Scan barcode
bookph1le's review
4.0
4.5
This was such a good book, but finishing it left me feeling kind of hollow--through no fault of the author's. The problem is, when you've finished it, you realize how precious little has changed. Russell is depicting the labor movement in the early 1900s, but so much of what happens is relevant to the labor movement of today. Corporations are fatter than ever, the rich continue to get richer by exploiting the poor, and the actual labor that allows corporations to make obscene profits is performed by those who don't get anywhere near the compensation they deserve. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
I was so happy this book introduced me to the extraordinary Anna Clemenc, a woman I'd never heard of before reading this book--which is also depressing because it proves how little education has changed when it comes to acknowledging the contributions of anyone who isn't a white, straight, cishet male. Black History Month and Women's History Month can hardly put a dent in the erasure perpetrated by politicians and the textbook companies that kowtow to them. I hated history when I was a student for reasons that have become abundantly clear to me as an adult. When all you present is a list of male names and dates, how are the vast majority of kids supposed to connect? There's a reason why so many on the right don't want us or our children to have access to better, more nuanced information about the history of the U.S.
Clearly, I'm cynical about power differentials in the U.S., which is why I am so glad books like this exist and that authors as skilled as Russell tell these stories. Thanks to them, Americans like me can be informed and see how while the rich, powerful and indolent do their level best to guard what's theirs, it's the people on the street doing the actual work, and those people have always been women, people of color, Indigenous people, lgbtq people, the disability community--in short, every group the white supremacist patriarchal power structure in this country does its level best to push to the margins.
This was such a good book, but finishing it left me feeling kind of hollow--through no fault of the author's. The problem is, when you've finished it, you realize how precious little has changed. Russell is depicting the labor movement in the early 1900s, but so much of what happens is relevant to the labor movement of today. Corporations are fatter than ever, the rich continue to get richer by exploiting the poor, and the actual labor that allows corporations to make obscene profits is performed by those who don't get anywhere near the compensation they deserve. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
I was so happy this book introduced me to the extraordinary Anna Clemenc, a woman I'd never heard of before reading this book--which is also depressing because it proves how little education has changed when it comes to acknowledging the contributions of anyone who isn't a white, straight, cishet male. Black History Month and Women's History Month can hardly put a dent in the erasure perpetrated by politicians and the textbook companies that kowtow to them. I hated history when I was a student for reasons that have become abundantly clear to me as an adult. When all you present is a list of male names and dates, how are the vast majority of kids supposed to connect? There's a reason why so many on the right don't want us or our children to have access to better, more nuanced information about the history of the U.S.
Clearly, I'm cynical about power differentials in the U.S., which is why I am so glad books like this exist and that authors as skilled as Russell tell these stories. Thanks to them, Americans like me can be informed and see how while the rich, powerful and indolent do their level best to guard what's theirs, it's the people on the street doing the actual work, and those people have always been women, people of color, Indigenous people, lgbtq people, the disability community--in short, every group the white supremacist patriarchal power structure in this country does its level best to push to the margins.
dmiller8980's review
5.0
Very good read
Compassionate, well written and very interesting. And at the end I found out it was all true, even the seminal event. I didn’t know and it made it that much more touching. I love Mary Doris Russell and have read every book she’s written.
Compassionate, well written and very interesting. And at the end I found out it was all true, even the seminal event. I didn’t know and it made it that much more touching. I love Mary Doris Russell and have read every book she’s written.
pamiverson's review
4.0
I like learning about periods of history I knew nothing about. Add compelling characters and great writing, and this added up to a very enjoyable book. How women, notably one very tall Annie, took vital roles in a labor strike in a copper mine in Calumet, MI. Based on real events in 1913, sad, hopeful, great for discussion...
More...