perspectives. The true tragedy is that so much of what happened was preventable. While reading the book, so many problems foreshadow the disaster; lack of fire escapes, locked doors on the working floors, lack of enforcement of fire safety rules such as smoking in work areas. The legacy of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire is that it helped create many of the laws that protect workplaces today. Uprising is filled with triump and tragedy and is a fascinating look at a period of American history that still impacts us today. |
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