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barium_squirrel's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
5.0
A fascinating look at labor history, focusing on the stories of women, minorities, and marginalized people. This book is compassionate and thrilling. I'd like to own this one
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, Sexism, and Sexual harassment
dangerousnerd's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
4.5
mattmclean's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
slow-paced
3.0
I wasn't the biggest fan of this big, but I will admit that is 95% on me. I heard the author Kim Kelly on the podcast It Could Happen Here and loved how informative she was on how unions work, what are the conditions that could bring about a general strike, etc. Besides the battle of blair mountain, I don't know much about unions and strikes, so I picked up the book because she said she had just released it on the podcast mentioned above.
This book has almost nothign to do with how unions work, which is partially what I wanted. It is a book that chronicles important people and unions who are generally not white, not male, and/or not cis. I did enjoy reading these stories and having the image in my mind of a union person being a white coal working man be crushed (I especially loved reading about how there is a rich history of sailing unions being very inclusive of LGBTQA+). There are some truly inspiring, cool, heart breaking, and dark stories in here that I loved to read about.
However, there were a few things I didn't like. I didn't like how most of this book felt like a bunch of vignettes. It made it hard for me to read because it wasn't really building towards anything. Each few pages were about a specific union or person, then moved on. Consequently, it was hard for me to engage with this book. However, things like short stories have never been for me.
Also, I just really wish the author explained more about how unions work, how they interact with the government, etc. Because i read this book so slow, i do not have any examples of the top of my head, but there were several times where I was confused how a union could or couldn't act, but no explanation was given.
This book has almost nothign to do with how unions work, which is partially what I wanted. It is a book that chronicles important people and unions who are generally not white, not male, and/or not cis. I did enjoy reading these stories and having the image in my mind of a union person being a white coal working man be crushed (I especially loved reading about how there is a rich history of sailing unions being very inclusive of LGBTQA+). There are some truly inspiring, cool, heart breaking, and dark stories in here that I loved to read about.
However, there were a few things I didn't like. I didn't like how most of this book felt like a bunch of vignettes. It made it hard for me to read because it wasn't really building towards anything. Each few pages were about a specific union or person, then moved on. Consequently, it was hard for me to engage with this book. However, things like short stories have never been for me.
Also, I just really wish the author explained more about how unions work, how they interact with the government, etc. Because i read this book so slow, i do not have any examples of the top of my head, but there were several times where I was confused how a union could or couldn't act, but no explanation was given.
dreamgalaxies's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
This felt like a corrective for many things I should've learned about American history in school but didn't. But it also feels like a starting point.
An important primer for people interested in getting more involved in the labor movement, but Kelly doesn't delve very deeply into the lives of those she profiles. This very much reads like book-length journalism, so as long as you go in expecting that you'll likely appreciate it. I liked how Kelly tied in the organizing struggles of sex workers, disabled people, and prisoners.
This felt like a corrective for many things I should've learned about American history in school but didn't. But it also feels like a starting point.
An important primer for people interested in getting more involved in the labor movement, but Kelly doesn't delve very deeply into the lives of those she profiles. This very much reads like book-length journalism, so as long as you go in expecting that you'll likely appreciate it. I liked how Kelly tied in the organizing struggles of sex workers, disabled people, and prisoners.
tato_gremlin's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
4.5
Meticulously researched and thorough, Fight Like Hell is a fantastic overview of what might be called intersectional labor history. Time and time again, Kelly shows how intertwined all of our so-called social issues are with class and labor, without falling into a simple class reductionist analysis. In terms of theory, there's nothing here you won't find articulated more clearly elsewhere, but Kelly's thorough citations of primary sources is practically a guidebook to further reading. A magnificent, inspiring book.
lizal33's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
3.0
A well-organized and thoughtful primer on the history of organized labor in the US. A subject that I felt I knew about, but realized there was so much more for me to learn.
90sinmyheart's review against another edition
5.0
I hope this is turned into a TV series so it will reach even more people!
somestuff's review against another edition
4.0
really incredible history of labor doesn’t feel that it leaves any sectors of labor out or underrepresented which is rare for labor history books
happy this book exists and i got to read it
happy this book exists and i got to read it
aoosterwyk's review against another edition
5.0
A tremendously readable book about the history of US unions, strikes, and the people who made them happen. I will be purchasing a copy for my high school library.