Fire!: The Beginnings of the Labor Movement

Once Upon America

by Barbara Diamond Goldin

Rosie's sister, Fredya, works for an unsafe factory in 1911 and tries her best to get the union organized so that it is safe enough for Rosie and others to work there, yet things do not happen quickly enough and a disaster finally occurs. Reprint.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens

64 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1992

Reviews

[Miss Amanda]

gr 3-6 51pgs

1911, Triangle Shirtwaist Factory NYC. 11 year old Rosie's parents don't approve of her older sister Freyda working on Shabbat or of her involvement with the labor meetings. After the fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory where Freyda works, will Rosie's parents change their mind and attend the labor meetings with her?

[Karen]

Some of my husband's family worked as "heavies" for the Labor Union, so I know quite a few unsavory aspects of the Union, especially from the 1960s through to the 1980s. But it is important to remember that unions were necessary to give the workers basic human rights because the factory owners weren't willing to.

This story is competently told, but does leave gaps and questions.