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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
A workplace disaster second only to the events of September 11, 2001, the Triangle fire comes to life in von Drehle's painstaking reconstruction of the events leading up it, the lives of individual workers, the politicking, the tragedy itself, and the political and social change to follow. Von Drehle combines investigative journalism, vivid narrative, and astute analysis in an engaging and readable presentation.
I recommend reading Triangle with Dreamland and Five Points, two books also on my shelf here. I'm interested in other suggestions for related reading as well.
I recommend reading Triangle with Dreamland and Five Points, two books also on my shelf here. I'm interested in other suggestions for related reading as well.
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
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 also doesn't immediately take sides with either the pro-business side nor the worker's right's side, instead letting the facts and people speak for themselves. The people you assume to be villains are actually extraordinarily human and sympathetic despite their actions, and those expected to be touted as heroes are taken down a few notches through accounts of pride, vainglory, and envy on their part.
Despite this, however, the evidence comes out firmly on the side of regulation and worker representation. Had the factory owners been MADE to followed safety protocol, treat workers as human instead of little better than machinery (incidentally, they made more bank than needed on insurance for equipment and had to be forced to give a mere $75 in compensation to families of dead workers), and given thought to the good of the factory as a whole instead of their profits, this disaster would have hardly qualified for the back page of the newspaper. It is somewhat ironic that their firm belief in a completely free market led to the New Deal.
This book gives details on the worse workplace catastrophe before 9/11 without being dull and also, more importantly, without being ghoulish. This author also doesn't immediately take sides with either the pro-business side nor the worker's right's side, instead letting the facts and people speak for themselves. The people you assume to be villains are actually extraordinarily human and sympathetic despite their actions, and those expected to be touted as heroes are taken down a few notches through accounts of pride, vainglory, and envy on their part.
Despite this, however, the evidence comes out firmly on the side of regulation and worker representation. Had the factory owners been MADE to followed safety protocol, treat workers as human instead of little better than machinery (incidentally, they made more bank than needed on insurance for equipment and had to be forced to give a mere $75 in compensation to families of dead workers), and given thought to the good of the factory as a whole instead of their profits, this disaster would have hardly qualified for the back page of the newspaper. It is somewhat ironic that their firm belief in a completely free market led to the New Deal.
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I read Triangle: The Fire That Changed America as a required reading for my United States History class. The first few chapters were somewhat slow as there was a lot of information to take in, but once the actual story began I couldn’t put it down! The book revealed a part of American history that not many people know but yet it so incredibly important. History buffs (like myself) will definitely enjoy Triangle!
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.
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.
I had hoped for a riveting page-turner, considering the perilous and tragic circumstances, but the narrative itself was a bit of a yawn. Having said that, it is nevertheless a well-researched and informative account of the disastrous 1911 New York fire that took 146 lives.
I felt like I knew turn of the century New York going into this book - I've been studying it since I was a kid. In middle school we learned about the Tammany political machine and yellow journalism. In college I learned how the Triangle fire led to changes in the fire code, and that exit doors should always open out instead of in. A couple of years ago I read [b:A Tree Grows in Brooklyn|14891|A Tree Grows in Brooklyn|Betty Smith|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327883484s/14891.jpg|833257] and gained a ground-level appreciation of the time.
It turns out that was only the barest of frameworks. Triangle shores up the weak bits, fills in the gaps, and extends the lessons of the fire into the New Deal and beyond. And it was a wonderful read to boot.
Big social and political movements such as garment worker strikes and pushes for political reform are masterfully illustrated using details from the lives of real people that were affected by them. The fire itself is a big part of the book, of course, and the harrowing minutes are covered in detail and from many different angles. I was scared the post-fire narrative would wane but the drama of the Triangle owners' trial was the most riveting part of the entire story.
Von Drehle's research is exhaustive and impressive, with notes and appendices taking up nearly a third of the pages. He also complied a complete list of victims, an impressive feat as no one had bothered to give it a try in the 90 years following the fire. (!) All in all it's a wonderful piece of non-fiction that made me vow never to forget March 25, 1911.
I finished this book not long after reading [b:The Circus Fire: A True Story of an American Tragedy|351219|The Circus Fire A True Story of an American Tragedy|Stewart O'Nan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1391827954s/351219.jpg|1070046] and they make an interesting compare and contrast study. They are both about historical fires that killed roughly 150 people but differ in every other respect.
Part of it has to do with the subject matter. The circus fire was due to a single company not following the law, forgoing fireproofing and dipping the big top in paraffin and white gasoline to waterproof it instead. (Smart.) The Triangle factory, on the other hand, passed inspection - the problem was with a lack of regulations in the first place. So while Triangle covers large-scale impact decades down the line Circus barely moves from the scene of the crime.
The authors themselves compound the differences. Triangle is a non-fiction book by a non-fiction writer, lovingly and painstakingly filled with end notes and references. Circus is a non-fiction book by a fiction writer, crafted for story while remaining true to known facts. There may be more creative non-fiction stuff going on but it produces chapters that I was unable to put down midway.
When I finished The Circus Fire I thought, that was awful. I'm glad I wasn't there. When I finished Triangle I thought, that was awful... but a bunch of amazing people were able to parley it into a greater good.
Circus is about finding closure. Triangle is about making progress.
It turns out that was only the barest of frameworks. Triangle shores up the weak bits, fills in the gaps, and extends the lessons of the fire into the New Deal and beyond. And it was a wonderful read to boot.
Big social and political movements such as garment worker strikes and pushes for political reform are masterfully illustrated using details from the lives of real people that were affected by them. The fire itself is a big part of the book, of course, and the harrowing minutes are covered in detail and from many different angles. I was scared the post-fire narrative would wane but the drama of the Triangle owners' trial was the most riveting part of the entire story.
Von Drehle's research is exhaustive and impressive, with notes and appendices taking up nearly a third of the pages. He also complied a complete list of victims, an impressive feat as no one had bothered to give it a try in the 90 years following the fire. (!) All in all it's a wonderful piece of non-fiction that made me vow never to forget March 25, 1911.
I finished this book not long after reading [b:The Circus Fire: A True Story of an American Tragedy|351219|The Circus Fire A True Story of an American Tragedy|Stewart O'Nan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1391827954s/351219.jpg|1070046] and they make an interesting compare and contrast study. They are both about historical fires that killed roughly 150 people but differ in every other respect.
Part of it has to do with the subject matter. The circus fire was due to a single company not following the law, forgoing fireproofing and dipping the big top in paraffin and white gasoline to waterproof it instead. (Smart.) The Triangle factory, on the other hand, passed inspection - the problem was with a lack of regulations in the first place. So while Triangle covers large-scale impact decades down the line Circus barely moves from the scene of the crime.
The authors themselves compound the differences. Triangle is a non-fiction book by a non-fiction writer, lovingly and painstakingly filled with end notes and references. Circus is a non-fiction book by a fiction writer, crafted for story while remaining true to known facts. There may be more creative non-fiction stuff going on but it produces chapters that I was unable to put down midway.
When I finished The Circus Fire I thought, that was awful. I'm glad I wasn't there. When I finished Triangle I thought, that was awful... but a bunch of amazing people were able to parley it into a greater good.
Circus is about finding closure. Triangle is about making progress.
Now available in my online store.
https://carpelibrumonlinebookstore.com/products/triangle-the-fire-that-changed-america-by-david-van-drehle
This is the tragic, horrifying true story of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.
https://carpelibrumonlinebookstore.com/products/triangle-the-fire-that-changed-america-by-david-van-drehle
This is the tragic, horrifying true story of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.
informative
sad