Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy

Five stars. This hit differently as I read it in 2021. I had to set it down twice because I was crying. The book starts out guiding readers through Jewish and Italian immigrant experiences to New York in the turn of the twentieth century: those who would go on to work in garment factories. Four chapter in the beginning of this book pave this path and humanize the workers. The forces, social and economic, around the events leading up to the fire, are detailed. The fifth chapter is dedicated to the fire. The sixth chapter onward examines the societal changes, or lack thereof in terms of working conditions, that took place. Gangsters who were hired to beat up and even murder strikers in 1911 infiltrated unions in 1926. This book helped me show more figure out also why Teamsters Union is code for mafia. The book also examines modern-day sweatshops and disasters similar to the Triangle Shirtwaist fire. I'm so glad this book was published and I got to read it. show less

It was one of the deadliest industrial disasters in United States history, but you may not ever hear about it in history class. The fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City in 1911 killed almost 150 workers, and yet it didn’t have to happen. This book starts by describing New York City at the turn of the twentieth century, a world of dirty neighborhoods, immigrant families surviving on next to nothing, corrupt and nearly unstoppable mafia bosses, and rapid industrialization. With no rules about how workers ought to be treated, business owners squeezed every advantage they could from employees who would starve if they didn’t have a job. Marrin goes on to explain the events leading up to the fire, the deadly disaster show more itself, and how it forced people to start seeing things a little differently. show less

Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy by Albert Marrin describes a major industrial tragedy of the early twentieth century: a fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, which took many lives in a haunting, horrific way -- all because precautions we take for granted today either did not exist, or had been ignored by the factory's owners. The book was well-written, though certainly not a light or easy read due to the subject matter. There were a few places where I thought the author's personal bias was apparent, but not enough to destroy the book's credibility. I learned a lot from it, though it did leave me wanting to read lighthearted romantic comedies for my next several reads!

This book outlines the circumstances leading up to the 1911 Triangle Factory Fire, the event itself, and the aftermath, including laws requiring workplace safety measures we take for granted today. It's a good example of the purpose of government intervention when businesses refuse to protect employees and the public and of how easily elected officials can ignore the needs of those who lack political power.

At first glance, you'll think this book is only about the fire that occurred at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City on March 25, 1911, but that's not all it contains. The book takes its readers back through the experiences of the Southern Italian and Russian Jew immigrants occupying New York City at the time of the fire, providing reasons for their immigration and explanations of what it was like for them once they landed in the U.S. It goes on to discuss the horrible working conditions of the era, particularly for young women who worked in the garment industry. It discusses strikes, New York City politics of the era, and the impact the fire itself had on all of this. It ends with a warning that we are seeing history repeat show more itself in the working conditions at clothing factories overseas, leading readers to understand that we could be heading for another great tragedy like the Triangle fire if we don't do something about it.

This book does an excellent job of providing back story, including lots of photographs from the era that bring the events and people within its pages to life--and sometimes death.

If you're interested in history, especially the history of immigration, labor, and women's rights in New York City at the beginning of the 20th century, then this book is for you! show less

This well-researched book is more than a chronicle of the worst workplace disaster New York has ever seen (with the exception of the 9/11 terrorist attacks). It's a snapshot of the time and a portrait of a changing nation. The first half of the book examines immigration in America in the second half of the 19th century and how it shaped the way American industry developed. It paints just the right mood for acknowledging how terribly tragic the Triangle Fire was. The last part of the book shows what changes were made in industry and labor laws as a result of the fire and shows that sweatshops still exist in many parts of the world.

Archival photos are well-selected and well-used to bring the time period to life. Back matter includes a show more bibliography, source notes, and an index.

This book would make a perfect pairing with UPRISING by Margaret Peterson Haddix, BREAD AND ROSES TOO by Katherine Paterson, or LYDDIE by Katherine Paterson. For those interested in a more recent look at immigration and sweatshop work, you could also pair this book with GIRL IN TRANSLATION by Jean Kwok.

http://www.abbythelibrarian.com/2012/01/flesh-blood-so-cheap.html show less

I was initially skeptical of the historical, "let's talk about how these workers got to America before we discuss New York" approach, but the origins of America's Jewish and Italian populations were too interesting to ignore. The wide scope has a lot to say, though it does delay the triangle fire's placement in the book for a long while.