Triangle

Feb 12, 2013 Nancy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, labor, women, i-saw-the-film

Triangle: The Fire That Changed America is a moving and riveting account of the Triangle fire of March 25, 1911, the deadliest workplace disaster in New York City for 90 years. It destroyed the lives of 146 workers, the majority of them young immigrant women.

The author successfully brings to life the period before, during, and after the fire. He looks at the social and economic conditions of the time, working conditions in the garment industry, and the labor movement that women were gradually b...more

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Sep 23, 2009 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

The great garment district fire of 1911 killed 146 people in Lower Manhattan. This was the greatest workplace loss of life for decades before and 90 years after, until 9/11/2001.

The average factory loft (today converted into a swanky condo) was 10 or 11 stories, meaning four floors beyond the reach of the highest hook and ladder. Fire escapes were grossly inadequate and no-smoking rules usually ignored. Scrap heaps beneath each work table provided a highly combustible matrix--and cotton is incr...more The great garment district fire of 1911 killed 146 people in Lower Manhattan. This was the greatest workplace loss of life for decades before and 90 years after, until 9/11/2001.

The average factory loft (today converted into a swanky condo) was 10 or 11 stories, meaning four floors beyond the reach of the highest hook and ladder. Fire escapes were grossly inadequate and no-smoking rules usually ignored. Scrap heaps beneath each work table provided a highly combustible matrix--and cotton is incredible friable. Fire equipment in the building consisted of a water bucket placed here and there and a few fire hoses that malfunctioned when needed.

The book is an unsparing account of what it was like to be an immigrant sweatshop worker, which was only a short step above slavery and so grim you might wish to perish in a fire.

My Sicilian grandmother Maria Sgalambro was one of those workers doing a piecemeal jobs on a foot-pumped cast-iron sewing machine that we later kept in our house like some kind of trophy. But she worked at home sewing ornamental collars on shirtwaists (blouses), not in a factory. My mother was born in a tenement on what is now the Silk Stocking district, the Upper East Side. Like many immigrant families, her's moved often to take advantage of a month's free rent offered by landlords during the Great Depression.

On another personal note, I just moved my office to the sixth floor of a building constructed in 1892. After reading this, I plan to install a coiled rope anchored on the balcony.

The writer (a Washington Post reporter) does a very good job with grim subjects: not just the grisly details of the fire (of 146 deaths, about half were burns and the other half jumped eight stories or fell off a failed fire escape); but Russian pograms and the Southern Italian droughts and volcanos (factors that drove Jews and Sicilians to emigrate); tenements, sweatshops, arson and the complicit role of insurance companies who discouraged fire safety; and the sorting out of charred and crushed bodies on the piers of Manhattan (a ghastly scene re-created on a larger scale after 9/11). These details are so unstinting that I had to skim a few sections.

I am just getting to the part about building code reform and the rise of union power.

This history is well-rooted in my New York Italian family and that of our Unionist Irish in-laws the Powers. This makes family lore frightening real. "Triangle" is also an excellent companion to Richard Price's novel "Lush Life," a tale of Lower East Side gentrification haunted by tenement ghosts. Thank you Malcolm Gladwell for recommending this in "Outliers."

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Apr 03, 2009 Ginny Messina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, disasters

A fascinating read. It’s not just the story of the fire, but also describes historical trends--NYC politics and the labor movement—that preceded and followed the fire. There is some great historical detail here and von Drehle is a wonderful writer. The fire and its immediate aftermath are heartbreaking and so is the list of the dead at the end of the book. Highly recommended.

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Mar 08, 2013 Cflack rated it 4 of 5 stars

A well researched holistic account not only of the fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in 1911 in which 146 workers were killed, but also of what lead to the fire and what were it's long term historic repercussions. Von Drehle does a masterful job of creating the environment in New York City of not only the tenements and factories in which many of the workers lived and worked, but also the political environment - Tammany Hall, the Women's Trade Union League and the Consumer League which were...more

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Aug 24, 2008 James rated it 5 of 5 stars

A gripping account of one of the worst tragedies in American history.

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Mar 16, 2008 John rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fire-department-related-books

This was a very well-written book. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking to get a good historical overview of the Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire, and a glimpse into labor history in general. Not only did the book contain some very good details of the fire itself, but it also talked about the labor situation that preceeded the fire, and some of the improvements that the fire resulted in. It is hard to believe that there was a time in America's not-too-distant past, when there were no sp...more

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Feb 16, 2009 Carrie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Triangle tells the story of the devastating 1911 fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist factory in New York. Von Drehle (who writes for the Washington Post, my favorite newspaper), tells about the tragedy, but also puts the fire in its historical context - touching on issues ranging from the labor movement, immigration, anarchy, Tammany Hall, corrupt courts, and how FDR got his start in politics. It is well written and easy to follow. Surprisingly (at least to me, who had heard this fire referenced bef...more

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Mar 10, 2013 Maryk rated it 5 of 5 stars

The great shirtwaist strike of 1909 served as a catalyst to expose the many underlying social issues that defined the gritty transition period in the beginning of the Progressive Era. Certain elements of importance: gender, class and ethnicity, literally breathed fire into the already heated friction between labor and industry. The book, Triangle: The Fire That Changed America, by David Von Drehle, brought the viewpoint of the lower-class industrial worker to the forefront of the fight uncoverin...more The great shirtwaist strike of 1909 served as a catalyst to expose the many underlying social issues that defined the gritty transition period in the beginning of the Progressive Era. Certain elements of importance: gender, class and ethnicity, literally breathed fire into the already heated friction between labor and industry. The book, Triangle: The Fire That Changed America, by David Von Drehle, brought the viewpoint of the lower-class industrial worker to the forefront of the fight uncovering a multi-dimensional struggle for safe, sanitary, and financially self-sustaining conditions. On the other hand, it also highlighted the resentment felt by the lower class workers toward socially prominent suffrage activists and power-hungry political men interested in propelling their own political agenda. More than a fight between labor and industry; it was a fight between men and women, high class and low class, and between the immigrant ethnicities. In a twisted web of sympathy and animosity, the strike of 1909 ironically gained publicity and respectability through the involvement of wealthy socialites and power-hungry political hopefuls, while poor industrial workers suffered exasperation, indignation, and desperation concerning the labor movement and the over-lapping, yet conflicting issues of women’s rights, ethnic wars, and class boundaries.
Supporters of Women’s Suffrage were the first to extend a helping hand to the floundering strike attempt and acted as an umbrella for the labor movement. Unwittingly they also sparked animosity in the workers involved in the strike of 1909. Shirtwaist factories were composed primarily of women. Women interested in gaining the right to vote were sensitive to finding ways that the gender was being exploited and disadvantaged. Upon the discovery of the working conditions within these largely women operated factories, Women’s Rights activists saw the strike as an opportunity to promote their platform. Women such as J.P. Morgan’s daughter, Anne Morgan, began recruiting upper echelon financial donors to further the cause. They organized rallies and parades in order to shine a spotlight on the working conditions of factory workers. As much as this was needed, there was a distinct resentment from the lower-class workers toward the high society donors. They felt that they were being used. Many wanted to know, “Whose strike was it anyway?”(p.79) Strike ownership was a constant issue of sensitivity.
In addition to the resentment felt by low-class workers toward receiving help from the upper crust of society, animosity was also felt by policemen, judges, and political hopefuls toward those that took to the picket lines. They viewed them as trouble makers, socialists, and anarchists. The workers, of course reciprocated this resentment because they felt that there was no one who would or could fight for them. They felt that no matter what they did, when some tragedy happened, they were blamed because they did not try to alert the agencies of change. Yet when they tried to get help, as one woman put it, “the strong hand of the law beats us back when we rise…” (p.208) Policemen were forceful even with women, judges were harsh with sentencing. The poor workers had no choice than to defend themselves the best that they could.
By striking, the lower class workers asserted their beliefs, even though for some it meant dealing with almost completely unbearable conditions at the same time as having to be a sole provider for their entire family. Women picketed and preached that they needed to ‘starve for the cause, or they would starve anyway’. The real difficulty that became the problem was that of differences between ethnicities. The factory workers that were brave enough to strike were being replaced by ‘scabs’. As the majority of the workers in sewing sweat shops were Russian born Jews, the replacements were (by design) usually Italian born Catholics. Management meant to create an ‘ethnic war’ in order to distract the strikers from the original cause of the strike. Prominent religious men visited young women with the message that they would go to Hell if they refused to work. By the same token, the differences between the cultures dictated how the women would react to this. Italian women were dominated by their male ‘head of household’. Whatever they were told to do was not optional. Jewish women, however, were traditionally expected to earn money for the family in order to make time for the male ‘heads of household’ to devote themselves to spiritual study. This enabled Jewish women to have more of a say in what they did for work and how they did it. Jewish women undoubtedly resented the Italian women for not striking, however, so to speak, the Italian women didn’t feel like they had a choice in the matter, because they had to answer to the dominant male of the house. The end result was that there was intense friction between the two cultures because was too difficult to bridge the gaps between family traditions.
Though it took time and patience, the strike of 1909 could be considered somewhat successful due to the rise of sympathy generated by public exposure. The involvement of wealthy socialites and opportunistic political hopefuls lent credibility to their cause. However, the poor industrial workers suffered feelings of animosity toward factory owners, the upper class members of society, other ethnicities, the law and the political machine that seemed to keep them down. The many over-lapping and conflicting issues of women’s rights, ethnicities wars, and class boundaries, were constant irritants to the basic reasons they were striking. Factories needed to be made safe, sanitary, and financially sustaining for the workers. Though there were many obstacles, the final result of the strike and the subsequent fire did in fact create a better situation. By using the processes of investigation, education, and legislation, the Brew Ha-Ha of issues was eventually dealt with and life made better for all factory workers in the United States.
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Jan 16, 2013 Allison M rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Young Adults

Recommended to Allison by: My Teacher

The book, Triangle: The Fire That Changed America by David Von Drehle, was an exciting and interesting read. It took place in the early 1900's, when a pool of immigrants were entering the United States. Many of the immigrants worked in factories, otherwise known as sweatshops. They were called sweatshops because of their harsh conditions. One of these sweatshops was called the Triangle shirtwaist factory. The conditions in the factory were crammed with little pay. This lead to a large strike am...more

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Jan 15, 2013 Lindsey O added it

The book, Triangle: The Fire that Changed America, was a very interesting book. It was about the Triangle Shirtwaist fire in New York City, around the early 1900's, when there were many strikes from the harsh conditions in factories. The book talks about the history of the famous company and what it was like in the factory before and during the fire, and what was the effect on Americans after the fire. However, I didn't like how the author went into different subjects. The book didn't transfer w...more

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Jan 13, 2013 Olivia I rated it 4 of 5 stars

In the early twentieth century, there was great social upheaval in the United States as many immigrants were pouring in from Ellis Island. Many worked in factories, including one of the largest, the Triangle shirtwaist factory in Greenwich Village. During that time, the factory owners and workers were not getting along well as many workers went on strike; fighting for higher pay, more convenient work hours, and most importantly, better working conditions. In New York, the corrupt but powerful p...more In the early twentieth century, there was great social upheaval in the United States as many immigrants were pouring in from Ellis Island. Many worked in factories, including one of the largest, the Triangle shirtwaist factory in Greenwich Village. During that time, the factory owners and workers were not getting along well as many workers went on strike; fighting for higher pay, more convenient work hours, and most importantly, better working conditions. In New York, the corrupt but powerful political machine, Tammany Hall, usually sided with the owners so the workers had that disadvantage. Von Drehle does a good job of explaining how the fire changed American politics. On March 25, 1911, the work day at the Triangle shirtwaist factory was beginning to wind down when suddenly someone threw away a cigarette that wasn’t fully extinguished, researchers later concluded. The fire spread quickly and in a matter of minutes, the entire eighth floor was in ashes and the damage was not done. The factory was very chaotic as the workers were scrambling to exit their respective floors with problems such as faulty fire exits, locked doors, and mis-communications. This tragic event took the lives of 146 workers and was the worst workplace disaster until September 11, 2001. What happened with the court case, were the owners guilty? And did Tammany Hall remain corrupt or were the working conditions managed?
The book, Triangle: The Fire that Changed America by David Von Drehle was not only about the horrific fire in the Triangle shirtwaist factory but also explained the time period prior to, during, and after the tragedy. This book was a very interesting read and I learned a lot from it. Although some parts of the book were drawn on a bit, the riveting story line kept me reading and I enjoyed reading about the workers’ prospective on the issues. I would recommend this book because it gives a good description about the Triangle fire and life in New York back then.
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Jun 07, 2012 B.T. rated it 4 of 5 stars

As the subtitle of the book suggests, journalist David Von Drehle presents the horrific Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire on March 25, 1911 as a catalyst for significant political and social reform at both the local and national levels. In addition to this central claim, Drehle offers a clear judgment of those responsible for the 146 who died that tragic day. Drehle's use of the testimony transcriptions from the trial of People of the State of New York v. Isaac Harris and Max Blanck paints a vivi...more As the subtitle of the book suggests, journalist David Von Drehle presents the horrific Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire on March 25, 1911 as a catalyst for significant political and social reform at both the local and national levels. In addition to this central claim, Drehle offers a clear judgment of those responsible for the 146 who died that tragic day. Drehle's use of the testimony transcriptions from the trial of People of the State of New York v. Isaac Harris and Max Blanck paints a vivid account of the events that occurred on that Spring Saturday evening. Although well researched, this chronological narrative history of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire is filled with speculation and theoretical analysis. Drehle gives us a detailed exploration of the events leading up to the fire, the tragedy itself, and the reform and accusations that followed.
Drehle sets the stage for the tragic event by examining the political and social atmosphere within New York in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The political environment is laid out by describing the influence Tammany Hall had on local politics during this period. The explanation of Tammany's political stronghold is illustrated by singling out key individuals including Charles Murphy, Al Smith, Robert Wagner, and Big Tim Sullivan. Drehle carefully examines the relationships between Tammany, factory owners, and the working class. He provides a solid biographical background for each important character involved.
The social environment in which these factories flourished is discussed at length by focusing on determined young working class women such as Clara Lemlich. Drehle gives us an uncensored view of what it meant to be a Jewish or Italian immigrant working extremely long hours for low pay. He crafts distinct mental images of the living and working conditions within the tenements and factories. Drehle strategically weaves a story filled with overwhelming emotion; providing us with details of the daily struggles of those who survived and perished within the Triangle fire.
Drehle begins to build the evidence against the Triangle owners. He discusses the background of the Triangle Factory owners, Isaac Harris and Max Blanck. It is pointed out that they too came from poverty as immigrants but somewhere along the way to financial success, lost their emotional connection to the workers in their factories. He is quick to state that these men were from an earlier generation of immigrants that had paid their dues and expected the new generation to do the same. The battle between the factory owners and the workers seeking better working conditions and wages is thoroughly examined by his coverage of the growing labor reform movement.
Today, the demands of the thousands of workers who went on strike against greedy capitalist factory owners in New York, given Drehle's account of their conditions, seem quite reasonable. Organizations such as the Women's Trade Union League and the Local 25 fought to increase pay and shorten the work week. In the end, Drehle acknowledges that the strikes prove to be successful in these matters but workplace safety wasn't the primary focus. Through vivid descriptions of the Triangle Factory and the policies within, the case continues to build against the owners.
Drehle passionately recounts the minute by minute sequence of events of March 25, 1911 through the eyes of a few who lived through it. From the initial spark to Misery Lane lined with coffins, Drehle paints a scenario which is filled with heroic men and brave young women. He also places the blame of those who burned directly in the hands of the owners, Harris and Blanck. This fire, unlike the many other factory fires grabbed the hearts of New Yorkers. The press sensationalized every aspect of the investigation and demanded answers. Drehle claims that due to this tremendous public pressure, New York's District Attorney Charles Whitman went after Harris and Blanck. Due to the pressure to make someone pay for the tragedy and Whitman's political aspirations, Harris and Blanck were taken to trial.
Drehle's analysis of the trial's testimony and Leon Stein's book, The Triangle Fire produces a dramatic narrative history which concludes with an invitation to dig deeper. After reading Drehle's book, I can't help but feel like Harris and Blanck got away with murder. In addition, I believe Drehle is successful in linking the horrific event at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory to political and social reform in America. Drehle resurrects powerful forgotten New York political figures in this emotionally charged social history book. He illustrates the significance of one door being locked ultimately opened many doors for the working class of America.
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May 29, 2012 Abigayil rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 09, 2011 Kathleen Hagen added it

Shelves: 2011-audio-books, 2011-nonfiction

Triangle: the Fire that Changed America, by David Von Drehle, Narrated by Barrett Whitener, produced by Random House Audio, downloaded from audible.com.

Publisher’s note says it all:
On March 25, 1911, as workers were getting ready to leave for the day, a fire broke out in the Triangle Shirtwaist factory in New York's Greenwich Village.
Within minutes it spread to consume the building's upper three stories. Firemen who arrived at the scene were unable to rescue those trapped inside: their
ladders si...more Triangle: the Fire that Changed America, by David Von Drehle, Narrated by Barrett Whitener, produced by Random House Audio, downloaded from audible.com.

Publisher’s note says it all:
On March 25, 1911, as workers were getting ready to leave for the day, a fire broke out in the Triangle Shirtwaist factory in New York's Greenwich Village.
Within minutes it spread to consume the building's upper three stories. Firemen who arrived at the scene were unable to rescue those trapped inside: their
ladders simply weren't tall enough. People on the street watched in horror as desperate workers jumped to their deaths. The final toll was 146 people -
123 of them women. It was the worst disaster in New York City history. This harrowing yet compulsively readable book is both a chronicle of the Triangle
Shirtwaist fire and a vibrant portrait of an entire age. It follows the waves of Jewish and Italian immigration that inundated New York in the early years
of the century, filling its slums and supplying its garment factories with cheap, mostly female labor. It portrays the Dickensian work conditions that
led to a massive waist-workers strike in which an unlikely coalition of socialists, socialites, and suffragettes took on bosses, police, and magistrates.
Von Drehle shows how popular revulsion at the Triangle catastrophe led to an unprecedented alliance between idealistic labor reformers and the supremely
pragmatic politicians of the Tammany machine. David Von Drehle orchestrates these events into a drama rich in suspense and filled with memorable characters:
the tight-fisted Shirtwaist kings Max Blanck and Isaac Harris; Charles F. Murphy, the shrewd kingmaker of Tammany Hall; blue-blooded activists like Anne
Morgan, daughter of J.P. Morgan; reformers Frances W. Perkins and Al Smith. Most powerfully, he puts a human face on the men and women who died on March
25th. Triangle is a vibrant and immensely moving account of the hardships of New York City life in the early part of the 20th century, and how this event
transformed politics and gave rise to urban liberalism.
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Jun 29, 2011 Heidi rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have been interested in learning more about the fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist factory for some time now. I saw this book at the gift shop of the Smithsonian Museum of American History and decided it was a must read.

The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire was until 9/11 the deadliest workplace disaster in American History. 146 mostly (17-19 year old women) perished in the blaze. The fire is credited for changing workplace safety laws, as well as really giving a kick start to the suffrage movement. Befo...more

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Jul 20, 2010 Gwen - Chew & Digest Books - rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010

On March 25, 1911, 146 people died at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City. 6 of them were never identified. Many of those dead died from jumping out of the windows fleeing the fire; jumping seemed better than being burned alive.

A woeful lack of fire inspections, fire safety equipment, locked doors, rescue ladders too short to reach upper floors, and other flagrant miscalculations led to the deaths. Unions, still in their infancy, had been striving for better pay & shorter h...more On March 25, 1911, 146 people died at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City. 6 of them were never identified. Many of those dead died from jumping out of the windows fleeing the fire; jumping seemed better than being burned alive.

A woeful lack of fire inspections, fire safety equipment, locked doors, rescue ladders too short to reach upper floors, and other flagrant miscalculations led to the deaths. Unions, still in their infancy, had been striving for better pay & shorter hours, but often, far down the line on their lists of demands was safety. Besides, they still weren’t that effective on getting manufacturers to listen to them. When they called a strike, employers had millions of other immigrant workers eager to fill in as scabs.

Cheap manual laborers were a plenty in the early 1900’s. Every day ships were coming in from all over the world and they needed the work. Not to put too fine a point on it, but people were cattle. They were necessary to the manufacturers, but any worker would do. The real problem was society. The workers had no voice because they had no political pull and no money to get that political pull. They. Didn’t. Matter.

After the Triangle fire, many people from other areas of society were finally made aware of the plight of the lowly worker. Politicians, especially Tammany Hall, took notice as well, because the workers could represent a rather large voting block if they came to their aid. Within 2 years Legislation had been passed addressing fire safety, including automatic sprinklers, fire drills, women and children were given new protections, and the amazing 54-hour-work-week–bill. (see, we have it easier even now with a 40 hour week)

While everyone was still out for blood, the owners of the Triangle Shirtwaist factory were tried for one of the deaths on the day of the fire. The trial work and evidence was fairly sloppy and they were acquitted. Still, the rest of the workers of New York really reaped the benefits of the changes that the fire started. Stronger unions and stronger laws protecting buildings, owners, & ultimately the workers won. Oh, but at what a price. 146 dead, 6 with no name to this day.
This book was interesting because it wasn’t just a play-by-play of the fire. The first portion talks about the strikes in the garment industry just prior to the fire. It sets the stage, you might say, for what they were fighting for and what was to come.

Personally, I tend to be anti-union, but this taught me that they did and do have their time and place. They aren’t all about money and better pay, they fight for decency, safety, and a level playing field. If only they had been able to fight a bit longer in the garment worker strikes of 1910 & 1911, 146 people might not have died. If only manufacturers had gotten their money grubbing heads out of the asses a bit faster and stopped treating their workers like cattle, 146 people might not have died.

The fire brought on a whole new wave in government called the Progressive Movement. FDR became a progressive at this time and later, his New Deal was a completely Progressive plan.
Interesting read, not just about the fire, but the beginning labor struggles in our country. I will warn you, the beginning was a bit slow for me. There was quite a bit of information about the strikes prior to getting into the actual fire. It was important though to see the bigger picture of just how much a catalyst those 146 lives were.(less)

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Oct 23, 2009 Drebbles rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2006

Extremely well researched and written "Triangle" is the story of the 1911 fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factor that killed 146 workers, most of them young women. David von Drehle not only writes about the fire, but the events leading up to the fire, including a prolonged strike by garment workers in 1909. The conditions the workers had to deal with are also described as well as the incredibly long work week (100 hours) for low wages which the owners tried to make even lower whenever they could...more Extremely well researched and written "Triangle" is the story of the 1911 fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factor that killed 146 workers, most of them young women. David von Drehle not only writes about the fire, but the events leading up to the fire, including a prolonged strike by garment workers in 1909. The conditions the workers had to deal with are also described as well as the incredibly long work week (100 hours) for low wages which the owners tried to make even lower whenever they could. Von Drehle describes in great detail the fire, the workers attempts to escape the fire and the efforts of people both inside and outside the factory that struggled to save the victims. He also describes the aftermath of the fire and covers the owner's trial and whether or not they were convicted on any charges. Finally, he includes the first complete list of the fire victims and how they died.

I've wanted to learn more about the Triangle factory fire since I saw a TV movie about it in the late `70's. This book was very informative. The history parts were interesting and helped set the picture of what life was like at the time of the fire. The parts about the fire were hard to read at times not only because of the depictions of the victims dying but the memories it arose of September 11th as some victims were forced to jump from the ninth floor windows to escape the flames. The aftermath of the fire was also interesting, including what happened at the trial of the two owners of the Triangle. The list of the names of most of the victims (six were never identified) was compelling and makes readers realize the victims were mostly young women with the rest of their lives ahead of them. The list of victims is a perfect example of how well researched the entire book is - their names (and the various names misreported in the papers), ages, how they died, and who identified the bodies is listed.

Because of the subject matter, "Triangle" is at times a difficult read, but well worth it.
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Sep 20, 2009 Bap rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: law, labor

First read Michael Leccese's great review. Then go to Washington Square in NYC where the building still stands where sweatshop workers mostly young immigrant woman jumped to their deaths, sometmes holding hands with other workers to escape the flames. It is so eerily like the World Trade center in that regard. The doors to the factory had been nailed shut to prevent workers from taking breaks. The building codes were flimsy and unenforced. the owners were greed and sickenly escaped all liability...more

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Feb 24, 2011 Caroline rated it 4 of 5 stars

The saga of young immigrant workers in the United States at the turn of the century is a Biblical tome of wrongs and tragedies. The Triangle Shirtwaist inferno in Greenwich Village in March of 1911 killed 146 workers, mostly young women. Bosses vs. Unions vs. workers just wanting to get paid and punching their time cards. This account of one of the greatest workplace tragedies in our nation's history ... it made me sad and then mad as hell. I wonder how much has really changed.

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Jul 21, 2012 Marks54 rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is a thorough account of the 1911 fire at a garment factory in Manhattan that resulted in the deaths of 146 people, mostly young immigrant women. This was the largest death toll in a fire situation in New York City until 9/11/2001. This fire shocked the country and led to increased regulations that sought to improve factory safety and working conditions, especially through the work of the Factory Investigating Commission of New York State. The story is heartbreaking and the book is req...more This book is a thorough account of the 1911 fire at a garment factory in Manhattan that resulted in the deaths of 146 people, mostly young immigrant women. This was the largest death toll in a fire situation in New York City until 9/11/2001. This fire shocked the country and led to increased regulations that sought to improve factory safety and working conditions, especially through the work of the Factory Investigating Commission of New York State. The story is heartbreaking and the book is required reading for anyone wishing to think seriously about issues of manufacturing, regulations, unions, public opinion, political influence, and the justice system that remain relevant to political discussions today.

As disaster accounts go, this is a fairly tough read, although not as bad as the recent book on the Spanish Influenza of 1918-1919. The account of the fire, however, is largely complete by the halfway point of the book. This book is especially intriguing in its account of the aftermath, both in terms of the political and regulatory response and in the trial of the factory owners. The fairly persuasive claim made is that the fire not only changed how factories are operated in the US but was an important factory in the move by the Democratic Party to adopt the program of the Progressives as their own program. This development culminated in Roosevelt's New Deal twenty year after the fire.

The are not many shortcomings to the book. Some of the digressions seem a bit long and take on the air of filler, but that is more a matter of editorial choice than anything else.

The relevance to me of this book comes when you consider current issues of the outsourcing of much or US manufacturing to other countries, especially to China and elsewhere in East Asia. As I sit typing this on my computer, with my iphone and ipad nearby, it is tempting to forget that nearly all of the tech gadgets that so contribute to current lifestyles are made in factories where very young people, mostly women, work very long hours in often unsafe conditions with no security or benefits, all to send money home to their families over 2000 kilometers away. This is eerily close to the situation of many of the young women who perished in the Triangle Fire. While the account of the fire will spark outrage and satisfaction over the changes prompted, there is much less concern in evidence over the conditions of the workers who provide our current playthings.

I am aware of the economic issues involved in outsourcing and do not intend to return my products to Apple or Sony. It is hard, however, to consider these conditions without being moved and this book provide a wonderful vehicle to do so and make US history speak loudly to current issues. Very few books are able to do this.

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Apr 09, 2011 Marti Lewis rated it 5 of 5 stars

Reading group starts discussion April 20th.

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Oct 11, 2012 Maera rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012

I added this to my to-read list a long time ago and then forgot why I had wanted to read it. When I finally got around to reading it, I wasn't sure I would like it, but I did.

The chapters were longer than they needed to be and could have been split into smaller pieces. There were also sections where the author seemed to ramble a bit off topic, but I was brought into the world of the 1911 garment factories, union disputes, and poor working conditions leading up to the fire. The author describes t...more

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Mar 02, 2012 Christie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 20th-century, books-with-pictures, history

I picked this book up because, after reading Uprising, I wanted a nonfiction book about the Triangle Shirtwaist fire of 1911. This one just happened to be the first one I came across at the library. It is a very detailed history of not only the fire but the huge strike beforehand. It details the political and societal climate in which the fire happened. More than anything the book covers the aftermath of the fire and the political and social changes set in motion by this fire, which was the wors...more

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Jun 09, 2011 Monica rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

One of the most fascinating books I've read in a long time. Highly recommended. The year was 1911. New York City was, like today, brimming with immigrants—from Russian Jews who escaped genocide to Italians who left hometowns that were destroyed by an erupting Mt. Vesuvius. They started their new lives in the land of opportunities. Some were fortunate enough to work their way up from poverty to become shop and factory owners, lawyers, and politicians. But most lived in tightly-packed tenements an...more

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Apr 12, 2011 Jimmy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: history

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Welcome to Libertarian Hell. I know libertarians who want zero unions, zero minimum wage laws, zero government interference and regulations, zero government health care. The list can go on forever. The scary part is that many of these people are actually the ones who benefit the most from such things. What's wrong with American workers that we are now attacking unions? Read this book and find out what it was like with few regulations and little enforcement.

Many of the Jewish workers in New York...more

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Nov 26, 2011 Shari Larsen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the story of the events leading up to, and including deadly Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire which happened in New York City in 1911. Within about 15 minutes 146 workers, mostly women in their teens and twenties, dies; either from being burned or jumping from the 9th floor to their deaths.

The author sets up the story by examining the sociopolitical context of the time, and gives a moving account and a human voice to those who managed to escape and those who perished, and then what was do...more

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Apr 23, 2012 Shana Dennis rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction, morbid

Even when describing the everyday comings and goings of the citizens of 1911 New York City, from the crooked politicians at Tammany Hall to the tenements packed with workers, this book never failed to keep my attention. It was only because of work, sleep, and the distractions of the Internet that I didn't finish this in 3 days instead of 10.
This book gives details on the worse workplace catastrophe before 9/11 without being dull and also, more importantly, without being ghoulish. This author al...more

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Jan 16, 2013 Allysonk rated it 4 of 5 stars

Triangle; The Fire that Changed America is an interesting novel that I really enjoyed. It outlines worker's hardships, immigrant's difficulty in coming to America and the Triangle Factory Fire. I thought the book illustrated the time period very well. It showed the lives of immigrants and workers that were working in harsh and dangerous conditions with no refuge. I found the information about the worker's strikes very interesting. The book vividly explained the fire and it's gruesome consequence...more

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Dec 27, 2012 Patricia S rated it 2 of 5 stars

I thought this book was okay but it wasn't my favorite. It wasn't my favorite because it didn't truly hook me or keep me interested. It was also very long and there was some unnecessary information added that made the story just drag on longer. Something I did like about this book was the story it told. Before reading this book, I didn't know much about the Triangle fire and in school, we only briefly discussed it. Now I understand more about the event and how it affected the country in such a l...more

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Jan 16, 2013 Caitlin B. rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read the book Triangle : The Fire That Changed America, by David Von Drehle. I thought it was a really good book that i couldn't put down. The book was about the fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in 1911. The fire killed at least 150 people who couldn't escape because the doors were locked to prevent any workers from leaving before the time they were allowed to leave. It also tells about the different strikes around that time period as well.One of the prominent strikers was Clara Lemlic...more

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Traveling Readers: Book driven destination	10	2	Apr 22, 2013 01:19pm
AP US History: Triangle Map	1	3	Dec 30, 2012 07:36pm

title link	preview: Triangle: The Fire That Changed America
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/108305.Triangle?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328822286l/108305.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/108305.Triangle?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Triangle: The Fire That Changed America by David von Drehle[/url]

Triangle: The Fire That Changed America

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